Free Web NovelChapter 34: Heartache
SOPHIA
The maid’s name was Hannah. She was quiet and shy. She only spoke when I spoke to her first. Otherwise, she stared out the window of the carriage, her nervousness betrayed by her hands clutching her uniform.
It only took half an hour to arrive in Velvetleaf. Mid-afternoon, and the village was bustling. People went in and out of the buildings, horses clomped along the streets, people gathered at tea shops and eating establishments.
Overall, Velvetleaf wasn’t very large.
All the businesses surrounded the town square, which was a grassy field with trees, flowers, benches and in the middle, a statue of a general holding a sword toward the sky, his expression resolute.
"Who is that?" I asked Hannah as the carriage drove by. ƒreewebɳovel.com
"General Willowmarch. The first one. He and his family founded the town about the same time they built Amaranth Manor. That statue’s been there about as long as the village has existed."
So one of the first things the Willowmarches built was a statue of their patriarch? I guess they didn’t want the townsfolk to forget who their benefactor was. It seemed an ode to man’s ego rather than a something people erected to honor a hero.
"Where would you like to go first, Mrs. Willowmarch?" called out the driver.
"The apothecary," I called back.
"I need to get this prescription filled," I told Hannah. "Then we’ll go get tea cakes."
I had brought the previous prescriptions with me, too. I wanted to make sure that the new tonic didn’t interfere with the medicines I was already taking.
The apothecary smelled like dank mushrooms and wet moss. The interior consisted of a lobby with shelves filled with loose ingredients, pre-made medications, medicinal incense and spices for medicinal food.
Display tables held various products. There was a large table filled with scented candles that had various purposes like sleeping better and inducing calmness. There even candles that smelled like apple pies, mulled wine, and strawberry chocolate.
"Hannah, why don’t you pick out a few candles while I talk to the pharmacist."
"Which ones would you like, Mrs. Willowhermarch?"
I smiled. "I’ll leave it up to you. And pick one for yourself, too."
She grinned, and clapped her hands in excitement. "Thank you, Madam!"
While Hannah browsed the candles, I headed to the counter. Luckily, there wasn’t anyone else waiting to talk to the pharmacist.
She was tall, wore wire-rimmed glasses and a white coat. Her blonde hair was pulled into a braided ponytail. I noticed her hands, the stained fingertips, the short, blunt nails. These were hands of someone who handles medicinal ingredients all day.
She was friendly and helpful.
I handed her the new prescription, and she looked it over. Finally, she nodded. "Yes. We can prepare this for you. Do you want the ingredients separate or mixed? You’ll have to brew it for at least an hour before you drink it."
"Mixed is fine. Will it be bitter?"
"Oh, yes," she said, smiling. "We have selection of candied fruit you can purchase. Many customers like to have a sweet after the sour. Our pear candy is very popular. So are the strawberries."
"I’ll take one box of each." I slid the other prescriptions across the counter. "I want to make sure the medicine I’m already taking doesn’t interfere with the new tonic."
"Of course." There were three. One for the pain pills, and two tonics. She browsed the first two papers. "This one is for the compounded pills you take for pain. They’re quite powerful and if taken too often they can do more harm than good."
"I only take them for the headaches."
"Good." She pulled out the next prescription. "This is a healing tonic. Everything used for it is very safe and it has no contraindications with your new medicine."
She examined the third paper. Then she took the new prescription and put the two side by side. Her brows dipped in concentration as she studied the papers. Finally, she looked at me. "What is your condition?"
"I was in an accident where I got a head injury. As a result, I have amnesia."
"The healing tonic and pain pills are typical treatments for head injuries. But this one..." She tapped it. "It doesn’t make sense why you would take it, especially if you have amnesia."
"What do you mean?"
"This particular tonic is used for people who have traumatic-based anxiety, which often leads to panic attacks. One of the main side effects of this is memory suppression. This is a prescription given out lightly. Usually it’s given to soldiers who’ve been to war, people who’ve survived natural disasters, and people with untreatable insomnia. In other words, this is not something you would give a person suffering from amnesia, unless..."
"Unless what?"
She met my gaze, and I saw the concern on her face. "Unless you didn’t want that person to remember anything. How many times have you taken this tonic?"
"In the evenings before bed, but it made me feel ill, so I stopped taking it. The other two were more helpful."
"That’s good. When was the last time you drank this tonic?"
"A couple of days ago."
She nodded. "It should be cleared out of your system by now. If that’s the case, the new prescription will do the opposite. It will make you feel refreshed, focused, energetic. I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t get some relief from your amnesia within the week."
"Really? That’s wonderful."
"I’ll recommend some medicinal foods that are good for your brain. And there’s an herbal supplement that should be helpful, too."
"Excellent. How long until I can pick up my order?"
"I’ll need a couple of hours."
"I’ll return in two hours then. Thank you."
Hannah and I left the apothecary. We stood on the stone walkway, while I processed everything the pharmacist told me.
Why would the hospital doctor give me a tonic that would hamper my memory?
Unless Jace had asked him for it. freёwebnovel.com
And if so, what was it that Jace was trying so hard to hide from me?
Apparently my own husband didn’t want me to remember our previous life.
Why?
