The Hidden Grimoire by Karla Brandenburg (pride and prejudice read TXT) 📕

of petals, adding them to the teacup. When the teakettle whistled, I poured the hot water into my teapot and spooned chai spices into the steeping ball. After arranging the pot and the cup on a tray, I carried everything outside.

While I poured, I gave Daria a reassuring smile.

Daria dipped the steeping ball a couple of times before she laid it on the tray. Curls of steam carried the spicy aroma. “And this will help?”

I shrugged. “It’ll make you feel better, if nothing else.”

She blew across the top of the cup and took a sip.

“When did you first notice things going wrong?” I asked. Talking about her problems might do as much good as the tea.

Daria eased back in her chair. “It started about six months ago.”

“Can you pinpoint an event that might have triggered it?”

“No.” Her abrupt answer led me to believe the opposite was true.

She took another drink of tea and set the cup down. “I don’t know what I was hoping for when I came here. Everyone has a string of bad luck now and then, right? I’m sure it will pass.” Daria rose from the table. “Thank you for the tea.”

I couldn’t help her if I didn’t know what I was dealing with. I nodded and watched her walk away.

Another gust of wind blew through the trees. My ponytail fluttered against my back. A storm was surely on its way—literal? Or figurative?

Also by Karla Brandenburg

The Hillendale Novels

Family Alchemy

Unintended Consequences

The Hidden Grimoire

The Epitaph Series

Epitaph

The Twins

The Mirror

The Selkie

The Sculptor

The Garden

The Northwest Suburbs Series

Cookie Therapy

Return to Hoffman Grove

Living Canvas

Touched by the Sun

The Mist Trilogy

Mist on the Meadow

Gathering Mist

Rising Mist

Other Novels

Intimate Distance

Heart for Rent, with an Option

While We Were Shopping