The Herbwitch's Apprentice Ireen Chau (best life changing books txt) 📖

On the third night, I ran into a problem. The recipe required a hair from the person forced to tell the truth.

I had to find a way to acquire a strand of Duchess Wilhelmina’s hair.

MY CHANCE CAME WHEN Karen decided to take advantage of Narcissa’s frequent absences.

“I have an appointment in the city,” she said. She was dressed in a fine gown with all the jewelry she had earned since I began working. “If you peep a word about it to milady, I will tell her you’ve been careless with your work.”

I was all too glad to see her leave and even wished her a good afternoon. If only mine could be as enjoyable.

I dropped the mop I was using somewhat reluctantly. The duchess’s suite was right beside Narcissa’s, easily accessible through a shared door near the fireplace. Narcissa used it frequently to visit her mother. I knew for a fact it was always unlocked. That made the first part of my job easy.

Now came the difficult part—actually going inside.

The duchess’s schedule was a mystery to me, though I never took her as a woman who lounged among her wealth all day. I pressed my ear against the door and waited. When no sound came, I slipped in. The chamber was empty. I began to search.

Finding a strand of hair in a very large, well-kept suite proved to be a difficult task. There wasn’t a speck of dust on the furniture, or a streak of dirt on the floor. I looked under pillows and cushions and rugs.

Not a single hair in sight.

After overturning the living space, I mustered up the courage to enter the duchess’s bedroom. It was ridiculously lavish like everything else in the suite, furnished with a canopied bed, a polished mahogany vanity, and a large armoire with a full-length mirror. The scent of soap in the air told me the bed sheets had been freshly laundered.

I scowled at the pristine pillows and set to work on the vanity drawers. But drawer after drawer was filled with brooches and rouge and powder.

At last, I found a golden hairbrush at the bottom. I nearly crumpled with relief. The bristles were full of brassy red hair. Pulling off a clump, I stuffed it into my pocket.

Just as I celebrated my success, a hiss came from the doorway.

I dropped the hairbrush, sending a perfume bottle crashing to the floor.

Misty stalked into the room, her back arched and tail stiff in the air.

I backed into the vanity.

The cat continued toward me. Her acid green eyes were more unsettling than usual. There was a glint of intelligence in them, right beside the more obvious glint of malevolence.

The corner of the vanity dug into my lower back.

“Good kitty,” I said, trying to shoo her away. My voice was horribly shaky and only seemed to agitate her further. Was my hard work doomed to be destroyed by a cat?

Misty pounced.

Sharp claws dug into my shins, piercing through the fabric of my dress. I shrieked and tried to shake the feline off, but only kicked drawers open. Glass bottles and jewelry flew out like cannonballs. Misty scrambled up my legs. Before her fangs could sink into my arm, I flung her onto the bed.

She landed amongst the pillows, hissing. Instead of attacking again, she turned her tail up and fled the room.

I stared open-mouthed at the chaos that marred the once immaculate room. Shattered glass bottles glittered from the tiles like hazardous snow, dotted with sapphire necklaces and diamond brooches. A pot of rouge had overturned on the rug, staining the brocade a bright poppy red. A deep dent scarred a drawer I kicked away, the wood splintered.

Sweat pooled into my palms. The duchess would no doubt know someone had intruded.

After making sure the commotion didn’t bring anyone inside, I cleaned up the best I could, shoving the drawers back in and throwing the glass shards out the window. The rest I swept under the rug. I hoped the gardener wouldn’t notice the broken perfume bottles in his pansies.

When I exited, Misty was pacing before the door that led back to Narcissa’s chambers. She arched her back when I took a step toward her. I shuddered, turning to the exit instead. I’d rather risk the short trek down the hallway than another round of feline attack.

I slipped out, noticing too late that I had company. And this time it wasn’t a cat.

“This is the girl I was talking about, Sir Hughes,” Narcissa said, crossing her arms. Behind her were four armed guards and a smug-looking Karen. “She is the thief.”

28

My arms were twisted behind my back before I could react.

Sir Hughes, the bulkiest guard, stepped up and looked me up and down. He had a thick mustache that drowned his mouth.

“She certainly looks like a thief,” he said with a sniff. “Don’t worry, milady. I’ll have her thrown in the dungeons with the rest of her kind.”

“I haven’t stolen anything!” I protested, attempting to wriggle out of the other guards’ grasp. They held tight. “I’m innocent!”

Sir Hughes grunted. “Search her.”

One of the guards behind me nodded, but I shot him a withering look.

“I’ll do it,” Karen said. She looked extremely pleased with herself as she patted down my arms and legs. When she reached my pockets, her smile spread even wider. “There’s something here!”

The only things in my pockets were a wad of hair and a day-old dinner roll. I knew that for a fact, so I was surprised to say the least when Karen pulled out a glittering ruby bracelet.

“T-that wasn’t there before!” I said as Sir Hughes’s mustache drooped down in displeasure.

“Nice try,” he said gruffly. “Bold of you to steal from the duchess. Too bad you’re not smart enough to get away with it. Take her away, men.”

“Wait!” Narcissa and I said in unison. I gaped at her, but the look on her face wasn’t one that wanted to help. “This