This Poison Heart

Karter calls, asking Briseis to attend a movie that evening. She agrees just as an older man approaches the house, seeking to visit the apothecary. He introduces himself as Isaac Grant, Dr. Grant’s father. Thandie asks about the bag of oleander that Briseis is holding; her daughter jokes that it’s “weed” and then clarifies to Isaac that she’s only kidding. He says that Dr. Grant won’t prosecute for marijuana use when the laws disproportionately target Black people and shows his medical marijuana card. Isaac requests sulfur, which Briseis finds in a hidden compartment. As she searches for a scoop to transfer the odorous powder, she finds receipts dated from the early 1990s. She credits Mama Lucille for her purchases in the ledger. When she asks Isaac about the uses for sulfur, he offers a rote answer about killing mites on pets and deflects her curiosity by suggesting that the true purpose of the apothecary might be something magical.

He asks her to put wolfsbane in a copper dish, indicating that Circe could also touch poisons barehanded. He tells her that her powers can go beyond touching poisons and asserts that the apothecary has been central to the “magical community” in Rhinebeck for years.