Chapter Text
The day that Zelda Spellman first hears of Lilith Wardwell, is as ordinary as any day can be at Spellman’s Law. Though, in the present, she is far too occupied with the chaotic nature of her family to know the havoc that particular woman will have upon her day, and the days that followed that one. In fact, Zelda has barely taken the first sip of her afternoon tea at the dinner table, free at last from finalizing another successful deal, and ready to relax with her newspaper for the rest of the night, when her niece comes barging through the front door.
“Aunt Zee, Auntie Hilda, there’s something you just have to hear…” Sabrina begins, showing no signs of relenting as she rushes over to the table.
“Sabrina.” For God’s sake, she hasn’t even read the first article yet. “Please, will you take off your shoes before you step into the kitchen. This isn’t a mortuary, and some of us do try to keep up an appearance that does not fit in with having mud footprints all over the floor.”
Zelda’s sister had been the one to sweep the floors earlier that afternoon, but that was far from Zelda’s point.
“Oh, but I just—”
“Sabrina. Now.”
Now, as Sabrina sighs and goes back to the entryway to take off her shoes, Hilda gives Zelda a look. It’s entirely unwarranted, so Zelda just raises an eyebrow back at her.
Hilda sighs, but turns to the direction of the foyer, “How was your day at school today, sweetheart.”
“It was good, I mean, fine really, Aunt Hilda, but--” she sighs, eyeing both her aunts, “I have a case for you.”
Zelda sighs and moves her newspaper up in front of her face, as if she’s been really concentrating on it, and this conversation is inconvenienced her from doing so. “Not another case, Sabrina, you can’t just take the problems of every ridiculous teenager you’ve ever met and turn them into civil litigation.”
“No, no, you don’t understand, it’s not just any case.”
“Oh… what is it darling, is something wrong?” Hilda frowns.
“Yes, it’s… it’s Harvey.” The girl’s boyfriend.
Zelda puts down her newspaper suddenly at that, “He hasn’t impregnated you, as he?”
Sabrina looks horrified, “Aunt Zelda! No, I…” She frowns, “No, but, how would that even be a case for you anyway?”
“You’d be surprised what matters can be turned into civil litigation… Defamation of character…” she trails off.
It’s unfair that Sabrina can look so aghast at such a young age. “It’s his dad, with their mines. There was an accident in the mines.”
“Oh dear! Is he alright?” Hilda asks, as Zelda lowers her paper again and asks, “What happened?”
“He’s fine. Harvey wasn’t in the mines but his brother was. There was a cave-in… He’s at the hospital, along with another man who works there, a Brian Lopez ZeeBub. Tommy—Harvey’s brother, they think he’s going to be okay. His head’s a little… fuzzy from the accident, but physically, he’s going to be okay. But Mr. ZeeBub… they say he isn’t going to be able to walk again.”
“Oh my, that’s absolutely horrible! Poor boys…”
“I know, I know…” Sabrina says, and shakes her head, “It was a terrible accident, the cave in. They said… Harvey said they haven’t had a cave-in like that in years.”
“Years? I’ve always said, mines like that are always a deathtrap, no matter how careful you are,” Zelda frowns, considering. “But Sabrina, Mr. Kinkle owns the mines, so he can hardly sue himself over his own son’s injury. There’s nothing that can be done except to paying a visit to the poor boy at the hospital.”
“I know—I know, I’m going there with Harvey, and Roz, and Susie later tonight, to see Tommy, but…” Sabrina shook her head, “No, that’s not what I mean, it’s not Tommy that’s suing Mr. Kinkle, it’s Mr. ZeeBub…”
“… What?”
“He’s suing Mr. Kinkle, he’s saying the collapse was his fault, that he was negligent. Even when his own son was injured in there. If they lose the mines over this, if they lose their money and then lose the mines, Harvey and his father, and Tommy, they won’t have anything left!”
“One of you has to defend him, please, tell me you’ll take the case… aunties?”
“Oh, well, of course we will,” Hilda pipes up, “That’s absolutely ridiculous, to blame Mr. Kinkle, with all he does for our little town… I’m sure Zelda will be happy to speak on his behalf...”
Zelda looks from her concerned niece to Hilda, who looks back at her expectantly. “What? Wait a minute, you can’t volunteer me before I even think about it, Hilda, first I’ll have to—”
“You will definitely have to take the afternoon to think about the case and formulate the best defense for Mr. Kinkle,” Hilda continues; Zelda wants to interrupt, she tries to open her mouth to do just that, but sometimes, when her sister gets going, there’s nothing that will stop her, “Because you know, I would take the case, oh, I certainly would for dear Harvey and his father but you know I’m still working with Dr. Cee to save him from that horrible business involving the gross negligence at the store! And I know you’d certainly do anything, wouldn’t you, Zelda, to help Sabrina and all of her good friends.”
“Well, I—” she starts, but doesn’t get a chance to finish, before she knows it Sabrina interrupts her with a smile.
“Oh you would? You would do that for Harvey, Auntie Zee? Oh thank you! Thank you!” She’s crushed in an awkward half-hug at her side from Sabrina latching onto Zelda in her chair.
Zelda startles at that, she can hardly remember the last time Sabrina’s hugged her since before she was a preteen, and she knows her fate is sealed to this case. “Yes… of course.”
“I knew you would do it! I’ll text Harvey right away and he can let his father know.”
Sabrina unlatches herself from Zelda and smiles, “Thank you, Zelda, and… both of you. It’s been a day of such horrible news and… it’ll be good for the Kinkles to know that someone’s on their side now.”
“Of course, Sabrina, you tell them we’re here for anything they need. I know I’m busy with other cases, and I’m so sorry, but you know I’ll help Zelda in any way I can,” Hilda says, “I made a batch of snicker doodles for our clients tomorrow morning, but why don’t you take them to the hospital with you tonight instead.”
“That’s perfect! You’re both the best. I’ve got to go call Harvey and get changed. Then I’ll be down to help you with those cookies before I go.”
Zelda clears her throat and finally adds, “I’ll get a hold of Mr. Kinkle tonight.” She can’t believe she’ll be defending the mines of all things, there’s absolutely no way she can back out of this now, not with Sabrina looking at her like that, like Zelda might have just gone and hung up the moon for her. “Do you know who it is that’s made his case?”
“Hm. I think it was… it was Morningstar and Company. Apparently. the lawyer, she’s ruthless. They call her Madam Satan.”
“Madam Satan, how absurd,” Zelda snorts. What a ridiculous name to call a lawyer, she was only a lawyer, and certainly not satanic. “Why?”
Sabrina shrugs, “I dunno, that’s just what they called her. Maybe she’s just… the worst? Anyway… I really do have to go call Harvey. See you guys when I head out.”
And then she’s out of the dining room they’ve gathered around just as quickly as she’s come in.
Zelda turns her gaze over to Hilda, who looks away and instead picks up her tea, sipping it innocently. Sometimes, Zelda thinks, she could murder her sister. There’s even a good bit of ground out back she could bury her in, and she doesn’t think anyone would go digging there without good cause—maybe she’d even get away with it.
“I’ll just get on with packing up the cookies for her, then. What awful business that is in the mines, don’t you think, Zelda?” Hilda continues.
“Yes, just… awful, Hilda.” Zelda hopes her glare cuts through her sister enough for her to know she’s thought about burying her body in the yard.
“I suppose you’d better get on with calling Mr. Kinkle and Miss—er, madam satan, then. I’ll leave you to it for you, but you’ll have to let me know how that goes. You know Sabrina is counting on you!”
Hilda was smart to leave the room then to get to the kitchen and to her baked good—but whoever had said Hilda Spellman wasn’t ruthless and instead an innocent, sweet woman clearly hadn’t been her sister for the past 47 years and counting.
So, she’s stuck now with the job of defending her niece's boyfriend’s father (of course she is) who owned the mine shaft that collapsed on his other son, which sounds of course, like an absolutely thrilling one, the charms of Greendale and its citizens right back at it again. One of these days this town was going to give her a headache that wouldn’t subside, as long as Sabrina wasn’t the one to put it there first.
But before, that, she has a long night of researching mining and calling up Mr. James Kinkle to setup a meeting with him. Then she’ll see what in hell’s name is going on with this madam satan she’ll be up against; all she knows is the name’s certainly given the woman something to prove, and she definitely hasn’t met Zelda Spellman in court quite yet if she’s kept that particular nickname. She should hear the names they’ve given Zelda over the years.
Spellman’s Law is a smaller branch of firm that has its headquarters in the city that neighbors the more suburb-laden town of Greendale. It receives all of it’s funding from Faustus Blackwood’s parent firm, Law of the Night. Currently, Spellman’s Law only consists of three members, that of the remaining Spellman family who are of age to practice, sisters Hilda and Zelda Spellman, and their nephew Ambrose Spellman.
They’d been offered a place in the city when Blackwood expanded the firm outwards there, but the three had refused; their firm’s historic location, the mansion which functioned as both a family home and an office, had been in their family for generations, last thriving under the Spellman name with Zelda’s late brother, Edward Spellman.
They have their family legacy to uphold here in their house, even though most of the time Zelda feels she’s the only one trying to keep that particular name in tact, and the town of Greendale, no matter how small and rural it may be, was their home, and they weren’t about to lose sight of the people who’d been relying on their council for generations beforehand.
Besides, until, and only up until, Faustus Blackwood is about to offer Zelda the office with the best view that overlooked the city and a senior partnership that gave her sway over the future of the firm, she isn’t leaving her office at her ancestral home. After all, Zelda is a Spellman, her family created this firm in this ridiculous town all those years ago, and she certainly deserves control over the firm more than Blackwood ever had.
Because he had been Edward’s closest friend and Blackwood was born a man, unfortunately for everyone else and fortunately for him, and if Zelda could shoot the idea of male privilege still being around even in an age such as this, she would. After all, she did keep a loaded shotgun in the gardening shed besides Hilda’s beloved spades.
In any case, he hasn’t offered her the senior partnership yet, which isn’t without her cause in trying, and won’t be without eventual success if she has anything to say about it, so for now, she’s content with the office in her home. It’s a large manor on a significantly larger plot of land, with many rooms and offices, enough of them for her family to have their own personal spaces and even their own offices, all with a rather gothic and grand sense of style.
The point being, that, occasionally, newcomers could get lost upon visiting. However, that point did not extend to finding a stranger who Zelda had not allowed into her home ascending the grand staircase on the following morning.
Zelda is just walking across the foyer to get to the kitchen, her antique cigarette holder nursing a fresh one in her hand, and she is just thinking that maybe she will steal a few of Hilda’s cookies inconspicuously and call that breakfast before she makes her way to the hospital where she can meet with both Mr. James Kinkle and his son, as Mr. Brian Lopez ZeeBub and his lawyer, when she spots someone walking up past the second landing.
“Excuse me. What are you doing here?”
The woman stops her ascent and looks down at her, and instantly Zelda knows who she must be. She’d researched the mines the night before, but she’d also researched Lilith Wardwell, one of the prominent players in one of the richer firms in the city, Morningstar and Company. Now, them Zelda had certainly heard of, especially in stories from Blackwood, as he called them devilish schemers who weren’t afraid to play dirty in order to achieve their winning verdict. Rumor had it, if Zelda were to listen to tabloid outlets, that the owner, Mr. Lucifer Morningstar himself, was out on sabbatical for the time being, leaving the firm in the hands of Miss Wardwell, for the time being.
Now Miss Wardwell is speaking, “Oh, I’m so sorry, I seem to have gotten lost.” Lost. Up the stairs? “Your door was open.”
Zelda snorts, and doesn’t reply, waiting for the woman to descend back down to the first floor.
So, here is Madam Satan herself, Zelda thinks as she appraises her with her eyes when she approaches. Lilith is a small woman with striking features and high cheekbones and there’s a falsely innocent expression plastered all over her smile, one that Zelda doesn’t believe in even for a second.
“You must be Miss Spellman. I’m—”
“Lilith Wardwell,” Zelda supplies. “Apparently otherwise known as Madam Satan. It’s a terrible nickname, by the way,” she notes and takes a drag of her cigarette. “In poor taste.”
Lilith chuckles and shrugs, and maybe that’s suppose to be charming. “Well, I didn’t choose it, and I’m half inclined to agree. I can’t control what people call me when I’m not around.”
“Hm, I suppose you also haven’t developed a sense of direction. Our law offices are on the first floor, in case you were wondering. And we were supposed to meet each other at the hospital later today.”
“I was wondering that actually, so, thank you. It’s quite the setup you have over here. Very spacious and Gothic. Very… country.”
A frown inserts itself on Zelda’s lips.
“As for our meeting, of course, we were,” Lilith explains, like it’s the most natural thing in the world she’s shown up unannounced and snooping around. “But I thought, well, why not pop in and see your humble abode for myself, after all, I’ve never been to the Spellman’s before, and now I get a chance to meet you first. Now, we can chat, and we can go to the hospital together.”
“We can go together?” Zelda says, unable not to simply repeat that, because, who on God’s green earth does this woman think she is? They’re rival attorneys, not new best friends.
Lilith just shrugs, “We could talk about the case, get all of our facts straight before discussing it with our clients.”
Zelda shakes her head and takes another drag of her cigarette. Lilith seems quick to give reasonable explanations, she looks innocent enough, from the get-go, but Zelda knows, everything she’s said since Lilith’s intruded into Zelda’s home is absolute bullshit. And Zelda will not be taking any of that.
“Listen, Lilith Wardwell,” she begins, stepping closer and getting up in this woman’s space, because apparently, invasions of privacy are all that Miss Wardwell can understand, “I cannot begin to fathom why you thought it would be a good idea to barge in—to let yourself into my practice, and the proceed snoop around my home this morning, but you need to understand something. There’s no way I’m going to speak to you about this case until I’ve spoken to my client first.”
Lilith doesn’t say anything then, doesn’t back away in terror or spit back, instead just looks at her, and Zelda isn’t particularly satisfied with her expression, it’s one that’s almost of scrutiny, like she’s examining Zelda now.
She can feel her skin prick with the gaze in the lingering beat of silence, and Zelda doesn’t like that, not one bit, so she continues, “Well? Do you understand?”
The corner of Lilith’s lips upturn, just slightly, “I do. Of course, this is your home, and I did so rudely intrude.” Zelda would trust her sincerity as much as she trusted in Sabrina’s ability not to get involved in any more trouble, which to say, she didn’t trust in it at all. “Though I can assure you, I only wanted to meet you and your practice here.” She steps back from Zelda, towards the front door. “We’ll talk when you’re ready then.”
“Yes. After we arrive at the hospital,” Zelda says, “Separately.”
“Indeed.” Lilith is about to leave, her hand poised at the door, when she tuned back, “Although… I have to say, you weren’t who I expected to find here. Though I do wonder, if this is how offended you get by a surprise visit from opposing council, I do look forward to seeing your reaction when I destroy you in court. Unless… that’s too worrying for you, and you’d rather make a deal. I’d be fine with it either way, but like you said… we’ll talk about that later.” Lilith grins. “I’ll be seeing you soon then, Miss Spellman!”
Lilith is out the door before Zelda can dignify that with a response, left to angrily puff out smoke in the foyer. Oh, by the end of this, Zelda would have to murder her niece for getting her into this, and especially, yes, especially she was going to murder Lilith Wardwell. Right after she beat her in trial, because there was absolutely no way she’d be able to make a reasonable deal with this woman, she knows already, before she’s even spoken with her client.