Page 28 of The Tea Witch’s Secret

I shook my head, remembering some of the longer journeys we'd been on as children, and even the one that brought us here which included travelling to the coast and then on by ship.

We turned a corner and came upon a man watering a bed with small plants in it. They were too young for me to recognise what they were, but I was sure once they'd grown I'd be able to identify them.

"Hi, Earl," Pepper said brightly.

He looked up from his work and raised his hand. "Hello. Back for more herbs already?"

"No, I'm just showing Lian around," Pepper said, her hand briefly touching the small of my back. "She came with the weather witches and is just getting familiar with all the wonders of Purple Oak."

"Welcome," the man called Earl said.

"This is Earl Brewster," Pepper said. "He's the one in charge of the herb garden, and the tea garden next door." She waved vaguely in the direction that I assumed the tea garden was in.

I bowed to greet him. "Nice to meet you. Your herb garden is beautiful."

"Thank you, but it's a little neglected at the moment. My attention has been needed elsewhere," he said while pruning some twigs off a bush. "It's a mess in here."

That was a surprising thing to say when the herb garden was flowering and looked like something straight out of my dreams. To create a place like this, it would take years and years of cultivation. Years of consistency, one of the few things I had yearned for my whole life.

"I can't believe you're growing so many different varieties here," I said, looking around the garden as I did. It was filled with all sorts of specimens that weren't native to the region but had made themselves at home. They were thriving. There was even a glass house at the back of the herb garden that I assumed was being used to grow things that needed a hotter climate.

Maybe I could be like that too. Maybe Purple Oak could be the place where I planted roots and grew wild instead of keeping myself small and pruned.

I looked at Pepper, feeling a lot of affection for her. I didn't know if this had been her intention or if she simply wanted to share something that aligned with my interests. Whatever it was, I was grateful.

"Lian is a collector of medicinal remedies and cures," Pepper told Earl, bringing me back to the conversation and not my own thoughts of how I was like the herbs.

"You are?" Earl asked, his gaze going up to my face.

"I have a small collection, but I wouldn't say I'm a collector," I replied, not wanting him to get the wrong impression. Not when he was clearly the expert between the two of us.

"So you have an interest in plants and medicine?" Earl asked.

"I find it fascinating. I know some people might find my interests odd because I'm a tea witch, but there are so many more ways to stay healthy than visiting a healer when something is wrong." I paused, remembering I was in the presence of someone from the Four Families and that Purple Oak's prosperity was built upon the tea witch infirmary. He was a Brewster too, which meant that he was a tea witch. I should be more careful about sharing my opinions on my magic.

To my surprise, Earl nodded. "That's how I feel. There are all sorts of plants and herbal concoctions that help prevent colds and illnesses. We have healers who specialise in herbal remedies so we can help residents without always needing to rely on tea."

"You have healers who aren't tea witches?" I asked, constantly surprised by Purple Oak.

Earl nodded. "Anyone can work in our infirmary. Tea witches, wards, empath mages, nymphs. We don't want to be there simply to patch people up, we try to keep everyone healthy and strong so they don't need us to do that. We don't want people to be reliant on tea witches."

That seemed like a contrary thing coming from a Brewster, but I wasn't going to question it. I didn't know much about running a town, but it was clear that they were doing a great job around here and that people were finding purpose doing a variety of things.

A small voice inside whispered that I could be one of them, all I had to do was let it happen.

Earl left to tend to another plot, and I turned back to Pepper, who was looking at me and smiling widely. She looked beautiful standing between the plants and flowers, a vision that was quickly etching itself into my memory.

"I can see you're having fun," she said, chuckling when a butterfly landed on her hair.

"I am," I agreed. "It feels like you're seducing me by showing how wonderful Purple Oak is."

Pepper chuckled. "Oh, you saw right through my plan. Purple Oak is a place of possibilities, and even if you don't stay forever, I hope you'll still give it a chance. Give us a chance."

To my surprise, there was a lightness to my body that I hadn't felt in a long time. I wasn't about to throw all my duties to the wind and forget about looking after Eva and Max, but it felt like there was space for me to be me here too.

I touched the side of her arm, feeling more comfortable with how the connection between us was growing stronger. I was still worried about the future, but these new experiences were making me understand that it could be different. I was no longer a child pulled along by adults like a helpless leaf in the wind. I could choose what to do with my life, I could choose stability.

When Pepper leaned down to kiss me, I didn't feel any dread or worry. Instead, it felt like a world of possibilities was opening up to me.