Scarlet placed both hands on her hips. "Naturally."
"You did a good job."
"Thank you."
"Even if the first branches were unsuitable."
Scarlet's smile faded.
"Why must you always mention that?"
"Because it's true."
Jude laughed as he carried the last empty basket toward the storehouse.
The rest of the afternoon passed quietly. Sophie and Serena returned from the eastern farms with fresh vegetables. Zoey and Lucy came back from the western path, carrying a bundle of dry leaves and complaining that the path was longer than they remembered.
Natalie finished tying the vine to its new support. Susan sorted the vegetables, and Layla added the day's discoveries to her journal.
As the sun began to lower, everyone gathered around the garden.
Stella stood beside the little wooden markers, reading the names she had written.
"The violet flowers are here. The tall meadow plants are at the back. The eastern herbs are beside the stones. And the new seeds are in the centre."
