Page 19

Jasmine

I'd been awake for several hours longer than I'd needed to be, making sure that everything was right for today. If anyone asked me, I'd tell them it was because I wanted to ensure that everything was perfect for the first group of dryads to arrive from Grower's Cove, but that would partly be a lie. I wanted that to go smoothly, but what I really wanted was to see Ryburn again.

A chill wind swept through the air, and I felt bad for them having to travel, and for the Purple Oak workers who had headed in the opposite direction with Taz in order to build the promised mill. Hopefully, they'd get a warm welcome on the other side and be well looked after. I was certainly going to try and make sure that was the case for the dryads coming here.

I wrapped my coat tighter around me, shivering as I waited by the Purple Oak gates. According to the messenger, the Grower's Cove workers were supposed to arrive any time, and I was impatient for that time to arrive.

Movement caught my eye, and excitement bubbled up in me when I saw the caravan. I resisted the urge to run out towards them because there were witnesses, and I was here as a representative of the Four Families. I wasn't exactly ready for them to know that I was fallible enough to fall for someone I was supposed to be working with, even if I knew I hadn't done anything wrong.

It was torture watching them approach and not being able to hurry them along, especially when I was waiting for one of them in particular. I had no idea if Ryburn had told the other dryads he was travelling with about us, but that was a conversation for later.

My heart skipped a beat when the caravan finally reached us, and the guards waved it through the gates. Ryburn's eyes met mine and he headed straight over until he was standing in front of me, just as handsome as I remembered. Or maybe more so.

"I made it," he said with a relieved sigh.

"You did," I replied, no longer able to resist. I leapt into his arms, and he kissed me as if we hadn't seen each other in years when it had only been a few weeks.

Faint applause sounded in the background, and someone even whistled on their fingers. I ignored it all, too swept up in how right it felt to be in Ryburn's arms and feel his lips against mine. So much for keeping our relationship quiet for now.

But I didn't care. This had been worth the wait.

He pulled back but didn't let go of me. "I've not stopped thinking about you."

"Me either. I counted down the days and now you're finally here."

"Now I'm finally here," he repeated, leaning down for another kiss. "This is everything I've been looking forward to."

Someone cleared their throat, and it wasn't a surprise to find Ford a few steps away from us with a bit of a furrow on his forehead. "Are we going to stand here all day? We need to unpack."

His bluntness jolted me back to the duties I was supposed to be doing, and I let go of Ryburn. "Hi, Ford."

"Jasmine," he said.

"I didn't realise you were coming."

He shrugged. "Your apple trees need help." He walked past and through the gates.

"He's consistent," I murmured.

"You get used to it," Ryburn promised.

"Oh, I know. Earl is similar with his tea plants. You'll learn about that soon enough."

Ryburn chuckled. "That's fine by me. If he's particular about them, then it'll mean they get everything they need."

I beamed, glad he already had such a good impression of my younger brother. As much as I wanted to stay and talk to him for longer, I had work to do, and I peeled away from him to hand out instructions. The food needed to go to the storage rooms, and we'd prepared a dorm for the workers and a welcome dinner so they would feel right at home. I was sure things would change as they all spent more time here, but it was a good start, and would hopefully mean things went smoothly.

There was a lot to do, but I felt giddy about the prospect because all of this was going to make Purple Oak a better place.

Once everyone was sorted out, it was just me and Ryburn, just like I'd planned it. Cami and Mum had been surprised when I'd asked if I could take the afternoon off, though less so when I told them why, and they were covering for me anywhere that I absolutely needed to be today. I took his hand in mine, enjoying the way it felt to have it in my own.

"There's something I want to show you," I told him.

He gave me a curious look. "Oh?"

"It's a surprise. I hope you'll like it." I pulled him with me through the town, not at all caring that people saw us walking hand in hand. News and gossip travelled fast in a place like this, and by tomorrow, most people would've heard about our kiss at the gates anyway.

We made it to the heart of the village, and I heard Ryburn gasp behind me when the purple oak came into view. Even from a slight distance, it was an impressive tree. It had been here for longer than the village and had been a sign of good luck and prosperity for my ancestors.

I grabbed the key from inside my pocket and opened the gate, gaining entry into another place that was off limits for most people. Even I had to ask for the key, but the look of sheer awe on Ryburn's face was worth it.

"This is beautiful. I can't believe I didn't see this last time," he whispered, approaching with reverence. "Can I touch it?"

I nodded. "Go ahead. I know it's not your home tree and you can't visit it without me, but I hope this will make you feel a little bit less hollow when you're away from home."

He put his hand against the tree and smiled at me. "You're amazing. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I want you to like being in Purple Oak."

"I do." He let go of the tree so he could touch my cheek. "And I like you. A lot. I'm glad we're going to be spending a lot of time together."

I smiled and tangled my arms around him. "Same."

I had no idea exactly what the future held, but I was sure there were good things ahead, for Purple Oak, for Grower's Cove, and for us.

* * *

Thank you for reading The Tea Witch's Treaty , we hope you enjoyed Jasmine and Ryburn's story.