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“It was a man, wasn’t it?” Mair said with a knowing nod. “It usually is. They ruin everything. What did this one do?”
“It’s more what he didn’t do. He didn’t support me when another man accused me, and I couldn’t stay there any longer.”
“Of course. And I’m sure he’s still secure in his position.”
“As far as I know.” Elwyn had to smile at the idea that a healer would ever oust a nobleman.
“Well, you’ll have very little to worry about here, as there are no men to speak of, and they’re all married. I suppose they can still be a problem, but not that kind of problem, unless they’re being utter rats. And that does happen.” She heaved a dramatic sigh. “No, I’m sorry, but men may still be a problem here, alas. Word of advice: Get your flour at the market, in public. Never be alone at the mill with the miller unless his wife is present. She’s nice, if a bit of a wet hen, but he has wandering hands. If you absolutely must go, wear something dark so the handprints will show. His hands always have flour on them.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Elwyn said dryly. “I already got that impression from him at the market.”
“You are quite discerning. If this village is going to draw people who need it, and who we need, I’d like it to start bringing us some eligible men. Young—but not too young—useful, with plenty of skills. Handsome, of course. I could use a farmhand. An attractive one with broad shoulders who takes his shirt off to work on hot summer days.” Her eyes took on a wistful look.
“You run the dairy on your own?”
“There’s not that much work. The goats and cows graze on the meadow, I milk them, and while they graze, I make cheese and butter.” She leaned forward. “I don’t suppose you know anything about healing animals. Mother Dilys used to help me when the cows were giving birth.”
“I know herbs,” Elwyn said, turning away from the table to find the strainer the helper nudged toward her. She poured a cup of tea and pushed the cup across the table to Mair. “I have some honey if it’s not sweet enough.”
Mair sniffed the drink, then took a sip. “No, this is lovely. It tastes like summer. Almost like it has honey in it.”
Elwyn poured herself a cup and resumed her seat at the table. They sat in quiet companionship, sipping their tea while the rain poured outside. Elwyn couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a kitchen-table chat with another woman. Certainly not in her last position or the one before that. A neighbor might have stopped by occasionally in her previous position. Otherwise, it had been in the time she’d spent with Mother Alis, both when she hid out there during her childhood and later when she went to train with her. That cottage always had women gathered around the kitchen table.
“This is nice,” Mair said after another sip of tea. “It’s been a long time since I just sat at a table with a friend, chatting. It’s been somewhat lonely here since everyone left, and the rest of us don’t meet up nearly as often as we should. Ever since the inn closed, there’s nowhere to go other than each other’s kitchens.” She emptied her cup and said, “This was wonderful, but I need to get back to the dairy. There’s butter to be churned. Thank you for the tea and the conversation.”
Elwyn walked her to the door. “The rain seems to be letting up,” she said when she opened it.
“You are quite the optimist. It’s as dreary as ever.” Mair pulled her shawl up over her head and said, “I enjoyed our chat. You should stop by the dairy. But be warned, I’ll make you try cheese until you never want to see it again.”
Elwyn found that hard to believe. She was still smiling when she closed the door. “I think I know what to do to earn money,” she said out loud. “The front room would make a nice tea shop. I can use my knowledge of herbs without actually doing any healing.”
She didn’t know if the helper would be agreeable with that, but when she woke from an afternoon nap (there wasn’t much else she could do on a rainy day, and her body did need to recover), the front room had been turned into a proper tea shop. Small tables and chairs from the spare room upstairs had been set up in front of the windows, each covered with a cloth and topped with a doily. Teacups, teapots, and jars of herbs filled the shelves. “I take it that means you’re fine with this plan,” she said.
Elwyn figured the best way to spread the news was to tell Mair, so the next morning she found her at the market and said, “After what you said about needing a place to gather, I decided I’d open a tea shop in my front room. People can come to drink tea and chat, and if they like the tea, they can buy some to take home. I’ll open it in the afternoons, when people might have a spare moment after chores.”
“Excellent idea. I’ll be sure everyone knows.”
Mair was the first to arrive that afternoon, with a pretty young woman of about thirty. “This is Lucina, the baker,” she said, then frowned at Elwyn. “You know, I don’t think I caught your name.”
“Oh, did I not introduce myself?” Elwyn said. If others knew her name, that would increase the chances of word getting out about where she was. Her name wasn’t rare, but she didn’t know how many herbalists and healers named Elwyn there were. But she hated to lie to someone who’d become her closest friend. “I’m Wyn,” she said. It had been a childhood nickname, but she hoped that it wasn’t so similar to her real name that it would be immediately connected to her. “And forgive my terrible manners in not introducing myself earlier.”
“We just started talking as though we’ve known each other forever, and it seems to have slipped my mind that we weren’t properly introduced.” To Lucina Mair added, “Wyn has a knack for choosing just the right tea.”
“Please, have a seat,” Elwyn said, allowing herself to lightly touch both women as she escorted them to a table. From Mair she got the sense of tension and tiredness. Lucina’s emotions were more volatile, a mix of sadness and rage, all covered in overwhelming exhaustion. Both of them could use something calming, she decided.
“You got this set up quickly,” Mair remarked as Elwyn prepared a blend of herbs for the tea. To Lucina she explained, “This room was completely empty yesterday.”
“All of these things were already in the house,” Elwyn said. “Did Mother Dilys run a tea shop?”
“Not exactly, but she liked to do her consultations over a cup of tea at one of these tables, so it was something similar.”
Elwyn watched as both women visibly relaxed once they began drinking the tea. “I should have brought my cakes and buns that didn’t sell this morning,” Lucina said. “People might want to have something to eat with their tea. I’ll bring some by tomorrow, and we can split the proceeds.”
“Well, first I’ll need customers,” Elwyn said.
“They’ll come,” Mair assured her. “Word will spread. It just takes people time to warm up to new ideas.”
However, Mair and Lucina were the only customers that afternoon, until just before Elwyn was planning to close the shop, when a stocky woman stood in the doorway, glaring at her. “How dare you usurp this cottage for something as trivial as a tea shop,” she said.
