by H. Y. Hanna
She leaned back and realised that things looked very different from this vantage point, low on the ground. Several of the plants that had been waist-high now towered above her, their flower spires silhouetted against the evening sky. The shrubs loomed large, their dense leaves and branches coming into sharper focus, so that she noticed every vein, every bud, every crease on the leathery bark…
She noticed also the life teeming all around her: a trail of ants marching purposefully across the path nearby, an earwig rustling through some dead leaves, a spider dangling daintily between two flower stems, reeling out silk for a web to catch its dinner, and a garden snail making its slimy way up a blade of grass next to her… She gave a delighted laugh. She felt like someone discovering a world that they had never realised was right beneath their feet.
Rocking back on her heels, Poppy closed her eyes and listened to the soft swish and murmur of the tall grasses nearby as the evening breeze moved through them. Then she inhaled deeply, taking in the soothing fragrance of English lavender which still lingered in the garden (despite the butchered bushes!), mingled with the more pungent, woody aromas of rosemary and thyme.
She gave another happy sigh. Her plug plants had been transplanted and were thriving in their new pots, word about her flower arrangements was spreading, she was being inundated with orders, and this morning she had been delighted to see fresh green shoots growing from the bare, twiggy stems of the lavender she had overpruned. After the madness of the last week, it was nice to think that life might be finally getting back to normal—
The peace was broken by a blood-curdling yowl. Poppy’s eyes flew open and she sprang up, just in time to see a big orange tomcat come racing around the corner of the cottage with a scruffy black terrier hard at his heels. Oren gave another gleeful yowl as he weaved between the plants, staying just close enough to wave his tail tantalisingly in front of the dog’s nose but running fast enough to keep out of reach. Einstein let loose a volley of barking, promising all sorts of dire consequences when he finally caught up with the cat, and hurled himself even harder after Oren.
The two animals raced through the flowerbeds and towards the stone wall which separated Hollyhock Cottage from Nick’s property. Oren sprang nimbly up onto the wall, leaving Einstein bouncing up and down at its base, almost howling with frustration. The ginger tom turned around and shot the terrier a smug look of triumph, then he turned and leapt gracefully for the open window in the house on the other side of the wall. He landed on the windowsill and tossed another disdainful look over his shoulder, then disappeared through the opening.
The next moment, there was a crash—the sound of a cup shattering and liquid sloshing everywhere—followed by a furious voice:
“YOU BLOODY CAT! I'm going to kill you!”
Poppy grinned. Oh yes, everything was definitely back to normal…
Don’t miss the next book in this series!
Book 4 in The English Cottage Garden Mysteries
COMING SOON!
Join my Readers’ Club Newsletter to be notified when it’s released, as well as get updates on exclusive giveaways and other book news:
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Have you read my other mystery series?
The OXFORD TEAROOM MYSTERIES
"Scones, a tea shop in England, a kitty & a murder -
yes, please!"
A Scone To Die For (Book 1)
Tea with Milk and Murder (Book 2)
Two Down, Bun To Go (Book 3)
Till Death Do Us Tart (Book 4)
Muffins and Mourning Tea (Book 5)
Four Puddings and a Funeral (Book 6)
Another One Bites the Crust (Book 7)
Apple Strudel Alibi (Book 8)
The Dough Must Go On (Book 9)
All-Butter ShortDead (Prequel)
The BEWITCHED BY CHOCOLATE Mysteries:
"A cozy mystery with the perfect blend of magic and mayhem. This series has me completely bewitched!"
Dark, Witch & Creamy (Book 1)
Witch Chocolate Fudge (Book 2)
Witch Summer Night’s Cream (Book 3)
Blood, Sweets and Tears (Book 4)
~ previously published as Witch Chocolate Bites
Bonbons and Broomsticks (Book 5)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
USA Today bestselling author H.Y. Hanna writes funny and intriguing British cozy mysteries, set in Oxford and the beautiful English Cotswolds. Her books include the Oxford Tearoom Mysteries, the 'Bewitched by Chocolate' Mysteries and the English Cottage Garden Mysteries - as well as romantic suspense and children's mystery novels. After graduating from Oxford University, Hsin-Yi tried her hand at a variety of jobs, before returning to her first love: writing. She worked as a freelance writer for several years and has won awards for her novels, poetry, short stories and journalism.
A globe-trotter all her life, Hsin-Yi has lived in a variety of cultures, from Dubai to Auckland, London to New Jersey, but is now happily settled in Perth, Western Australia, with her husband and a rescue kitty named Muesli. You can learn more about her and her books at: www.hyhanna.com/newsletter
Join her Readers’ Club Newsletter to get updates on new releases, exclusive giveaways and other book news!
https://www.hyhanna.com/newsletter
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A big thank you as always to my beta readers: Basma Alwesh, Connie Leap, Charles Winthrop and Erin Preble, for always finding time to fit me into their busy schedules and for investing so much time and energy to help me create my stories—even reading manuscripts multiple times and coping with constant plot changes and character revisions! I am also grateful to my editor and proofreader for being such a great team to work with.
And last but not least—I can never thank my amazing husband enough for always being there for me. Without his unwavering support, encouragement and enthusiasm, I could never have achieved everything that I have. He is one man in a million.
***
Copyright © 2019 by H.Y. Hanna
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13: 978-0-6484198-5-3
www.hyhanna.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments, persons or animals, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the author. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Book 4 in The English Cottage Garden Mysteries
The OXFORD TEAROOM MYSTERIES
The BEWITCHED BY CHOCOLATE Mysteries:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ACKN
OWLEDGEMENTS
