The Victory Garden(107)

“So you left your tour to come back for this?” she asked.

He looked pleased with himself. “The tour is over—a great success. A publisher has approached us, so you’ll have another book to add to your library, Grandmama. And so I’ve come home. I thought we’d better get started on improving that farm of ours while it’s still summer.”

“You’ve come home.” Lady Charlton’s voice cracked a little. “That is good news.” She paused. “That farm has been suffering from neglect for too long now.”

Justin pulled up a chair next to Emily. “Also, I have good news for you. I gave your lotion to a friend of mine who is a chemist at Imperial College in London. He tested it, and he found it pretty good. It turns out his uncle has a factory, and he might be interested in manufacturing it commercially. What do you say?”

Emily looked around the long tables at the women who had become her friends, her sisters. “I’d have to confer with my partners first,” she replied.