Chapter 54

[Evelyn’s POV]

I honestly couldn’t believe how popular the tea mixture had become. When I think about how it all started out, by giving some of it to Alexander’s Grandmother to help her feel better, I never imagined that it would have led to such a booming success.

I was glad that I was helping everyone who was looking for it; however, something I hadn’t considered was the amount of praise that came with it all. In all honesty, it made me feel a tad bit uncomfortable. Maybe it was because I just wasn’t used to it.

Wendy and Nina believed that I should be properly praised for the work I’d accomplished, but I was just glad to know that I was helping people.

What shocked me was how quickly word had spread about my herbal tea mixture. Apparently, other neighboring packs wanted to put their orders in before flu season truly took hold.

This made me extra diligent when handling the whole process. Before every batch was packaged and sealed, I made it my personal job to check the mixture for balance.

By doing so, I would measure out a few tablespoons of the mixture and brew a fresh cup of tea to test it out. After having lunch with Nina, I made my way down toward the greenhouse where I swiftly checked over my growing bundles of herbal plants.

Once I was satisfied, I turned to head toward the tent which was where I kept all the dried-out leaves and various flowers and herbs that were collected.

I instantly stopped in my tracks the second I noticed Fiona walking in the other direction.

That’s weird...What is she doing way out here?

I knew she had her own tent where she would conduct her practice, but it was nowhere near this area...

Calm down, Evelyn. Don’t overthink it. Maybe she was just exploring around. Perhaps someone had told her about the tea mixture and she was curious to find out more about it.

Again, I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about it. I knew it had only been a single day since she’d been back, and so far nothing had been amiss, but I still felt greatly uneasy about it all. Fiona didn’t seem like the kind of person who would simply let go of the past. Things had never been easy between us and there was no reason why we would let bygones be bygones now.

I tried to push the unsettling thoughts out of my mind and headed inside the tent. Well, from what I could gather, nothing seemed to be out of place.

So, maybe Fiona hadn't even been in here.

No matter, I went about my usual business and began prepping to test the newest batch of the mixture. As I waited for the water in the kettle to begin boiling, I sat back and gave myself the chance to gather my thoughts.

There was a likely chance that I was thinking far too much about the whole matter of Fiona being back. As long as the two of us stayed out of each other’s way, then there should be no problems. At the high-pitched sound of the kettle going off, I took a small scoop of the tea mixture out of the vat and placed it into the diffuser.

After a good five or so minutes, I removed the diffuser and gently sipped at the tea. The flavor was a bit complex this time around. There were earthy tones, citrusy tones, and even a few warm spices I’d added for good measure.

But there was something else going on that I couldn’t quite put my finger on...Something I hadn’t added in myself.

The second the tea hit my stomach, I felt like I was about to keel over. All the muscles in my chest contracted and felt like they were burning. The tea fell from my hands and then my knees hit the ground. The pain was utterly paralyzing.

Oh God. My vision grew spacy. Soon, everything began to blur and I no longer felt like I had an ounce of control over myself.

I couldn’t even call out for help.

[Third-Person’s POV]

Alexander felt deep in his gut that something wasn’t right. Call it intuition...Maybe, a coincidence...Either way, this feeling was physically keeping him from being able to focus on his work.

He stopped whatever he was doing and pushed it aside. For a moment he mentally ran through his schedule and quickly noted that he hadn’t forgotten anything important nor had he overlooked anything regarding the documents in front of him.

Yet the feeling persisted.

What the hell was going on? It was driving him mad—to the point where he couldn’t focus and gave up on trying to get any further work done.

No matter, he glanced at the clock that sat on the corner of his desk and saw that it was already close to dinner. He got himself back in his wheelchair and confidently made his way toward Evelyn’s rooms.

Even though their lessons together had all but come to an end, there was really no reason for him to personally escort her to her dining room anymore. However, Alexander found that he generally enjoyed being around her and wanted her attention as often as the two of them were able. Who would have thought?

Right as he approached her door, he reached out and gave a firm knock. But there was no immediate answer.

That was strange...where was she?

His brows pulled together in question. From what he could recall of her schedule, today was the day in which Evelyn would take care of the tea plants and test the newest batch before shipment.

It doesn’t normally take her so long, though.

Alexander pulls himself back and heads toward the kitchen. As soon as he spots Nina speaking to one of the other staff members. He aimlessly glanced around the room and still found no trace of Evelyn.

“Nina,” he called out. “Have you seen Evelyn?”

It did not like the nervous look that came over the older woman’s face.

“No, sir. I was just asking if anyone else may have spotted her earlier too,” she explained. “You see, she was supposed to meet Wendy and me a little while ago but she never showed up.”

This was doing nothing for Alexander’s growing anxiety. He took in numerous deep breaths and tried to keep a handle on his growing concern.

“When’s the last time you saw her?”

Nina took a swift second to think. “We saw her yesterday when she had returned from her trip and then we saw her at breakfast this morning. But after that...I’m afraid I can’t say.”

Alexander called out for Oliver who came rushing over. “Sir?”

“I think something’s wrong,” he stated. “No one had seen Evelyn since this morning and no one can account for where she is. Reach out to the immediate house staff and have everyone fan out.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The only thing she had planned for today was testing the tea mixture before it gets shipped out,” he told them. “I’m heading out there now.”