Libby’s sigh made her wish it were otherwise. “Very well. Darling, then. That’s what I’ve actually been calling you, haven’t I?” She rubbed a finger under its chin. “I was considering Darwin largely because it sounded similar. But we’ll just stick with my original thought.”

A tomcat named Darling. Though she shook her head, Mabena’s lips finally twitched up into a semblance of a genuine smile. “Well, convince Darling to go outside. I’ll have everything ready in ten minutes, and we can be off.”

It was bound to be a trying two days. But they might as well get them started so they could get them over with.

Libby was far from the only tourist in the Abbey Gardens on such a gorgeous sunny day, which was a bit of a shame. She stepped from the Garden Lodge, past the artfully arranged figureheads of ships long since sunk or retired, and wished she had the whole place to herself so she could explore every bloom and leaf. The Lodge delivered visitors onto what they called “the Avenue,” a winding path that led through the Gardens. She took the first turn it offered, into an area marked as “the Wilderness.” Ferns abounded—identifiable as such, but far different from the varieties to which she was accustomed. She’d seen images of a few, but to behold them with her own eyes . . . Her breath caught with glee.

Behind her, Mabena chuckled. “You’re going to be here all day, aren’t you?”

“Come and find me in a week. Maybe a month.” She intended to start right here by the door and move as slowly as necessary to take in absolutely everything.

“And this is why we came here even before going to my parents’.” At least Mabena finally sounded amused again, instead of angry. Libby’s stomach had been in knots for days, the way she had refused to come out of the mood Lottie had put her in. “Have fun. I’ll take our things to their house and find you later. Shall I arrange for luncheon and tea somewhere, or just bring you a sandwich?”

“Sandwich. Please.” Positioning herself as out of the way on the path as possible, Libby dropped to a seat on the ground, crossed her legs under her skirt, and opened her notebook. The Abbey Gardens had provided her with a little booklet that named many of the blooms, and between that and the gardener, she meant to put together an exhaustive catalogue. Though really, two days wouldn’t be enough for such an undertaking, not even close. She’d have to start working on Mabena now to come here with her at least one day a week this summer. Or let her come on her own. There were tourists aplenty on the boats between islands. Surely that would be acceptable if Mabena didn’t want to join her.