The Garden Of Magic

The Garden Of Magic
Sarah Painter

A magical Pendleford prequel novella from the bestselling author of The Language of Spells, that introduces the world to Iris Harper – the original Harper witch. Iris Harper has lived in Pendleford for decades, the local witch is mistrusted by the townsfolk, but that doesn’t stop some coming to her begging for potions, spells and quick-fixes.As time has marched on suddenly Iris is aware that her days are beginning to fade. Her sumptuous garden is turning against her, the sweet scent of rot potent and now a young girl has come begging for a solution at her door.Yet, the problem she brings causes Iris to remember a man from long ago – the man she loved, the man she could never trust…

Iris Harper has lived in Pendleford for decades, the local witch is mistrusted by the townsfolk, but that doesn’t stop some coming to her begging for potions, spells and quick-fixes. As time has marched on suddenly Iris is aware that her days are beginning to fade. Her sumptuous garden is turning against her, the sweet scent of rot potent and now a young girl has come begging for a solution at her door.

Yet, the problem she brings causes Iris to remember a man from long ago – the man she loved, the man she could never trust…

Praise for SARAH PAINTER’s Pendleford series (#uab64ae2b-6801-5f2f-bce9-db001ebb738e)

‘Sarah Painter is a talented new writer, and her debut is a charming, romantic and intriguing story, with a little touch of magic. It had me enchanted.’ – Clodagh Murphy on The Language of Spells

‘I would recommend this book as it is a real mix: it’s a love story and a thriller with a dash of magic thrown in for good measure.’ – Laura’s Book Review on The Secrets of Ghosts

‘The plot had great twists and turns and when I thought I had the story figured out, the story would go in a different direction and surprise me. I didn’t want to put it down and the further I got into the book, the harder it was to stop reading … A wonderful debut novel and I’m looking forward to reading the next one.’ – Novel Kicks on The Language of Spells

‘I thoroughly enjoyed The Secrets of Ghosts. It was just as magical and just as enjoyable as The Language of Spells and I am soooooo glad Sarah Painter decided to go back to Pendleford. … I really do love magical fiction and I think Sarah Painter is one of the best at giving you a realistic look at magic and all that comes with it.’ – Chick Lit Reviews on The Secrets of Ghosts

‘I really loved this book – and it is not often I say this, really. An amazing debut, I was sucked in so much I could hardly put it down and finished it in about a day I think. I also couldn’t stop talking about it! That is its charm and the skill of the writer, you can’t quite put your finger on what it is … I hope to read more in the future by this author.’ – Beloved Eleanor on The Language of Spells

‘This really was a fantastic debut novel … The language was also simple but elegant and meant that the story flowed seamlessly. I honestly could not put it down.’ – Laura’s Little Book Blog on The Language of Spells

‘Utterly enchanting.’ – The Madwoman in the Attic on The Secrets of Ghosts

Also by Sarah Painter (#uab64ae2b-6801-5f2f-bce9-db001ebb738e)

The Language of Spells

The Secrets of Ghosts

The Garden of Magic

Sarah Painter

Copyright (#ulink_69a7b07d-0084-5315-87bc-a19f994be835)

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2015

Copyright © Sarah Painter 2015

Sarah Painter asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

E-book Edition © August 2015 ISBN: 9781474044882

Version date: 2018-10-30

Before writing books,SARAH PAINTER worked as a freelance journalist and editor, while juggling amateur child-wrangling (aka motherhood) with her demanding Internet-appreciation schedule (aka procrastination).

Born in Wales to a Scot and an Englishman (very nearly a ‘three men walked into a bar’ joke), she now lives in Scotland with her husband, two children and a grey tabby called Zelda Kitzgerald. She loves the work of Joss Whedon, reading in bed, salt and vinegar crisps, and is the proud owner of a writing shed.

Sarah podcasts at www.worriedwriter.com (http://www.worriedwriter.com) and writes about craft, books and writing at www.sarah-painter.com (http://www.sarah-painter.com).

Thank you to Victoria and Sally at HQ Digital for their editorial wizardry and to Agent Fabulous (AKA Sallyanne Sweeney) for her continued support and advice. This story wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for all the lovely reader messages asking for more from Iris Harper. I really enjoyed revisiting Pendleford and I hope you do, too! Finally, a massive thank you to my friends and family for putting up with my writerly nonsense.

For my readers, with love and gratitude.

Contents

Cover (#u7bfe3014-931c-5ea7-89c4-7f541ff23322)

Blurb (#u0a35837c-4aa0-520e-bcf5-720f3ed70d13)

Praise

Book List

Title Page (#u243d3ccc-fa91-53c5-aa84-a22a52148b04)

Copyright (#u8dd7e38a-0a3a-5b2d-8179-34daf4792888)

Author Bio (#u836e8362-fd65-5d0b-a62c-e55a6ca1b3d8)

Acknowledgements (#u3f8fa5bc-7d3d-582a-8023-924727f84504)

Dedication (#u1f2e567f-6252-5bcd-bcd9-3629c691bc46)

Chapter One (#ulink_136f9959-5d0c-53a6-92d4-30e064afaece)

Chapter Two (#ulink_6b1168ae-4f0a-58f8-b015-0be48f1906dd)

Chapter Three (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)