If she had thought it was only one apple tree, she was greatly mistaken. By the time Evangeline truly took in what the maid had meant by the trees needing help, she realized this wasn't simply a matter of being short handed.
The orchard stretched farther than she had expected, rows upon rows of fresh green leaves dotted with ripe red fruit. Perhaps the servants hadn't merely lacked help. Perhaps they had given up on the task altogether, or refused to tend to these trees.
Right now, she stood alone among them. No voices, no footsteps, no one else in sight. The work of what should have been ten people had quietly settled onto her shoulders.
"I can count at least sixteen apples on each tree just by looking…" she murmured, craning her neck.
