Meet The Villagers
Marnie’s Bakehouse
You’ll usually smell Marnie’s Bakehouse before you find it.
Warm sponge cooling by the window, something sweet bubbling on the stove, and Marnie herself behind the counter pretending she hasn’t noticed Biscuit eyeing up whatever she’s just baked.
The Bakehouse is warm, slightly chaotic and almost impossible to leave empty-handed. Marnie wouldn’t have it any other way.
Her signature scent:
Vanilla Sponge • Raspberry Jam • Buttercream
Come in hungry. Leave happy. And keep an eye on Biscuit.
Hester’s Apothecary
Hester’s Apothecary is the sort of place where every shelf holds something curious.
Bundles of herbs hang from the beams, little bottles crowd the cabinets, and there’s nearly always something quietly steeping, simmering or infusing somewhere in the back. Hester knows exactly where everything is — even if nobody else has a hope in hell.
Ruaridh can usually be found sprawled somewhere inconvenient, keeping a watchful eye on anyone who comes through the door.
Her signature scent:
Lavender • Coconut Milk • Wild Herbs
Come in curious. Leave with exactly what you didn’t know you needed.
Elowen’s Moon Garden
Elowen’s garden is at its loveliest when the rest of the Village is beginning to settle for the night.
Jasmine climbs the old stone walls, pear trees lean over winding paths, and everything seems to sparkle after the rain. Elowen tends it all quietly, usually with Bramble hopping somewhere at her heels and absolutely no respect for freshly planted flowerbeds.
It’s peaceful, a little wild, and the sort of place that makes you forget you were meant to be somewhere else.
Her signature scent:
Jasmine • Pear • Rain-Kissed Moss
Wander in at dusk. There’s always something blooming by moonlight
Evelyn’s Bookshop
Evelyn’s Bookshop is wonderfully easy to lose an afternoon in.
The shelves are crammed from floor to ceiling with well-loved books, forgotten stories and the occasional volume Evelyn swears wasn’t there yesterday. There’s always a pot of black tea nearby and a comfortable chair waiting for anyone in no particular hurry.
Pippin watches proceedings from above, silently judging anyone who dares fold down the corner of a page.
Her signature scent:
Old Books • Black Tea • Vanilla
Come in for a browse. Stay for one more chapter.
Morrigan’s Harvest
Morrigan’s corner of the Village always seems to be caught somewhere between late summer and autumn.
Baskets of orchard fruit crowd the doorway, pumpkins gather wherever there’s room, and there’s usually something warm and spiced making the whole place smell ridiculously inviting. Morrigan insists there’s a method to the abundance. Nobody has ever been brave enough to question it.
Barley, meanwhile, considers himself Head of Quality Control and will happily investigate anything remotely edible.
Her signature scent:
Spiced Pumpkin • Orchard Apple • Maple
Come for the harvest. Stay for the cosy.
Nerissa’s Tidepool
Nerissa’s little corner of the Village always carries the smell of the sea.
Weathered driftwood lines the shelves, sea glass catches the light in the windows, and curious treasures collected from the shoreline seem to find their way into every available nook. Nerissa knows every rockpool, hidden cove and changing tide better than most people know their own back garden.
Pebble is usually nearby, causing considerably more mischief than an otter his size should reasonably be capable of.
Her signature scent:
Sea Mist • Driftwood • Coconut
Follow the tide. You never know what it might bring in.
Hazel’s Café
Hazel’s Café is where the Village goes when it needs a good cup of something warm and absolutely no intention of leaving anytime soon.
There’s always coffee brewing, something sweet beside the till, and at least one conversation carrying on across three different tables. Hazel knows everyone’s usual order, remembers exactly how they take it, and has a remarkable talent for knowing when you need an extra slice of cake.
Marmalade can generally be found occupying the best seat in the house, regardless of whether somebody else was using it first.
Her signature scent:
Café au Lait • Hazelnut • Brown Sugar
Pull up a chair. There’s always room for one more.
Lilith’s Dressing Room
Lilith’s Dressing Room is where the Village goes when it fancies becoming just a little more fabulous.
Velvet, perfume bottles and beautiful old trinkets fill every available surface, while the dressing table always seems to be scattered with the remnants of someone’s latest transformation. Lilith has an eye for the dramatic and firmly believes there’s no such thing as being overdressed.
Velvet, her black cat, naturally agrees and spends most of the day lounging somewhere she can be properly admired.
Her signature scent:
Sandalwood • Dark Fruits • Vanilla
Come as you are. Leave feeling magnificent.
Alaric’s Clockmaker’s Study
Alaric’s study is never truly quiet.
Clocks tick from every wall, tiny gears cover the workbench, and there’s usually at least one mysterious mechanism in pieces waiting patiently to be put back together. Alaric can lose hours to his work without noticing — which seems particularly ironic for a man surrounded by quite so many clocks.
Archie, his African grey, keeps a close eye on proceedings and has developed an unfortunate habit of perfectly imitating certain sounds at precisely the wrong moment.
His signature scent:
Warm Woods • Amber • Aged Leather
Take your time. Alaric certainly will.
Rafferty at The Crooked Crow Inn
The Crooked Crow is where the Village ends up when nobody is quite ready to go home.
The fire is usually roaring, the tables have seen more stories than Rafferty will ever repeat, and there’s always room to squeeze another chair in somewhere. Rafferty keeps the drinks coming, an ear open for the latest Village gossip, and somehow knows when someone needs conversation and when they’d rather simply sit by the fire in peace.
Morrow, his crow, keeps watch over the bar and has an alarming interest in anything left unattended for too long.
His signature scent:
Bourbon Butterscotch • Blackstrap Molasses • Warm Woods
Come in from the cold. Stay for another.
Poppy’s Sweet Shop
Poppy’s Sweet Shop is impossible to walk past without pressing your nose to the window.
Jars of colourful sweets line the shelves, ribbons curl around little paper bags, and there’s always something fizzy, sticky or coated in far too much sugar waiting behind the counter. Poppy takes sweets very seriously and firmly believes most problems can be improved with a well-timed handful of something delicious.
Treacle is usually pottering around beneath the displays, hoping gravity — or a particularly generous customer — might work in his favour.
Her signature scent:
Spun Sugar • Berry Sweets • Fizzy Sherbet
Pick a bag. Fill it far too much. Nobody’s counting.
Helga Harridan’s Oddities
Nobody is entirely sure where Helga finds the things in her shop, and asking tends to result in a story that raises considerably more questions than it answers.
Every shelf is crammed with peculiar treasures, forgotten objects and things that probably belonged to someone interesting once. Helga knows the story behind every single one — although whether the story she tells you is actually true is another matter entirely.
Turnip, her toad, presides over the place with the weary expression of someone who has seen far too much and would rather not discuss it.
Her signature scent:
Patchouli • Dark Woods • Garden Dirt
Come in for a look. Leave with something you absolutely did not need.
Silas of Briarwood Hollow
Briarwood Hollow sits a little apart from the bustle of the Village, tucked where the paths grow narrower and the trees begin to close in.
Silas is happiest there. He knows which paths lead home, which mushrooms are best left exactly where they are, and where to find the things most people walk straight past. His pockets are usually full of something gathered from the woods, though getting a straight answer about what he intends to do with it is another matter.
Fern, his fox, is rarely far away — although you’ll often spot her watching from between the trees before you notice Silas himself.
His signature scent:
Forest Floor • Cedarwood • Wild Herbs
Follow the path a little further. The best things are rarely found beside the road.