The Herbalist’s Daughters by Cheryl Burman

Can the past be truly redeemed?

In 1997, Mara Ash discovers among her mother’s possessions the beautifully illustrated 19th century journals of the flora of the Forest of Dean by one Aaron Appleby. Tucked among the pages are two cryptic letters from Aaron to a woman called Hester.
One hundred years earlier, Aaron remains tormented by his guilt over Marianne’s fiery death above the river ten years ago. He cannot share Hester’s contentment in the cottage by the stream where she tends her plants and fulfils her ambition to be a herbal healer.
But when Aaron sets out to seek at least forgiveness if redemption is unavailable, he risks losing what solace he has gained.
Believing time and distance might save her troubled marriage, Mara travels from her home in Australia to the Forest in England to resolve the mystery of Aaron Appleby. What is his relationship to her? Why do his journals cease abruptly in the summer of 1897? Why don’t his daughters bear his name?

But as she uncovers the truth of her family, Mara finds herself challenged by her own unexpected journey of self-discovery.