sitting room was almost finished
yesterday. I hope we can start on the main ballroom yet today. How
is everything here?”
“We’ve penned over half the invitations. By
this evening, we should have two piles ready for the riders who
will go out at dawn. I’ll walk to the Water to hand deliver the
ones in town.”
“That is good news. I’ve made a deal with
Edmund to make apple pastries for the feast. Twice as many apples
as he’ll need for two hundred pastries, for half the price he would
normally charge. I’ll need a gold to pay him when we deliver the
apples.”
Father nodded and made a note.
“Give my warm regards to Blye when you see
her tomorrow,” I said as I left.
Father nodded absently, already back to
penning the next invitation.
Egrit, Mrs. Palant, and I used the rest of
the afternoon to clean the parlor. Once we finished, Egrit went to
press the curtains while Mrs. Palant and I set to work scrubbing
the remaining windows. Once again, I skipped dinner and fell into
bed exhausted.
When the bed dipped long after I’d fallen
asleep, I barely roused. Gentle fingers began to untwist the braid
from my hair. Sleep reclaimed me before he finished.
* * * *
When the sun hit my eyes, I groaned and
rolled over. It took a moment to realize what the light meant.
Sitting up, I looked at the windows. As I’d suspected, it was well
past daybreak.
After a mad scramble of dressing and making
my bed, I left my room and hurried to the ballroom. Both Mrs.
Palant and Egrit were on ladders, using cloths tied to the end of
long branches to dust the webs from the walls and ceiling.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” I asked. Sun lit
the room through the clean windows. The doors to the garden were
wide open, and Tam whistled as he pulled up weeds from the
immediate path.
“I tried. Lord Ruhall heard me and suggested
I let you sleep.”
Unsure how I felt about that, I changed the
subject.
“I’m going to find myself something to eat
in the kitchen and check on preparations while I’m there. I’ll
return to help.”
The manor was quiet with everyone at their
tasks. Father and the riders had left with first light, and Lord
Ruhall was out hunting to replace the man who was helping
Swiftly.
Mrs. Wimbly said little as I entered the
kitchen and took a biscuit from a sack on the shelves. Mr. Crow
nodded to me. He sat at the table, polishing silver and, it
appeared, sorting through linens.
A swell of satisfaction carried me back to
the ballroom and invigorated my cleaning efforts.
It was well past dark before I sought my
bed. Just as sleep pulled me under, I reminded myself to search out
Father to see how his visit with Blye had gone.
* * * *
The bed dipped. His familiar fingers laced
through my hair as they worked the braid free. I sighed, enjoying
the feeling. When he finished, his arms wrapped around me and
pulled me against his chest. His lips brushed the back of my neck.
The sensation didn’t disturb me. Instead, it comforted me; and I
settled deeper into sleep.
Chapter 6
Egrit woke me with a chipper good morning
and a tray.
“You didn’t need to bring me a tray,” I
said, untangling myself from the blankets.
“Lord Ruhall has noted that you haven’t been
eating enough and thought to prepare you a tray. I met him in the
hall, and I insisted it wouldn’t be proper for him to bring it
himself.”
I glanced at her face and saw she was
entirely serious.
“I walked these halls shrouded in nothing
but mist,” I said. “I hardly think bringing me breakfast improper
at this point.”
“Don’t you? Perhaps Rose isn’t just watching
him. This is our chance to show her we won’t let him become the man
he once was.”
She made a valid point. She set the tray on
the small table and moved to help me remake the bed. If she saw the
dent in the second pillow, she didn’t comment.
Four days had passed since Rose’s letter.
Though I felt we’d made fair plans toward a passable feast, I still
worried about
yesterday. I hope we can start on the main ballroom yet today. How
is everything here?”
“We’ve penned over half the invitations. By
this evening, we should have two piles ready for the riders who
will go out at dawn. I’ll walk to the Water to hand deliver the
ones in town.”
“That is good news. I’ve made a deal with
Edmund to make apple pastries for the feast. Twice as many apples
as he’ll need for two hundred pastries, for half the price he would
normally charge. I’ll need a gold to pay him when we deliver the
apples.”
Father nodded and made a note.
“Give my warm regards to Blye when you see
her tomorrow,” I said as I left.
Father nodded absently, already back to
penning the next invitation.
Egrit, Mrs. Palant, and I used the rest of
the afternoon to clean the parlor. Once we finished, Egrit went to
press the curtains while Mrs. Palant and I set to work scrubbing
the remaining windows. Once again, I skipped dinner and fell into
bed exhausted.
When the bed dipped long after I’d fallen
asleep, I barely roused. Gentle fingers began to untwist the braid
from my hair. Sleep reclaimed me before he finished.
* * * *
When the sun hit my eyes, I groaned and
rolled over. It took a moment to realize what the light meant.
Sitting up, I looked at the windows. As I’d suspected, it was well
past daybreak.
After a mad scramble of dressing and making
my bed, I left my room and hurried to the ballroom. Both Mrs.
Palant and Egrit were on ladders, using cloths tied to the end of
long branches to dust the webs from the walls and ceiling.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” I asked. Sun lit
the room through the clean windows. The doors to the garden were
wide open, and Tam whistled as he pulled up weeds from the
immediate path.
“I tried. Lord Ruhall heard me and suggested
I let you sleep.”
Unsure how I felt about that, I changed the
subject.
“I’m going to find myself something to eat
in the kitchen and check on preparations while I’m there. I’ll
return to help.”
The manor was quiet with everyone at their
tasks. Father and the riders had left with first light, and Lord
Ruhall was out hunting to replace the man who was helping
Swiftly.
Mrs. Wimbly said little as I entered the
kitchen and took a biscuit from a sack on the shelves. Mr. Crow
nodded to me. He sat at the table, polishing silver and, it
appeared, sorting through linens.
A swell of satisfaction carried me back to
the ballroom and invigorated my cleaning efforts.
It was well past dark before I sought my
bed. Just as sleep pulled me under, I reminded myself to search out
Father to see how his visit with Blye had gone.
* * * *
The bed dipped. His familiar fingers laced
through my hair as they worked the braid free. I sighed, enjoying
the feeling. When he finished, his arms wrapped around me and
pulled me against his chest. His lips brushed the back of my neck.
The sensation didn’t disturb me. Instead, it comforted me; and I
settled deeper into sleep.
Chapter 6
Egrit woke me with a chipper good morning
and a tray.
“You didn’t need to bring me a tray,” I
said, untangling myself from the blankets.
“Lord Ruhall has noted that you haven’t been
eating enough and thought to prepare you a tray. I met him in the
hall, and I insisted it wouldn’t be proper for him to bring it
himself.”
I glanced at her face and saw she was
entirely serious.
“I walked these halls shrouded in nothing
but mist,” I said. “I hardly think bringing me breakfast improper
at this point.”
“Don’t you? Perhaps Rose isn’t just watching
him. This is our chance to show her we won’t let him become the man
he once was.”
She made a valid point. She set the tray on
the small table and moved to help me remake the bed. If she saw the
dent in the second pillow, she didn’t comment.
Four days had passed since Rose’s letter.
Though I felt we’d made fair plans toward a passable feast, I still
worried about
Similar Books
