Chapter 21 #2
The family table near the kitchen was much larger than I remembered it being. My brothers and their wives all settled into what seemed like their preferred seats. Magnus followed Grace to the kitchen, his hand resting on her back as she gestured enthusiastically, a smile on her face.
“Wherever you’re comfortable,” Calla encouraged Phin, and I waited for her to decide on a chair before taking the seat next to her.
“Anyway, Phin, as I was saying, just give me a few days. Hopefully I can come up with something.” Greta nodded.
“I appreciate it.”
Phin was clutching at her necklace as the other ladies discussed the trip into the city with my brothers. I reached over and squeezed her fingers. “Everything alright?”
“I froze. In town.” My grip tightened, understanding what she was saying even with the brevity of her words. “I’m okay. It was short, and we were already on our way back to the carriage.”
“The cathedral bells?”
She shook her head. “No. Just overwhelmed I think.” At my expression, she added, “We drank hot chocolate.” Her smile spread. “It was delicious, but it did make my heart beat faster.”
“Ah. The sugar, perhaps.”
Grace and Magnus returned, arms full of plates. They doled them out, then took their own seats. Glasses of water and cups of tea were poured, dinner a familiar organized chaos.
I took a tentative bite of the steaming hot food and found the flavor of the simple, comforting dish spectacular.
And I wasn’t the only one. Phin looked up at me as though she’d been shocked by what she’d tasted.
I tried not to take any offense, as she’d never come close to that kind of expression with my food.
But the indisputable truth was Grace was an incredibly talented cook.
“Delicious as usual, Grace,” Calla said, all of us agreeing.
“If you find you don’t like something we got you today, we can always take it to be tailored,” Grace said to Phin, diverting from the compliment.
“Everything looked really nice though,” Greta told her.
“I’m glad you found what you were looking for,” I said. “Though the washing tub will probably miss seeing you so often.”
“I won’t miss scrubbing every few days. I had fun.” She smiled, and the bond burned in response.
“Can we take a trip to Vincara?” Greta asked Vassago.
“Any particular reason, Dragonfly?”
“I want to visit an apothecary.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. They have a recipe I need.”
“You know the village,” I offered.
“Do I?”
“There’s a memorial to the priest you retrieved Lilith’s book from in the church where Phin was living. The village is called Aymonroux now, after him as well.”
“Truly? How incredible. They did have a significant vault there for such a small congregation.” He squinted. “I’m afraid my memory isn’t as detailed as I’d like, I don’t recall what the village was called then. How did you find the selection at the apothecary, Tap?”
I shrugged “The proprietor seemed to have just about anything you could want, if I’m honest, and mentioned special orders as well.
Seir and I both bought several things in addition to the plants and herbs he went there to find.
Ink, needles, tea, candy. There were bouquets of flowers, wrapped and ready to gift even, despite the season. ”
“Are there farms there that operate year-round?” Calla asked, eyes turned to Phin.
She shook her head. “Not that I know of. But I didn’t get out much.”
“That’s likely from the greenhouses,” Vassago said. “The monastery has grown their own food that way for ages. Perhaps they’ve expanded.” He turned to his wife. “I’ll take you there any time you want to go.”
“This week sometime? It sounds like they may have some of the rare botanicals we need to restock.”
He thought for a moment. “After my morning class on Thursday we can. It’s too cold to fly, perhaps we should portal.” Vassago looked at me.
“Seir could escort you, or I could. Though you’re always welcome to come and go through the great hall as a transition point if you like.”
“Oh! Yes, let’s do that.” Greta placed a kiss on his cheek. “Good. I’m so excited to get to work on this.”
Phin blushed and ducked her head.
“Seir’s going to be very upset I got shepherd’s pie and he didn’t.” Hailon looked far from contrite.
“He’ll riot if you don’t take him some,” Rylan chuckled.
Grace laughed. “I’ll make him a plate but tell him he’s officially rationed on pickles. We won’t have enough to last even until the soil thaws at this rate.” Magnus chuffed. “I don’t know why you’re laughing, you are too.”
He sagged. “I remember.”
“We’ll be planting more, I promise, Merry already has plans drawn up,” Hailon said.
“Seeds have already been ordered for spring planting as well,” Rylan confirmed.
Magnus finished his first plate and rose to refill it, gesturing for Grace to remain seated when she started to shift.
“I’ll get it. Hailon, if you wouldn’t mind asking Merry if she could consult with a few of the aunts about expanding the beds at the conclave, we can contribute as well. Everyone loves pickles.”
She laughed. “Of course.”
“Better add more jars to the order, headmaster.” Grace smiled.
“Already done.”
Mostly, Phin and I watched the others and their easy conversation through the rest of the meal, the laughter around us vibrant and warm. Grace supplied a decadent cake for dessert, and I ate until I almost couldn’t move.
But eventually, my restlessness was too loud to ignore.
“We should be getting back.”
“I’m so glad you came,” Calla gushed, getting to her feet and embracing me, then Phin. The gestures were repeated as everyone abandoned the table and walked us slowly down the hall toward the doors. “You’ll want your coat.”
“I’m plenty warm, and it’ll only be a moment,” Phin refused, her old coat folded over her arms. “Thank you, though, for everything.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“We’ll be through in a few days,” Vassago said.
My arms laden with Phin’s packages while Hailon carried leftovers for Seir and Phin possessed a selection of elixirs Greta had pulled from a cabinet, we finally walked out into the cold evening and through the portal, the familiar embrace of the crossroads calm and quiet.
I could only hope it wouldn’t take long for the agitation in my body to disperse again.
Hailon presented Seir with his plate of shepherd’s pie and took him straight home to the glade once he gave me a quick briefing, leaving Phin and I alone.
“Should I take these to your room?”
“If you don’t mind.”
I waited for her to go ahead of me and deposited them all on her bed. “You found everything you wanted?”
“More than. I felt a bit like a dress-up doll.” Phin started unwrapping and sorting out the items, the stack shockingly large for as few bags as I’d had to carry.
“Oh?”
“Mostly I stood in the little curtained cubicle and tried things on. They handled which items, the colors, all that.” A dreamy smile lit up her face. “I’ve never done anything like that before.” She laughed, the sound bright.
I’d never once had the desire to shop in such a way, but I found myself wrestling with jealousy that I hadn’t been there.
She held up the items as she took them to her armoire to be hung or reverently folded them before stacking them in her dresser drawers. A blush raced across her cheeks, and she stopped when she got to what I could only assume were undergarments at the bottom of the pile.
“Those are nice,” I said, gesturing to the new decorative items as a distraction.
“They had so many things at the markets. I don’t think we even saw half of the stalls.”
“You’ll have to go back, then.”
She smiled again. “I’d like that.” Her gaze went distant. “They told me something that sounds impossible.”
“And what is that?”
“That they are all fated. They’ve all found their mates.” Her palm scrubbed over her heart, but I wasn’t even sure she realized she was doing it.
My breath stalled in my chest. “Yes.”
“How?” The word was almost gasped as it left her lips. “The odds on that must be unfathomable.”
“Indeed. It definitely defies all logic. And yet, it’s true.”
She looked away, frowning in concentration. Her hand strayed to the necklace dangling over her breastbone. At dinner, I’d noticed all my sisters-in-law had been wearing theirs as well. I could only assume she’d seen them too, at the very least.
“They told me I’m family.”
“Then it must be true.” My stomach swooped, acid rising in my throat.
“I never thought I would have any of this.”
“You deserve everything.”
Hundreds of thoughts crowded my mind as she stared at me, thousands of words backing up in my throat.
I didn’t dare give voice to any of them or I would want to say all of them.
Confessions. Pleading. Explanation. It was likely none of it would endear me to her, and I didn’t want to take the risk. I wasn’t brave enough.
“Would you mind terribly making us some tea?” I asked, throat tight and chest painfully aflame. I was no longer sure what, if anything would bring some kind of relief.
“That’s a good idea. Sure.”
“Thank you, Phin.” She smiled at me as I left her room. I stumbled across the hallway, hand clutching at my chest once I was safely out of her sight inside my own bedroom.
There was only one way I could ground myself again when things got like this. I quickly changed into different clothes, then crossed the hall and went into the room next to hers.