**Rosalie's POV"It seems like you're starting to get settled here in the cottage," Soren said a few days after I'd accepted the position and moved into the little house beside the garden.I'd just let him in and was trying to plan my day. I'd thought about doing a bit of decorating. The cottage loo
I squeezed Soren's arm as the seaplane lifted off of the ground, but once we were in the air, and the island beneath us was getting smaller and smaller, the view was spectacular. I clapped for him, and that made Soren laugh."I want to show you something really special. Look over there," he said, le
For the next hour or so, we walked around the little shop and looked at all of the options. I looked at several different beds, but when I finally saw one that was in the back of the store, a cherry wood crib with a beautiful finish that caught the light and seemed to glow, I thought, "That's the on
"Paying you back?" I said as Soren and I walked along the path to my cottage. I had only started my work a few days ago, and I didn't have enough savings yet. But he wanted me to pay him back? And he was leading me home.I felt panicked. What if he wanted me to do something I wasn't ready for?Ros
"Yes!" he said, shaking his head like I was the child now, one that didn't listen very well. "You sing, I'll listen, and that'll help repay your debts." He had that twinkle in his eyes again."I don't think that's much of a repayment," I admitted to him. "I love to sing—and I love playing the piano.
**Soren's POVThomas was waiting for me at the end of Rosalie's driveway, my briefcase in his hand.I didn't say anything, but I knew the look on his face. He was afraid I was going to be late for my meeting back in Avondale, and maybe he was right.Well, Edgar Maul could wait. We had a deal to work
Not often did I feel like someone really appreciated my music, but Soren did."Miss Ro?" Lola said, pausing in the entryway. "Please pardon my intrusion, but it's past two o'clock. You should take a break from your music playing and eat some lunch. Seraphine is here too."My fingers stopped tracing
**Rosalie's POVSoren and I fell into a bit of a routine. He'd come over almost every night, if he was at home and not away on business, and I'd play the piano and sing a lullaby or other soothing song, and most of the time he would return to his mansion, but once in a while, he'd end up falling asl
The entire family had gathered in the dining room and was chatting amiably over a very impressive spread that had been laid out by the kitchen–two prime rib roasts, a honeyed ham, and three roast ducks were the centerpieces of the table, all of which were being enjoyed liberally by everyone.George
RowanMom ran her fingers across Selene's head, admiring her fine white hair. She looked every ounce the doting grandmother instead of a ball of uncertainty, like Maeve. Maeve was pacing back and forth near the fall wall of my bedroom, her arms folded across her chest and her head bent as she tried
Kacidra joined in the conversation. "Maeve is right, Rowan. We need to know what's happening with you and Hanna, or else we'll never be able to help."Rosalie's voice was calm and supportive as she asked, "Is it Hanna that's troubling you, son? Is she doing all right?My first instinct was to tell t
Gemma and Ernest had flown down with my parents and their son George, who was just two months older than Maeve's sons.A moment later, the library door opened and more of our family members poured in, as if they were fully aware of the thoughts I'd just had and I'd summoned them. I pushed aside my n
RowanThe castle was abuzz with its usual day-to-day activities. Servants and maids passed me in the hallway carrying baskets of laundry and trays of tea. I could hear the clattering of cookware as I left my office and walked toward the grand staircase off the foyer, seeing the door to the servants'
"Who? What happens?""There's so much more out there," Mara said dreamily. "So, so much more.""Maeve!" Troy called from down the beach.I turned to look at him, and when I turned back to Mara, she had taken off. "Wait!" I called after her, but she had already made it out of earshot, her footsteps l
Best of all, Troy was happy. He was at peace and at home. But there was still much work to be done.We were spending several weeks jumping from island to island, taking stock of the wellbeing of the inhabitants, and making a list of what was needed. Most of the islands were in need of medicine, inf
Maeve–Four Months LaterSuntra was not what I was expecting. I had become accustomed to the seemingly endless white-sand beaches of Avondale, where the sand grit was so fine it felt like powdered sugar as you walked barefoot in the surf. Suntra's sand was coarse and golden and dappled with tidepool
I straightened up a bit, shifting Oliver's weight in my arms as I narrowed my eyes back at him, sizing him up. A man roughly my father's age came bounding out of their house, waving at me apologetically as he leaned to whisper harshly in the ear of the man I assumed was his father.Whatever his son