Later that afternoon, I was sitting in the nursery, finishing up the baby blanket I'd been working on, when I heard a bit of a commotion outside.Even though it sounded like it was coming from the garden out by the living room, I could hear it in the back of the cottage, in the nursery. But then, th
"That's terrible," I said, thinking about poor Mrs. Norman.Seraphine nodded. "And then there were the Wilsons. Mr. Wilson had a drinking problem, and he got angry and slapped his wife one time. He apologized profusely, said he'd never drink again. That didn't even last a week. He hit her again a fe
I appreciated her."You're such a good friend, Seraphine.""Do you feel better?" she asked me, smiling. "I don't want you thinking of anything bad or negative right now. It's bad for the baby.""I do feel better, thank you," I told her.But I was still conflicted.I had such good friends here, such
Whispered voices in the distance caught my attention.The fog was thick within my mind, but as the black abyss slowly lifted, light began once again to fill my vision.The last thing I remembered was being in the garden… and then there was nothing.Glancing around, I allowed my eyes to absorb my sur
"Why do I feel so tired?" I asked softly as a yawn escaped my lips.The doctor and Seraphine turned toward me."It's to be expected, Miss Ro," the doctor said. "The allergy medication I gave you will make you drowsy. Why don't you get some rest?"I smiled and nodded. "Yes, perhaps I should close my
After Ethan dashed off out the window, I listened to Soren as he was in the other room, speaking to Seraphine. I could tell by his tone that he was very concerned, and she was assuring him that I was going to be fine, but it was imperative that we find a new place for me to live as soon as possible.
That worked perfectly with Ethan's suggestion, so I found myself agreeing with Soren half jokingly. "I'll be more than happy to work for my generous employer again, but–"Soren raised a brow. "When did my Ro learn to negotiate?"I smiled back, "I always knew how to negotiate. I was just too poor to
As similar as it was to the Luna Suite, this house wasn't exactly the same. The Luna Suite was huge and had darker furniture and bedding, which made the room luxurious but solemn. This house, on the other hand, was much smaller and primarily decorated with elegant creamy white beddings and curtains
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