“Ms. Faune, please allow me to help with dinner. You can sit at the table and rest. Just let Corinna and I take care of everything,” he said and led her quickly to a chair in the dining room by the window. He appeared to Corinna as a bubbly child being given freedom to cook for the very first time and excited to impress its mother.
“Oh, Alastar,” the widowed farm wife exclaimed. “You’ve were so kind while Corinna was away. I’m glad to see it’s still in you. Listen, Corinna. Alastar checked up on the house every other morning. He even fixed the door when it started to creak.”
Corinna blushed. “Oh. Um. About the door, I’ve been meaning to tell you. I broke it,” she admitted. “I’ll fix it later, though. I was just overanxious to see you when I returned, and I accidentally pulled the door partially off its hinges.”
Her mother was quiet for a moment in which Corinna feared she was upset with her, but then she began to emit soft giggles. Alastar’s lips pulled back as well and he elbowed Corinna in the arm playfully. Corinna looked up into Alastar’s face and waited a moment to see if that glowing grin would vanish. When it only seemed to grow larger, Corinna found herself infected with it, and she elbowed her friend in return.
“It’s alright, honey,” her mother assured her. “It was in need of mending anyway.”
“Oh good. I don’t feel as bad,” Corinna said. She turned her focus on the food preparation while Alastar started a fire to boil water.
“You know, Alastar did a lot while you were taken from us. He helped me tend to the fields until we noticed they were growing fine on their own. When I became too weak, he helped by bringing in the harvest. During the first month, he must have tried a hundred times to follow the path into the forest, but he said he couldn’t find any clear opening in the trees,” her mother continued.
“No clear opening?” Corinna mused. “But there’s a path almost straight through.”
“Not when I tried,” Alastar said. “I would make it a good hundred yards er so in an’ suddenly the blasted trees seemed ta morph together ‘til I couldn’t walk between them, much less ride a horse. I tried ta feel out an openin’, but could only move back the way I’d come.”
“Odd,” Corinna said. “Perhaps one of the witches knew you were coming to get me and stopped you.”
“One of?” her mother asked. “There was more than Morgana?”
“Right,” Corinna said. “Morgana took care of the garden and gave magic to the house. I can’t really decide if she’s deceitful or not. I caught sight of her talking to a woman who called her ‘sister’. It was Morgause, who seemed hell bent on killing anyone associated with the royal family. Then I met a witch in the front yard who seemed trustworthy. Her name was Niviene, and I just recently found out that she was the Paesaggia court sorcerer before the purge.”
“Oh my,” her mother sighed. She looked wearier for it. “Well, it must not have been so bad. You don’t look as though you’ve been harmed or irreversibly marked.”
Alastar made a slight snort beside Corinna, but offered no other addition to the conversation. Corinna lightly kicked him in the ankle and turned to her mother. She opened her arms wide to show herself completely.
“Nope. The only injuries I received at the manor were from the thorns of roses and falling off horses,” she said. “And please don’t ask why I fell off more than one.”
Her mother smiled but held her tongue as requested. The front door opened and officially broke off the upper hinge. A grunt of surprise revealed the new person to be Alvar, and they all smiled as though the door had been a planned and practiced prank for the old man. They waited in silence as he set the door as straight as possible and then made his way into the kitchen.
“Helen, I brought corn for dinner,” he said as he came in. His eyes landed on Alastar’s broad back as the nobleman bent over the counter to cut up some carrots. “Oh, Alastar. How nice to see you again. Will you be staying long?”
“Planned for at least dinner,” the younger man said, shrugging his shoulders but not even glancing back at Alvar. “And you?”
Corinna moved from the counter, not needed until the water began to boil. Her mother pulled her into the seat beside hers, and then she leaned conspiratorially close. She didn’t need to. So long as they kept their voices down, the kitchen was far enough away that no one would overhear. Besides, the two men were distracted with each other.
“Those two haven’t quite seen eye to eye since you left,” she revealed while the two men in question conversed in short, sharp phrases about time and food. “As I said, Alastar was over as often as was possible for him while your uncle… well he was away on business a lot.”
“I see,” Corinna said and shrugged. “I’m afraid I agree with Alastar on this one.”
“That’s alright,” Helen said. She pat Corinna on the shoulder and took a deep, tired breath. “So how long will you be here with us?”
“For as long as I want,” Corinna answered. “This isn’t a visitation. Alexander let me go.”
“Well, in that case, I have another question. It came to me after you left, and I worried it would be a moot subject since you were gone, but…,” and she tapered off as though forgetting her point.
“But what, Mother?” Corinna asked. Her mother shrugged innocently and then smiled.
“I was just curious if you had considered settling down with anyone,” she said. Corinna let out a huff of air, which her mother seemed to have predicted. She put one hand on her daughter’s shoulder and the other on her face. “You’re of a good age, Corinna. It’s beyond time to pick someone. I realized after you’d gone that I’ve been selfish in keeping you here so often. I don’t think you’ve had a chance to really get your eye on anyone. But now that you’ve lived through your trial, I think it’s time you started looking.”
“It wasn’t a trial, Mother. Not really.” Corinna shrugged, but then saw her mother’s skeptical expression and nodded. “Alright. At first it was horrible and terrifying, but the people in that house are, at the core, very kind. They expected nothing of me other than my presence and in return they taught me new things, cleaned and cooked for me, and even promised me protection. It was hard for a short while, but in the end… I actually miss them all.”
Helen gazed on her daughter then as if seeing her for the first time since her return, which was probably true. She did not look confused or offend, but instead seemed curious and inquisitive. She was looking for the physical signs of change in her child. Then, all at once, she warmed.
“Dear, you’ve grown,” she said. “You’ve always been kind and understanding, but now, even after being forced into seclusion, you find love.”
“Love?” Corinna asked.
“Yes. Whenever you talk about that forest mansion, you seem to glow. I missed you terribly when you were gone, but it seems I’ve received an even better version of you in the end.”
“Better? No. No, I’m not improved. I just made a lot of friends,” Corinna said and turned to watch the cooking battle beginning by the stove.
“I’m not so sure,” her mother continued. “You certainly speak as a person remembering someone very dear to them. Are you sure nothing related to love happened while you were away?”
Corinna thought she saw Alastar stiffen a moment, but if it had happened then it had been almost imperceptible and had only lasted for the briefest of seconds. Corinna shrugged and nodded.
“I’m sure. Life was mostly uneventful.” Then she turned her head to face her mother again. “Anyway, why are you smiling? Do you want me to fall in love with a cursed man?”
“I don’t believe I ever said who you loved,” her mother said, a knowing grin on her lips. Corinna pressed her own lips together and then opened her mouth to reply, but her mother stopped her. “No, don’t say anything,” she said. “I wouldn’t want you to become stuck in love with a cursed man, Corinna, but what I want has no control over who you fall in love with.”
Corinna felt a snigger pass her
lips and she pushed her hair back from her eyes. “Yeah. If only I had control over that.”
“That’s one of the beautiful things about life, Dear. It’s always a surprise.”
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
There was a crisp chill to the air that next morning. Ice thumped down on the ceiling instead of snow, but it came in tiny chunks that were easy enough to ignore. Inside the redwood house, they all sat bundled up by the strong fire, telling stories and listening to the soft tapping of hail and half-frozen rain. Helen sat by Corinna, unable to get enough of her daughter’s presence, and rubbed her hand down Corinna’s shoulder or back between each person’s story, as though she had to check she was still solid.
Alastar sat on Corinna’s other side, but he kept his hands to himself. Corinna noticed it, because she could still remember the way they had fallen asleep leaning together, completely wrapped up in one another, and yet now Alastar seemed uneasy about the slightest brush. Alvar sat in the old rocking chair, but he leaned back and kept it from moving most of the time.
“So Alastar ran after it with a rake, trying to be the hero, and ended up getting bitten,” Helen said, laughing gently. “He looked so funny brandishing a farming tool like some sort of sword. I sent for Alvar immediately after the bite, of course, and got Alastar inside. As it turned out, the snake wasn’t very poisonous and with minor medication, he was back out in the field within two days.”
“It sounds like I missed a lot,” Corinna mused. She looked over at Alastar and nudged him, but Alastar only gave a half smile in return. Since last night at dinner, Alastar had seemed overly melancholy, and, for the life of her, Corinna couldn’t figure out why.
“Well, in all honestly, it was all just ordinary farming accidents,” Alvar assured. “But I think Alastar is a much better farmer now than he was five months ago.”
“I believe I’m a much better person all around,” Alastar spoke up. “I’ve grown a lot durin’ Corinna’s adventure.”
Corinna found Alastar pointedly staring at her. There was a movement of wind inside of Corinna that whispered in her ear. Alastar was trying to make a point, but Corinna wasn’t sure what it was. Was he trying to show he was a good person? A good worker? Corinna already knew these things.
“Speaking of adventure, I was hoping to go for a walk outside today, but it seems like it won’t be possible with the hail,” Helen lamented.
“S’not that bad. Should clear up by afternoon,” Alastar said. He stood and moved to the nearest window, looking up at the icy heavens.
“Yeah,” Corinna agreed and smiled as her mother once again ran her fingers down her back. “And I’ll go with you then.”
“Oh, thank you, Corinna. You’re as sweet as ever,” Helen cooed and ran her fingers through her daughter’s grown hair. It was contemplating passing her shoulders now.
Corinna leaned into her mother’s touch and let out a soft laugh. She felt as a child again, young and receiving her mother’s praise for a good day’s work in the field. She found she liked it. The weight slid down her shoulders and off, such a weight that she hadn’t noticed she’d been carrying. For the moment, she just wanted to stay here, her mother dragging her fingers through her hair. She wanted this peace and this simplicity. It was all she ever wanted before, so why not let it be all she wanted now?
Corinna cast her gaze over to Alastar, and the smile on her own face felt cold. Alastar was watching her, was watching the whole scene, and he was smiling, but Corinna saw this sadness to Alastar’s puppy dog eyes. She thought she understood Alastar’s thoughts, and she used to always be right. Not anymore. Why did Alastar look so sad and yet smile?
The older male tipped his head to the side and, a moment later, the rest of his body followed. He pushed off from the window and excused himself for some open air, exiting to the hall. They heard the front door open, but not shut.
“Either the temporary door hinge has failed or he’s holding it open,” Alvar grunted. Corinna shrugged and moved from her mother’s grasp.
“I’ll go check on him,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
“Be safe. Don’t step out from under the covering. I don’t want you having hail sized bruises,” her mother called after her.
Corinna stepped into the hall and found the door almost completely open, with Alastar looking back at her. The gruff man nodded for Corinna to join him and then let the door swing closed behind them both. Maybe Corinna could read Alastar yet. They stood under the hanging, which enclosed a five foot area outside the door, and said nothing. Alastar watched the sky, where the clouds blurred across each other in a smoky white, and Corinna kept her eyes on the ground, noting the way the tiny hail chunks bounced on the hard earth and rolled until it was impossible to know where they’d first made contact. Several bits of ice tapped against her bare feet, but they weren’t so cold that she needed shoes. In fact, she rather enjoyed the frosty feeling of ice shavings scattering across her ankles.
To her side, Corinna saw Alastar shift and lower his head. They listened to the pitter patter of half frozen rain and the way it rolled down the overhanging to drop around them. Corinna wondered if hail fell on the rose chateau and if it knocked against the glass of the garden.
“So do ya really fancy this prince?” Alastar asked under the growl of ice, ripping Corinna from her wondering so forcefully that it was nearly physical. “Don’ look at me like tha’. Yer mum’s the one who said it.”
“She was speculating,” Corinna said. Alastar shrugged his shoulders.
“Sounded ta me like she guessed right,” he said and rubbed his hand under his chin and against his stubble. “So do ya?”
Corinna set her hand against one of the posts holding up the overhang and rubbed her finger over the finely sanded wood. It was a smooth surface, but it was coarse compared to the banisters of the chateau. On the other hand, they were inside under constant scrutiny while this was outside where no one bothered with it while it did its job.
“I suppose I might,” Corinna admitted. “I really can’t stop thinking about him.”
“And when ya left at first, how long did it take ya to stop thinkin about me all the time?”
“Awhile,” Corinna said, skirting the issue and turning her head away.
“How long, Cori?” Alastar pressed, calling her by the name only he used. The space they occupied was small enough, and Alastar moved until there was not an inch between them.
“It was everyone at first, almost constantly. After the first two months it was easier. I only thought of home every few days or so. But almost… Almost four months, I’d guess,” Corinna said. “That’s when I stopped thinking about you.”
Corinna turned to gauge Alastar’s expression and found it surprisingly harsh, all rough angles and tense. Then Alastar’s fingers were on her neck and then her cheeks and holding her tightly. Alastar’s mouth pressed against hers once, twice, four times, and Corinna didn’t try to stop him. A harsh breeze caught the surrounding ice and snow on the ground and forced it away several feet. Alastar pulled back from his affections just enough to make eye contact with Corinna and let out a heavy breath, his eyes sad.
“Stay away from it, Corinna,” he said. “Stay here. Four months? Stay five er six. Stay forever. Stay with me.”
“Alastar.” Corinna sighed anxiously and tried to turn her face away, but Alastar held her and kissed her again.
“Ya love me too, dontcha? Yer not even fightin’ me right now. Just stay.” Alastar leaned his forehead heavy against Corinna’s and took a deep breath. “I love you.” The words sank into Corinna’s chest like the burning summer sun. It tingled pleasantly, and it stung something deep inside her. It hurt.
Corinna pressed her lips tight. It was true. She wasn’t fighting the kisses. She wouldn’t deny she had been imagining it, wanting it. She wouldn’t deny her heart thundered in her chest like a tribal drum or that she wanted to lean in and feel it again. It was all true. It was, but…
“Alastar,�
� Corinna murmured again and closed her eyes. “I… I just-,” she began and then stopped herself. She opened her eyes and let out a sigh.
Alastar pulled back and dropped his hands to his side. His fingers curled to fists. Corinna pleaded with her eyes, but Alastar shook his head and wouldn’t hear it.
“I understand,” he mumbled, not entirely audible over the hail. “A prince over a duke.”
“Alastar,” Corinna began, but the other was sprinting across the yard in the easing hail before another word could be spoken. Corinna bit her cheek and felt her legs weaken. She dropped to a squat and beat her knees. Her eyes stung with unnatural warmth among all the cold, and then tears padded their way onto the fabric of her pants.
Alastar loved her. Alastar wanted her to stay. Yet Corinna felt her chest collapse at the idea of forgetting about the prince. It had been hard to leave her home, to leave Alastar, but Corinna didn’t even want to imagine never returning to see Alexander. Alastar loved her. Alastar knew her better than anyone. Why couldn’t Corinna just agree to be with him? It hurt. The look of rejection on Alastar’s face, it didn’t belong there. It was so painful to know she’d caused that expression. Alastar used to be everything Corinna wanted in a friend, in a companion, in a life partner. Why did everything seem so different now?
The Rose Chateau Page 32
