Merry pulled away from the woman who held her hand and dove into my arms. I swept her up and felt everything inside of me burst. My heart had to keep so much held in over the last year, and now, this was the key that finally released it. All the heartache, ambition, exhilaration, and so much more. Everything that had driven me on this quest. I could scarcely draw breath as I showered her with kisses and held her against me.
“Stop all that crying, Mama. People will stare.”
“Why, Tamsin, look at you!”
Ester Wilson and the rest of my old neighbors made their way over, hugging me as I kept hugging Merry. When the whole family was off and had their belongings, we set out through the congested shipyard for easier parts of Cape Triumph. Jago scooped up Merry’s trunk and ambled alongside us.
“I’ve missed you so much,” I told her, still hardly believing I was touching her. “You’re so tall now.”
She nodded gravely. “Well, I’m four. I was afraid you wouldn’t recognize me.”
I kissed her again. “Don’t be silly. I’d know you anywhere. I was afraid you wouldn’t remember me.”
“Of course I would! Aunt Livvy’s always drawing pictures of you. And we read those letters you left every day. I brought some of my favorites along, but I like having the real you even more.” She leaned against me and stared wide-eyed at the city. Noticing Jago, she lifted her head and said, “Who are you?”
“Jago Robinson, miss. At your service.”
Merry scrutinized him with the tactlessness children excel at. “Did you know your eyes don’t match?”
“I’ve heard that once or twice,” he replied solemnly.
“I like them.”
She started to put her head on my shoulder again but perked back up when I said, “Mister Jago is a good friend of mine. Once I’ve taken care of a few things here, we’ll be going out west to live with him.”
Glancing between us, she asked suspiciously, “Is this who Granny was talking about? The rich man who’s going to carry us off to a castle?”
“Oh, I’m rich in character,” he told her, “and it’s not so much a castle as a, uh, farm.”
“That’s not the same at all,” said Merry, though she sounded more curious than disapproving. “Are there animals on it? Cows and chickens?”
“Not that kind of farm. I have horses.”
She made a face. “Oh. Horses are everywhere.”
“Not like mine. I’m serious,” he added, noting her skepticism. “Mine are faster and smarter than other horses. They’re for racing. Just ask your mother there—she’s ridden them.”
“Have you, Mama?” And then, not waiting for an answer: “Can I?”
“When you’re older,” I answered, at the same time Jago said, “Yes.”
“Jago,” I warned.
Merry jumped to his defense. “They’re his horses, and he says I can. We should go right now.”
Jago grinned behind her, and I shook my head at both of them. “It’s five days away, love. And you just got here. There’s lots of the city to see.”
“I’ve seen cities. I used to live in one. Did you know that, Mister Jago?” In one glance, she dismissed all of Cape Triumph’s wonder. “I don’t need to see another city. I want to go live on a farm.”
“And I’m anxious for you to,” Jago said. “But I’m also anxious about getting our affairs settled.”
Merry looked at him like he was crazy. “Why are you anxious? Mama’s here. If things need to be done, she’ll get them done. Didn’t you know that?”
I shifted her to my other arm and brushed curls out of her face. “Don’t be rude, Merry.”
“I’m not! I’m just telling him things. I like telling people things they need to know. Someone’s got to.”
Jago winked at her. “I absolutely agree. Feel free to let me know anything else you think of.”
“I’m starting to think I know what it’d be like to have two children,” I said deadpan.
That made him smile even bigger, but Merry was deep in thought. “Apples,” she said suddenly, her voice a challenge. “You need apples for your horses. Did you know that? They love apples.”
“I do know that,” he replied. “And I have apple trees at the farm.”
Merry was rendered speechless. But not for long. She and Jago did have that in common.
She looked at me with sparkling eyes filled with such hope and joy, I worried I’d start crying again. “Did you ever think, Mama, that we’d be on the other side of the world, going to live on a farm with horses and apple trees?”
“No, I didn’t.” I glanced over her and met Jago’s eyes. “And yet, here we are.”
Merry rested her head back against me and sighed. “Here we are.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richelle Mead is the author of the international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series, its bestselling spin-off series, Bloodlines, the fantasy standalone Soundless, and the Glittering Court series. A lifelong reader, Richelle has always had a particular fascination with mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses to wear on tour. She is a self-professed coffee addict, works in her pajamas, and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington, where she is hard at work on her next novel. Visit RichelleMead.com to find out more.
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