I wish to formally apologize for my actions during—
Sienna crumpled the paper and tossed it toward the fireplace in her guest room.Too stiff.Too formal.It was like drafting a council report.
She pulled out another sheet from the stationery Suzie had provided and tried again.
Liam, I can’t stop thinking about how sorry I am and how much I miss you, and I know I don’t deserve forgiveness, but please—
Another crumpled ball joined the first.Too desperate.Too much.
With a frustrated sigh, she set the pen down and walked to the window.The Scottish countryside stretched out below, green and peaceful in the afternoon light.Somewhere far away, Liam was tending sheep along the river flats of Middlemarch.Did he think about her at all, or had he put those months in Cornwall behind him?
A soft knock at the door interrupted her brooding.“Come in.”
Suzie entered, carrying a tea tray.“Thought you might need fortification for your letter writing.”
“I can’t seem to find the right words.”Sienna gestured at the fireplace, where her failed attempts had landed.“Everything sounds either too cold or too pathetic.”
“Maybe because you’re thinking too hard about what you should say instead of what you want to say.”Suzie set the tray down and poured two cups of tea.“What would you tell him if he were standing right here?”
Sienna accepted the tea gratefully.“That I was an idiot.That I was so hung up on what I’d done wrong, I couldn’t see what felt right.”
“Acknowledging that is a start.”Suzie settled into the window seat.“You know, Niall has been muttering about a business problem for weeks.I think you might be the solution he needs.”
“Pardon?”
“Honey.”Suzie’s gaze lit with amusement.“My parents started keeping bees—Niall helped them set up during our last visit because they wanted to diversify the farm.He got completely obsessed, designed better hives, improved extraction methods, the works.Now their honey production is booming, but they just want to tend the bees.They hate the idea of retail.”
Sienna experienced a hint of curiosity.“Selling honey?”
“Yes, in a proper shop.Different varieties from local producers, maybe some pottery to display them in.Niall’s been looking for someone who understands both sides—the product and the selling.”Suzie paused.“You managed the market stall with your mother.You know how to talk to customers, how to present goods attractively.”
“But I know nothing about honey.”
“Niall could teach you everything in his sleep.He’s obsessed.”Suzie grinned.“Bear shifter, remember?It’s practically genetic.”
Despite her worry about the letter, Sienna smiled.“Where would this shop be?”
“Middlemarch.There’s a perfect spot on the main street, and the town gets plenty of tourists during the season.”Suzie’s tone grew serious.“But it would mean leaving your family.Would you do that?”
The question hit deeper than Sienna expected.Parting from her family had always seemed impossible, but sitting here in Scotland, she realized something had already shifted.Her parents and brothers had been right—she couldn’t live her whole life protecting them from a world that might reject them.
“I think I might be.What about Kitto’s art?London mentioned some online opportunities, but it might be better in person.”
“She did.Kitto could do custom illustrations, caricatures, maybe even design work.The internet makes location less important for that kind of thing.”Suzie studied Sienna’s face.“This isn’t charity, you know.Niall genuinely needs someone reliable, and from what I’ve seen, you’re exactly that.”
And it would put me in the same country as Liam, Sienna thought but didn’t say it aloud.
“Let me talk to Kitto,” she said instead.“See what he thinks.”
That evening, she found her youngest brother in the garden, sketching the castle’s silhouette against the sunset.
“Kitto?Can I ask you something?”
He looked up, pencil still poised.“If it’s about Liam, I told you—”
“It’s about New Zealand.London mentioned some art opportunities there.Would you be interested in going to Middlemarch?”
Kitto’s ears perked up—literally.“You mean doing commissions in person?Custom portraits, caricatures, that kind of thing?”
