I was reminded again of the simple truth I had a tendency to forget once I returned to the busy isolation of the crossroads. There was magic in sharing a burden, and these men, my brothers, never made sharing worry or a duty one of us carried seem like a burden at all.
“—atall! In fact, I’m glad. Since we were able to examine you in the moment, I can adjust the formula to be tailored to your needs.” Greta’s voice echoed down the hall as we returned to the main level from the observatory.
“To the dining room, if you please,” Grace said, catching us at the bottom of the stairs.
We’d had many things to discuss, and I was feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the new information dancing around in my head. My stomach, on the other hand, seemed to have been awakened by the very mention of the room where food was served.
D’Arcan’s dining hall was one of my favorite places in the school. The woodwork was all very intentionally and beautifully done, from the broad rafters to the animals carved onto the pillars. I hadn’t visited often, but this room had always felt like a place I wanted to be.
Phin seemed to think the same as she turned around, eyes wide as she took it all in. She moved from the pillar with an owl to the one with a bear and then to the wolf.
“Get everything you needed?” I asked softly.
She nodded. “So much. More than I intended.” Her eyes widened as she breathed the words, but her smile remained.
“Wonderful.”
The family table near the kitchen was much larger than I remembered it being. My brothers and their wives all settled into what seemed like their preferred seats. Magnus followed Grace to the kitchen, his hand resting on her back as she gestured enthusiastically, a smile on her face.
“Wherever you’re comfortable,” Calla encouraged Phin, and I waited for her to decide on a chair before taking the seat next to her.
“Anyway, Phin, as I was saying, just give me a few days. Hopefully I can come up with something.” Greta nodded.
“I appreciate it.”
Phin was clutching at her necklace as the other ladies discussed the trip into the city with my brothers. I reached over and squeezed her fingers. “Everything alright?”
“I froze. In town.” My grip tightened, understanding what she was saying even with the brevity of her words. “I’m okay. It was short, and we were already on our way back to the carriage.”
“The cathedral bells?”
She shook her head. “No. Just overwhelmed I think.” At my expression, she added, “We drank hot chocolate.” Her smile spread. “It was delicious, but it did make my heart beat faster.”
“Ah. The sugar, perhaps.”
Grace and Magnus returned, arms full of plates. They doled them out, then took their own seats. Glasses of water and cups of tea were poured, dinner a familiar organized chaos.
I took a tentative bite of the steaming hot food and found the flavor of the simple, comforting dish spectacular. And I wasn’t the only one. Phin looked up at me as though she’d been shocked by what she’d tasted. I tried not to take any offense, as she’d never come close to that kind of expression with my food.But the indisputable truth was Grace was an incredibly talented cook.
“Delicious as usual, Grace,” Calla said, all of us agreeing.
“If you find you don’t like something we got you today, we can always take it to be tailored,” Grace said to Phin, diverting from the compliment.
“Everything looked really nice though,” Greta told her.
“I’m glad you found what you were looking for,” I said. “Though the washing tub will probably miss seeing you so often.”
“I won’t miss scrubbing every few days. I had fun.” She smiled, and the bond burned in response.
“Can we take a trip to Vincara?” Greta asked Vassago.
“Any particular reason, Dragonfly?”
“I want to visit an apothecary.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. They have a recipe I need.”
