They ate their simple breakfasts with their free hands, while their connected hands swung playfully between them.
Daisy led her back to the gardens, and Thalia gasped when she saw all the flowers and plants spread out before her. The gardens were bursting with color and life, much more than she had expected.
At MacCabe Castle, she had planted the gardens almost obsessively over the last couple of years to increase her stock, and she had thought that the gardens here would be in a state of disarray. She was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn’t the case.
“Daisy!”
An older woman, the same one Thalia had seen last night, came trudging up the trail. She stopped when she reached them, gasping for air.
“Daisy, I couldnae find ye in yer rooms… and I got worried ye’d run off again,” she panted, before looking at Thalia and smiling softly. “Forgive me… I’m Rowena… Daisy’s nursemaid.”
“It’s lovely to meet ye,” Thalia said pleasantly. “I’m afraid it’s me fault that Daisy is out. I offered to walk with her around the gardens today, and she was very excited.”
“Oh, then ye must be Lady Thalia!” Rowena exclaimed. “Daisy wouldnae stop talkin’ about ye last night.”
Daisy’s cheeks turned pink. “That’s nae true.”
Thalia laughed. “I’m glad to hear it. I’ve grown fond of her meself.”
“Come on!” Daisy cried, running up ahead of them. “I want to ken every single plant here!”
Thalia and Rowena followed at a slower pace.
“I’m so happy to see her like this,” Rowena said. “She can be so shy, but she has taken to ye so quickly.”
“It could be because we found each other during a storm. She was terrified, and we helped each other.”
Rowena frowned. “Still. To be so trustin’ of a stranger…” Her eyes widened, and she turned to Thalia. “Nae that there’s anythin’ strange about ye, me Lady. It’s just that I’m so surprised. I havenae seen her like this before. She hasnae had the easiest childhood.”
“Finlay told me how he found ye,” Thalia admitted.
“Aye. He gave me quite a fright when he showed up, but I’m glad he did. He’s been so good to her, even if she’s still a little bit scared of him.”
“And ye took care of her all on yer own?”
“Aye. I did me best.”
They walked together in silence for a moment, Rowena staring after Daisy. There was a sad, faraway look in her eyes that held all the pain she couldn’t share. Thalia could not imagine what they had been through, and she was happy that they had found a better home.
She smiled at the older woman. “I think ye did very well, given the circumstances. She’s a wonderful young lassie.”
Rowena sniffled, blinking as if something was stuck in her eye. “She really is.”
“Thalia!” Daisy ran back up, tugging on her hand. “These flowers over here, what are they called?”
Thalia stumbled along, looking at the flowers Daisy was pointing to. There were a handful of small shrubs that were about half the girl’s size. They had long, spindly green branches, with each one sprouting a collection of tiny purple petals.
“Those are called heather,” Thalia explained.
“Heather,” Daisy repeated, testing out the word. “Is it used for healin’?”
“Aye. Ye can make a tea with it, and it’s used for coughs and soothing nerves,” Thalia replied.
“Oh, sounds like I could use some of that meself.” Rowena laughed.
“It’s also good for joint pains,” Thalia added with a smile.
“Do all plants have a lot of different uses?” Daisy asked, leaning forward to smell the petals.
