“Aye,” she says tightly. “Him.” She turns from me, but not before I see her face crumpling with anguish.
“I’m sorry. About Janet, I mean.”
“’Twasn’t your sin, girl.” She shuffles to her cot. “Gregor and I had…an understanding. Your mother turned him into a fool. Now stop your chattering. I need rest.”
There’s a long silence. Then, the faint rustling of blankets. A deep sigh.
I stand there for a moment, processing everything that just happened, before carefully slipping off my wet clothes and climbing into my own cot.
“Your liniment,” Donag mutters into the darkness. “I’d add some wintergreen to it. But, aye. It’s good.”
I can’t believe it. An actual compliment. My reply is tentative, quiet. “I use wintergreen at home. But I didn’t know it grew here. If I had some, I mightbe able to distill it. I read once how to use steam to extract the oil. I couldn’t do it here, but the castle kitchen has enough pots.”
Donag is silent so long I think she’s fallen asleep. But finally, she says, “I could show you. Where it grows.”
I roll onto my side, contentment warming me. Callum will be so shocked and happy when I tell him how well the cream worked. He won’t believe Donag actually complimented me.
Callum. Amazing, wonderful Callum.
You should only kiss a girl when the gorse is in bloom.When can we sneak away so he can kiss me again?
“Donag,” I whisper, “how long will the gorse be in bloom?”
With a huff, she murmurs, “Only a fool asks fool questions.”
“And here I thought we were done with insults.” I adjust my blanket, tucking in against the cold. “If you don’t know the answer, just say so.”
She clucks. “A-course I ken the answer. Gorse is always blooming somewhere.”
I bite my lip not to laugh out loud. The gorse is always in bloom. Of course it is.
Sneaky, adorable Callum.
He said I’m all he’s thought about. That he’d enjoy the convincing of me. It didn’t take him long. Just one kiss was enough to get me on board with the whole program.
More than convinced, I’m consumed. It’s like I’ve been handed a new body, awareness blooming through every part of me until all I feel is alive.
But it’s deeper than just attraction. I feel lighter with him near me, breathe easier with him to help shoulder myburdens. Just telling him my concerns—both past and future—makes me feel better.
What if Callum came to the future with me?
Leaving him behind would be like losing part of my soul. Without him, I wouldn’t just be alone. I’d be adrift.
There’s been a seismic shift inside me. So much about me has changed. I can go back to my old life, but there’s no going back to the old Rose. And the new Rosie wants Callum.
Plus Poppa would love him. I grin in the darkness picturing it.
My mother, though?
I have to stifle a laugh. Janet woulddieif I showed up with Callum. I bite my lips picturing her face. She’d hate that she’s suddenly nineteen years older than he is.
I can’t wait to face her again. I know her secrets now. She’s a perfectly capable human being who’ll have to start acting accountable.
She’s got a lot to atone for, and her penance should definitely involve farm chores.
Donag moans from across the room. “You’re noisier than a drowning piper.”
“Sorry.” I shove a fist against my mouth. I’ve been trying not to giggle, but it’s building up. I can’t stop it. My shoulders rock as a snorting laugh rips from me.
