“It’s incredible,” said Keir. “And without the town being underwater.” He hovered his hand above the iron. “It feels pretty hot.”
Alison let her brown hair down from its typical braid and carefully picked up the iron by its wooden handle. “Ceri did this for me at Winwold. I think you pinch this little lever and hook it over the hair like so,” she said, grabbing a small section near the front. “And then you twist and hold it for a short while.”
Alison looked at Keir watching her in the mirror. He was equally parts fascinated and terrified, likely due to the proximity of such heat to the flesh of her ear. “Careful…” he warned as she pulled the iron a bit too close.
“Ow!”
“Are you alright?”
Alison quickly released the hair from the iron to take a look at the spot where she’d gotten her ear. “It’s okay. Just a tiny spot.”
“Let me see.”
Keir moved the curl out of the way—it was quite a pretty little coil, and it was holding well—and examined her ear. “Not a bad burn. I have an ointment in my bag that will help it heal. I’m not sure this is something to use on your own, though,” he said, holding up the iron. “Shall I give it a try?”
“Only if I can give you a curl or two as well,” said Alison, loosening the strand of hair she had tucked behind his ear earlier.
Keir smiled. “Deal.”
By the time Rinka and Idris arrived, Keir and Alison vaguely resembled a pair of poodles.
“Good Gods, man. Did the ‘lectrics turn you feral?” asked Idris as he climbed from the carriage.
“Is that from a curler?” asked Rinka. “Can I see it?”
Alison brought Rinka to see the ‘lectric curler while Keir invited Idris for a pre-dinner drink in the parlor. “Are you ready for the wedding?” asked Rinka. Alison helped her remove her cloak and traveling hat so they could curl her hair as they caught up. “I’m happy to help arrange things once this Solstice festival is done.”
“There’s still a lot to do before the big day,” Alison admitted. “The first dress appointment is the day after tomorrow—will you be able to make it?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
“How’s the Solstice planning going?”
“From Gwenla’s last pigeon, it’s a bit of a mess. I’m meeting her in Herot’s Hollow tomorrow. Something to do with the tree—I don’t suppose you’d like to get involved?”
Alison laughed. “Gwenla made me promise to stay out of it and focus on the wedding, but I’m happy to help.”
“Good because I think we need all the help we can get.”
After Alison and Rinka had finished with the curls and gotten dressed for dinner, they rejoined the men.
“You’ve gone feral as well I see,” said Idris, putting his arm around Rinka and tugging on a red curl. “It suits you.”
Keir cleared his throat—the pair of them were really too much sometimes.
“Right then,” said Idris. “Tell me again why you won’t let me officiate your wedding.”
Chapter Six
THE BAKER’S APPRENTICE
Charlotte
Charlotte stayed late at the bakery, taking her time with the dough they’d use to bake the croissants in the morning.
She wanted them to be absolute perfection. Julian had managed to avoid letting the cheese and the butter escape from his perfect little pastries, and she knew she could do the same if she was slow and careful about it, returning the dough to the icebox frequently to avoid letting the butter melt.
They wouldn’t be filled with cheese, of course. The cheeses they used when baking were soft, young cheeses that went into sweet frostings, and they were supplied by the young orc Brytak when he made deliveries from the family farm. If things had been different, perhaps they would have turned to Julian to supply them.
