Marigold rereads the letter over and over again to be sure. Aster Claude, the girl who had every man’s heart held gently in her palm, is getting married. And Marigold was not there when she accepted the proposal. She was not there when Aster realized she was in love.
She missed it. All of it.
“Is everything all right, miss?” Benny asks after her long silence.
Marigold brings her eyes away from the letter and blinks herself back into reality. “My sister is getting married,” she says.
“Well, that’s lovely,” Mr. Benny says.
“And I must leave for Bardshire as soon as possible to attend her wedding.”
Mr. Benny clasps his hands together. “Wonderful! I’ll take you to the ship myself.”
Marigold drops herself into a chair at the kitchen table and sighs, pinching her eyebrows together as she reads the letter again.
“You don’t seem excited, miss,” Mr. Benny says as he takes the seat across from her.
“No, I am,” she assures. “I simply can’t picture the Aster that I know getting married, though I know she is more than ready. In my mind, she’s still my baby sister. I feel like I’ve already missed so much. I know I’ve been here for quite some time, but this is the first time I’ve truly felt so far away. It hurts more than I thought it would.”
Mr. Benny nods. His eyes soften as he takes a deep breath. “I understand. I really do. But that’s the beautiful thing about family. No matter how far you go, they are still with you. And when you see them again, it will feel as though you never left. I promise.”
She smiles. “I hope so.” Gazing down the corridor, she thinks of her friends, who are still sleeping in their beds. “But now I must leave them. And I don’t know if I’m ready for that either.”
“You know you’ll see them again when we return. Take the rest of the day to prepare for the travels and say goodbye. I’ll return in the evening and we’ll go.”
Marigold nods. As the logistical plans come together, she falls deeper into her emotions. She is overwhelmed with gratitude for Mr. Benny, not only because he will be taking her to her family, but because he comforts her when she needs it the most. She wraps her arms around him tightly.
“Thank you. Thank you for everything you have done and everything that you are.” She pulls away and touches her grandmother’s ring that hangs from her neck. “Thank you.”
He says his parting words and leaves Marigold in the house, waiting for her friends to wake up. She pens a letter to her brother, though she will likely see him before it arrives.
Dear Frankie,
Well, she has done it. Aster Claude has found a rake and turned him into a gentleman. I could notbe prouder. If her wedding is to be our first reunion since I came to Innisfree, we must plan accordingly. How might we disrupt Bardshire? There must be some scandalous rumors surrounding my sudden departure. Shall we indulge them?
My head is racing. I must admit, it is going to be very difficult for me to leave the isle now. Believe it or not, I actually have some friends here, and I am quite enjoying the company. Of course, no company compares to yours, but I’m fond of these new companions all the same. I will tell you everything of my adventures soon.
All my love,
Marigold
To distract herself from the impending partings, Marigold casts another protection spell on the house and makes her rounds through the isle to offer honey to the landvættir and strengthen the protection wards. She gives them each a massive dose of honey, larger than she has ever given before. It is the only way she knows to keep them healthy, and they’ll need to be sustained during her trip to Bardshire. She then whips up an enormous spread for breakfast. Eggs, spiced sausages that were made by Mr. Benny, warm honey cakes, and freshly squeezed orange juice. When Marigold is thoroughly exhausted and covered in flour, Lottie is the first to rise and come into the kitchen. She wipes her eyes and stretches her arms toward the ceiling until her back cracks.
“Morning,” she says through a yawn.
Marigold attempts to wipe the flour from her face to no avail. “Morning,” she says without turning to greet her.
Lottie cocks a brow as she walks closer to her. “Everything okay?”
She continues to whisk dry ingredients in a bowl, sending more loose flour into the air and onto her person. “Yes, fine.”
Lottie stands behind her, silent as a wish, until her chin could almost rest upon Marigold’s shoulder. “You sure?”
Startled by her closeness, Marigold nearly drops the bowl from her hand. Her sudden movement still sends the whisk flying through the air, decorating both of them in flour as they slip on the floor together.
The commotion stirs August awake, and he comes running out of his room. He tries to catch his breath and steady himself as he observes the scene before him: Marigold and Lottie on the kitchen floor, covered in flour, holding on to each other. “What’s going on?”
Lottie pulls herself up first and dusts off the flour before offering a hand to Marigold. “That’s a question for the witch.”
