“I see you’ve started the book already,” Reagan said with a subtle clearing of his throat, his sun-kissed forearms shifting with muscle as he leaned them over the table.
Up close, his crisp scent hit me: wood and mint. His black cotton sweater fit snugly enough to hint at the firm chest beneath. A few straight strands of brown hair fell over the curve of his eyes, which always seemed to draw my attention. I told myself it was the closeness and the stronger pulse of power he carried, setting him apart from the others.
Finnegan cleared his throat. “Looking like that,” he said with a crooked smile, “I almost forgot the news I came to deliver.”
Anticipation coiled within me, tugging my gaze to him. “Did you see them?” I asked, my back perfectly ramrod straight.
“Yes, everything went well, but there were minor issues. It took some time to track down all the merchants on your father’s list at the fair. I’m afraid I didn’t meet with all of them. Some had already departed with the shipments. But the ones I met, I was able to trade with, and your father’s deals were successful.”
I tried not to let the disappointment show in my expression. We had lost part of the money, which shouldn’t be surprising.
“What about my family?”
He smiled. “Wait, that is not all. Even though I couldn’t retrieve your father’s full earnings, I did bring them to them.”
“How could you bring all the money if you didn’t get it?”
“Since the impact on your business was caused by your sentence here, our estate granted the reimbursement of your earnings as small compensation for your losses,” he explained.
I tilted my head, waiting for him to continue.
“Mountheim Hall reimbursed the missing earnings, and we already gave them to your family.”
I looked around the room, eyes wide, stopping on Reagan. The corners of his mouth curled as his gaze moved to me.
“You mean...you paid?” I asked, darting my eyes between him and Cerridwen, who nodded. “Why?”
“Because otherwise you’d be an immense pain in our asses,” Gwinifer replied as she mindlessly played with her food before bringing it to her mouth.
“An alluring, yet very annoying pain in our asses,” Reagan corrected. “Your business was impacted, and we could remediate it, so we did.”
I was stunned. For multiple reasons.
“What do you expect in return? That I pay you back?” I asked.
“There is no quid pro quo here, but I’d expect that you find it in yourself not to run away again.”
A benevolent answer.
I could scarcely believe my ears, and, at the risk of finding myself in his debt, I wasn’t certain whether I should accept. Yet, it was already a done deal. I massaged my temples, feeling a slight throbbing there.
“Anyway, your family received all the money they expected,” Finnegan continued. “When I arrived at your house, I gave them your letter, explaining that you found a higher-paying job in the Capital and couldn’t return just yet. Your father seemed quite proud.”
“And my sister?”
Finn’s mouth pursed. “I’m not sure. She had more questions at first, but after the draught, I believe she accepted. She’s just hard to read, right?”
I clenched my fists under the table. It was a satisfying fix, one that shouldn’t have bothered me.
“Yes, you could say that,” I answered. “Is that all?”
“That’s all,” Finn said softly, though no less firmly. “Now they will not come.”
Nodding, I leaned back in my chair, feeling their swift glances in my direction, though I didn’t return them. Instead, I occupied my mouth with food from the platters that appeared moments later.
To my relief, Cerridwen changed the topic.
“Since you three arrived today, I need to inform everyone, even if I’d rather not do it over dinner,” she began. “I met Silas and Magda yesterday, and the news wasn’t good. They requested additional support.”
