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Finn

Typical Englishman.

Matthew nearly laughed aloud. It was a good feeling, after the week he’d had. He only hoped that having his friends there for the weekend would be just the thing to boost his spirits for longer.

Matthew

All you commoners asked for it.

He sent the text, then smiled to himself. He couldn’t wait to see them. And truth be told, he was more than a little relieved that Winnie had canceled the festival while they were there. That would save Matthew more than a little embarrassment of having his friends witness how his event had fallen from grace over the last few years.

“So what were you saying before, Winnie?”

The voices from the computer reached Matthew’s ears again, and all other thoughts disappeared as he tucked his phone away and focused on finding the food he’d come in search of.

“Oh, I can’t really remember,” Winnie said.

Matthew moved aside the Branston Original Pickle jar, the plate of cherry tarts, and the Hartleys’ strawberry jam, looking for the block of extra sharp, cave-aged cheese from Cheddar.

“I remember what it was,” a younger female voice said. Her sister, perhaps? “You were saying the only difficult person was Ma⁠—”

“Oh, no,” Winnie said loudly, cutting her off. “No, I was done. Hey, Sarah, what happened to that guy you were dating? Troy or something?”

Matthew had to hide his smile at Winnie’s panicked diversion. Ducking farther into the fridge, he reached for the cream cheese with slow movements.

“Oh, I dumped him months ago,” this Sarah said. “He was so boring. Not an interesting bone in his body.”

“Not even his clavicle?” asked a male voice.

A bit of laughter sounded, and Matthew’s lips twitched. That had to have been a brother. How many siblings did she have?

Finally finding the cheese, he pulled out the block and set it on the counter, rooting around next for the Jacob’s Cream Crackers in the cupboards.

“No, for real,” Sarah continued. “You guys would have hated him. Anyway, that’s enough about me. Winnie, we haven’t heard nearly enough from you. Are you enjoying all the rain?”

“Yeah, I am,” Winnie said.

Was she always this tight-lipped around her family, or was it just because Matthew was there?

“And…” Sarah pressed, “how are the knights? Particularly the one who saved you?”

The silence in the room was deafening. Winnie’s eyes shot up to Matthew’s, but he continued moving between cupboards, feigning complete ignorance.

“Wait, who saved you?” an older woman said. That had to be Winnie’s mother. “And what did they save you from? Are you in danger, Winnie?”

The sound on the laptop lowered again. Once more, Matthew had to hide his smile.

“No, I’m not in danger, Mom,” Winnie said. “It was nothing.”

“Nothing, my foot,” Sarah continued.

How Matthew could still hear their words was beyond him, but he wasn’t about to complain. He reached for the crackers in the top cupboard as Sarah continued.

“She was rescued by a knight when she slid off the road. Winnie said he’s totally hot, too.”

The moment the words reached Matthew’s ears, he unwittingly released the package. It slipped from his fingertips, landing with a loud thud as the crackers no doubt crumbled to pieces inside. That was hardly any of his concern now, though, as pride welled within him.

So. Winnie thought he was hot, did she?