Page 24 of To Hunt a Ruby Remedy

Eleven

Scarlette

I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Ranulf. Abandoning his embrace—the perfection of waking pressed against him, my back to his chest—was hard. If he had woken or tightened his arms around me, I wasn’t sure I would have managed.

Light filtered through the single window, just enough for me to dress. I had to remember that all dreams came to an end, even the ones you wished could last forever. Ranulf and I had always had an end date, even when we didn’t have each other. In a few days, I would leave and he would remain.

I tied my kerchief over my hair, and my fingers brushed against the wooden disc I had braided into it the night before. I unknotted my hair and set the enchantment gently on the small table by the side of the bed. It felt like I was saying goodbye already.

The trapdoor opened with a creak, and I froze. Ranulf didn’t move. I climbed down the stairs, lowering the door carefully back into place. I wondered if he would feel the same pain as me at parting, or if he would rejoice in a return to his solitary existence. I wanted to believe that he would miss me, that perhaps my short time in the cottage had been enough to make him see that solitude was also loneliness. Yet at the same time, I didn’t want him to feel a loss when I left. I wanted him to find happiness, even if it couldn’t be with me.

The short hallway between bedrooms let out into the main room of the cottage, and I spotted Grandmother Molle. Of course. Ranulf wouldn’t be alone, even after I left.

“The kettle is hot, and the bread is rising,” the healer said when she saw me.

I had slept in later than usual and she had completed my morning routine. “I apologize. I should have been down earlier to start the bread.”

“None of that, dear. I’ve made bread without help longer than your mother has been alive.”

“And so, you deserve to rest even more. There is so little I can do to thank your family for all the help you have given me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you busy this morning when we go foraging. I’m too old to be digging in the dirt all day.”

I poured myself a mug of tea. “Grandmother, I have no doubt you will jump up from a crouch without hesitation while I creak and groan. I look forward to saving you the effort, all the same.”

She cradled her mug between both hands and took a sip. “I think I will enjoy having you around, Scarlette.”

I blew on the steaming contents of my mug, hiding my lips from view as I fought to steady my expression. “I won’t be around for long, though.”

Grandmother Molle’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll see.”

“I have to bring the charm home to my mother. I’m leaving in a few days.”

“A journey made in one direction can be completed in the reverse.” The healer set the mug on the table. “Now, the bread should be ready to bake.”

I moved toward the pot already heating in the coals of the fireplace before she could do more than slide her chair back. “I’ll take care of it, Grandmother.”

Ranulf came downstairs shortly after the bread finished. I avoided his gaze, afraid I’d give myself away if I looked at him. I knew better than to burden him with the weight of my growing feelings.

He didn’t try to engage me in conversation, which should have been both expected and a relief. Instead, I felt bereft. I wanted him to talk to me without prompting, even though I knew the silence was better for us both.

Grandmother Molle observed us, and silence reigned over the breakfast table.

Ranulf wolfed down his food, shoving back from the table only minutes after sitting down. “The hunter’s still in bed?”

His grandmother nodded and took a sip from her second mug of tea this morning.

“I’ll head out now.” Ranulf strode through the kitchen door without a backward glance.

Grandmother Molle looked at the dirty plate still on the table and sighed. “I swear I tried to teach that boy some manners.”

“He’s distracted,” I offered.

She gave me an arch look. “Yes, I daresay he is.”

I blushed. “I meant because of the huntsman.”

“No.” She rose from the table, collecting her plate and Ranulf’s. “He knows how to handle that situation. I think it is something else entirely twisting him up right now.”

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