Page 3 of The Curse of McMillan Castle
Relieved that worry over his own disappointment was Madeline’s only reservation, Cooper smiled again and plunged ahead. “You’re right. That was the plan, but I don’t want that room. Truly, I don’t. Besides, it only seems right to me that the oldest kid in the castle should have their own room, and now that’s Rosie. She’s a part of the McMillan clan now. She needs to feel like it. I know I need my own space too, but I get that all the time. Since I wake up so early, I usually have several hours a day where the entire castle is all mine. I’ll be fine sharing with my siblings. Will you please just look at my plan and tell me if you think she will like it or not?”
Cooper extended the piece of paper toward her until she took it from him. He sat nervously as she stared down at his work until she smiled.
“What’s this space here?”
Cooper leaned over to see her pointing at the bookcase his dad had been working on for the past two weeks.
“I’m calling it ‘Rosie’s Reading Corner.’ I’ve had Harper busy gathering up a whole bunch of spooky books since I know that those are Rosie’s favorite, and Dad went through just yesterday to pick them up. We’re going to fill the bookcase with all sorts of things for Rosie to read, and Dad even built a cushioned seat that will sit up in the tower window so she can read in the sunshine or moonlight.”
He said nothing, but Cooper frowned as Madeline reached over and tousled his curls. He knew people meant well, but he hated when people touched the top of his head. It made him feel like such a little child. He was in the double digits now—well on his way to adulthood.
“Coop, you truly are the sweetest boy that’s ever lived. Rosie is going to love this. Are you going to be able to get it all done tonight?”
“Aye, we will.”
Cooper and Madeline both turned toward the sound of E-o’s voice in the doorway. Confidence filled Cooper at the sight of his stepdad. If E-o said there was time, Cooper had no doubt they would be able to get it done.
“Baodan, Grace, Mitsy, yer da and Kathleen, all are at the ready to help. All the furniture yer da has been working on is lined up and ready to be carried up from our secret location. As soon as Madeline has Rosie tucked away for the evening, we are ready to begin.”
Cooper jumped up from the floor and offered Madeline his hand. “Are you ready, Ms. Madeline? I’m so excited I can hardly stand it.”
She smiled at him, and Cooper thought it was the happiest he’d ever seen Rosie’s mom look.
“Yes, I’m ready. I’ll make certain to keep her busy until you all are ready to show her.”
Madeline took his hand, pulled herself up, then pulled him into a hug. “Thank you, Cooper. I can’t wait to see Rosie’s face.”
He couldn’t either. Her face was always his most favorite thing to look at. If she was truly happy about this, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how completely radiant she would look then.
* * *
Cooper had never worked so hard in his entire life. Even with a handful of strong adults helping him, transforming E-o’s old tower into a bedroom fit for Rosie was a tough job.
But now, with a few hours to spare, it was finished. Rosie would officially be able to wake up on her thirteenth birthday in her very own room.
It was the greatest accomplishment of his life.
He looked up in the direction of the hand that suddenly gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. His father smiled down at him.
“You’ve done good, kid. I think this is just the thing Rosie needs to change her perspective about being here in this time. I know it’s been an adjustment for her. This will surely help. It’s perfect.”
He smiled as he beamed up at his father with pride.
“It is, isn’t it? It’s the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen. Now, let’s go get her so we can finally all go to bed. It’s way past my bedtime.”
* * *
Madeline
For the first few hours, keeping Rosie distracted had been no problem. After gathering some dinner from the kitchen, spreading a blanket on the floor of our shared bedchamber, we’d been happy to have an indoor picnic, play some board games we’d brought with us from our own time, and visit. But as the evening hours crept past the time we usually went to bed, Rosie grew suspicious.
“What is going on, Mom? I do not understand why you’re not letting me go to sleep. Usually you’re insisting I do just that.”
I scrambled for some sort of plausible answer. I really should’ve put more thought into how I would keep her away from the hustle and bustle going on outside of our room without ruining the surprise.
“There’s something special supposed to happen with the moon tonight. I really wanted you to see it. Let’s just stay up for a little while longer. One more game?”
She frowned at me and crossed her arms. God, she looked just like her father.
