Page 30 of The Witch's Cottage
“To make it up to you,” he says, snatching the bundle of chocolate, “I’ll buy you this.”
“Oh, that’s really not necessary,” I say, but he’s already setting the chocolate on the counter and pulling another eldertoken from his pocket to hand to Lydia.
“I insist. My first day here, and already I’m causing a ruckus.”
Behind him, Lydia arches a brow and makes eye contact with me. I quickly glance away.
“First day?”
“Mm-hmm.” He drops the chocolate back into my basket, then offers me a smile. “Maybe I’ll see you around again.”
“Uh, maybe,” I mumble, suddenly feeling vulnerable under Lydia’s stare. “Th-thank you.”
“My pleasure.” He slips his hands into his trouser pockets, then heads for the door, and when I glance back over my shoulder, I find him smiling as he slips out onto the sunlit cobblestone street.
With him gone, I finally catch my breath.
“What was that about?” Lydia asks.
Hurriedly placing my basket on the counter, I shrug. “I don’t know. Who is he?”
“New knight from Wysteria. He’s here to replace Garland.”
“Garland...” I search my memory and come up with the kind weathered face of the old knight who always stands post at Faunwood’s northeast entrance. “Is he retiring from service?”
“As far as I know,” Lydia says. “Is this all you’re getting?”
I nod. “Had a bit of a mishap in the kitchen today. Most of the flour ended up on my floorboards.”
“Oof.” Lydia blows a bouncy brown curl out of her eyes. “That’s never fun to clean up.”
“No,” I agree. “But I have a helper today, so maybe it won’t be so bad.”
Thinking of straddling Alden beside the river, my body heats up, and I quickly try to think of something else—like how much work I still have to do before the festival.
“A helper?” Lydia asks, holding out her hand so I can drop a few eldertokens into it. “Oh!” Her eyes light up. “You must be talking about my brother.”
When I nod, her lips curl up into a smile.
“He’s smitten with you, you know.” She leans her elbows on the counter and props her cheek on one fist. “He’s different now.”
“Different how?” I ask, reaching for my basket and sliding it off the counter.
She shrugs. “Just different. Happier, I think.”
“Well...” Glancing down, I focus on the toes of my scuffed brown boots. “He makes me happy too...”
Behind me, the bell over the door rings, and Lydia glances up to greet the new customer. I back away, waving silently.
“See you at the festival?” she asks before I can reach the door.
I give her a big smile. “Absolutely.”
Chapter 18
Alden
AURORA GETS HOME JUST AS evening is starting to creep in. When the door handle lets out a gentle squeak, I push up off the floor from where I just finished lighting a fire in the parlor hearth; I lit the one in the bedroom earlier, and Harrison has been in front of it ever since. I step toward the doorway, and there she is, her long green hair tied back at her neck so I can see a crescent moon of pale skin just above the collar of her clean brown dress.
