Never Never by Kiernan-Lewis Susan

Author:Kiernan-Lewis, Susan [Kiernan-Lewis, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Susan Kiernan-Lewis

* * *

The next morning it snowed again. Sarah watched it come down from one of the long vertical windows in the great hall that faced the ocean. Fires blazed in all three of the gigantic dining hall fireplaces. She’d gotten up early, deposited Siobhan with Nuala in the nursery, and then went to the castle kitchen to work with four other women to prepare breakfast.

They’d made a rudimentary schedule of shifts the day before. After preparing breakfast, Sarah and the other women would be free of kitchen duty until dinner which they would make and clean up after.

The castle people had been brought down to dine with them. Mike was of a mind to let most of the women go back to their own rooms as they had before. He saw no threat from them. He was less sure of Shaun and his sister Saoirse. In any case, he’d prepared a brief ceremony where each of the castle people would be brought to him to swear allegiance—if not to Mike himself then at least to the idea of not attacking or disrupting the burgeoning alliance between the two groups.

Last night, before drifting off to sleep in each other’s arms, he’d mentioned the idea to Sarah and she thought it was a good one. Now she watched everyone eat a robust breakfast of bacon and pancakes with maple syrup they had brought with them and hot tea with milk and sugar, which the castle people had gone without for five long years.

Sometimes it’s as simple as having a decent cup of tea again, Sarah thought as she watched the smiles and conversation down the long table of both castle women and compound women together. She hoped the castle people would see that having new people among them would be good for everyone.

If this morning’s breakfast was any indication, her hope was definitely being fulfilled.

Beryl Morrison, Shaun’s mother, sat beside Sarah near the front of the table. Mike and most of the men had taken their breakfast on the run in the form of bacon biscuits. Because Shaun and his sister still sat at the table, Terry stood against the wall with his hand on his holster, watching them.

Gavin and Tommy flanked Beryl. Sarah could see that the older woman was pink with excitement to have their attention.

“Cor,” she said as one of the compound women came to refill her teacup, “I can’t remember the last time someone wanted to know about the castle.” Her cheeks were pricked with color and her eyes danced.

“So there’s a real murder hole in the castle?” Gavin asked. Sophia sat to his left with their baby nestled in a sling on her chest.

“Oh, aye!” Beryl said. “Right where it needs to be, too. In the ceiling of the gateway should we ever have need of it.”

“How’s it work exactly?” Tommy asked, his eyes bright with curiosity.

Sarah smiled. It was pretty clear that Beryl Morrison would be happy to have the compound people inside even if they hadn’t brought tea and sugar.

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