The Good and the Green: A Cozy Romantic Fantasy Novel (The Wilderise Tales Book 1) by Amy Yorke

Author:Amy Yorke [Yorke, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Glasslook Press
Published: 2024-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

Dinah was gone by the time Alison woke again to the knock at her door. Alison was cold and cramped from the unnatural position she had assumed during her second sleep. And worse yet, more rain had fallen overnight. The first task of the day, after answering the door, would be emptying the containers before they overflowed.

Her morning visitor was Gwenla. The dwarf looked at Alison’s unkempt state with concern. “Are you unwell? Should I see if Keir will come by?”

Alison briefly considered whether or not to feign an illness just to see him, but she didn’t want to worry him unduly. “No, I’m quite alright. I received a visit from Dinah in the night. She insisted upon a five-course breakfast, and I had no choice but to oblige.”

Gwenla laughed merrily. “Oh, that Dinah! She is a troublesome girl, but I’m glad to hear that she’s come ‘round. Willow will be so pleased to know you’re caring for her.”

“Perhaps Willow can ask her to await the dawn before demanding her breakfast tomorrow.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.”

Gwenla swept through the cottage, taking care of Alison’s neglected chores with the same haste as on the day they had met. She even helped with the clothes washing, a task Alison hadn’t done by hand in quite some time. All the while they spoke, first of her fall and Mr. Ainsley.

“By the time I found you, you were drenched to the bone. Brytak was out in the street; I got him to bring his cart up so we could move you without jostling you too much. When Willow suggested Keir, I thought we were making a mistake.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s not that I don’t think him capable as a physician. But after what happened with little Jack, I thought he wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“Was that the boy he lost?” asked Alison.

“Yes,” said Gwenla, looking up from the washboard into the distance. “It was such a shame. The child was no more than seven, a bright little boy. About the same age as Keir’s brother was when he died, and the boy had a bit of Danny in him too. The same wild courage and mischief.”

Alison paused from attaching the clothespins to a dress. “Keir–I mean, Mr. Ainsley–lost a brother?”

Gwenla’s eyes were misty when they met Alison’s. “Oh, that was a tragedy too. Keir has had more than his share of them, I’m afraid.”

“What happened?”

“To Danny? I heard the tale from their governess when she passed through town. The boys were playing near the falls. Fossholm–that’s where the duke’s manor is–it’s down in the valley, and there’s a spectacular waterfall just a bit before the lake.”

Alison realized she had heard of the exact place from Nolwynn, the korrigan she had met on the ferry. She chose not to interrupt Gwenla, though. Her voice was quivering with emotion, and Alison didn’t want to sidetrack her needlessly.

“Keir was older, ten maybe, but he was the more cautious of the two. When they’d come ‘round Herot’s Hollow,

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