Page 35 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage

“Mine was rather watery,” complained William.

John’s eyes homed in on William like a hawk watching a mouse, and the room grew so quiet that Briony could hear the crickets outside.

“The boy must have gotten the only bit like that, fer mine wasexcellent.” He gave William a look that dared him to say otherwise.

William stared down at his bowl, cheeks reddening in embarrassment. “Sorry, Mistress Stubbins.”

“Well, if Briony can be a dear and bring out my pie while I finish cleaning this up, perhaps I’ll be able to redeem myself!” Adaira grinned, not bothered by William’s comment in the slightest.

Mr. Burgess, on the other hand, nudged his son’s shoulder before bending down to help Adaira with the mess.

“I’m sure ’twill be delicious!” William blurted with overwhelming enthusiasm.

Everyone laughed at that, and immediately the cheerful mood was restored. The group spent the remainder of the evening in good spirits, though Briony couldn’t help but notice that Lucia didn’t seem thrilled about Mr. Burgess and Adaira’s friendliness.

Sorry, dear, it just did na work out. Yer na destined to be more than friends with him.

Briony felt Santiago’s eyes on her.Is that what’s destined fer Santiago and me as well? Why can I na help wishing fer something more?

She almost gasped at the unexpected thought and moved her gaze to the floor. She groaned inwardly.Adaira was right—I do have feelings fer him. But can they lead anywhere?

Truth and Deception

Briony woke much too early the next day after having a mostly restless night. Her realization of her feelings had left her mind too frazzled to sleep. Questions had been roiling within her, questions building upon questions.

What does this mean? Should I tell him how I feel? What do I even feel? What if he does na feel the same way? Why would he feel the same way toward someone like me? But if he does na know I’m illegitimate, could he be interested in me? What will he say when he finds out? Should I tell him?

They all left Briony with a colossal headache that reminded her of the time she’d snuck down to the tavern as a fourteen-year-old and bought some ale, just to spite her mother for telling her to stay away from it.

It was one of many things her mother had forbidden her to do, and in a moment of rebellion, Briony had stolen a bottle of Irish liquor from the tavern and drunk the entire thing.

Briony shuddered at the memory of how awful she’d felt afterward. After vomiting up her lunch, Briony had staggered home and gone directly to bed. She hadn’t woken until the following morning, and when she finally had, her head had felt like someone was beating it with a hammer. The worst of it was that her mother hadn’t even said a word and just acted like everything was normal.

Looking back on it, Briony was sure her mother knew what she’d done, but Bethany must have figured that the consequences of Briony’s rash decision were punishment enough. And she was right—Briony had learned to trust her mother’s words much more readily, and she had stayed away from alcohol in all forms until her mother deemed it appropriate for her to have a small amount when she reached eighteen winters.

Briony checked the time after getting ready for the day: nine o’clock. It was early to see Santiago, not that she wanted to right then. She was still too shaken up to know how to behave around the man.

Then she remembered she was due to see Dr. Sherwin anyway.I might as well go see him early and get my mind off o’ my tangled feelings fer a few minutes.

She raised her hand to the doctor’s door when she arrived at his house, but she had only barely touched the wood when the door opened. She stumbled backward in alarm.

“Oh, hello, lass! Good to see you!” chirped Vincent McLaren. He stood leisurely in the doorway, not looking the least bit guilty for startling her yet again.

“Mr. McLaren, I did na see you.”

A small grin trickled onto the man’s face. “Aye, and I imagine na many people see you either.”

Briony sighed in exasperation at his many riddles. “What are you talking about? Everyone here always sees me, even if I wish otherwise. And I know they also wish na to see me.”

Vincent winked. “Ah, but most o’ the people in this village are nearly blind.”

Briony frowned and was about to go around him, but then she remembered their previous conversation. “I’d like to speak with you about what you said the other day.”

Vincent’s only response was a vacant expression, so she added, “About my mum?”

“Have you na figured it out yet, lass? Now, I can’ be giving you all the answers without you even trying. That would be far too easy. Nay, you must find the truth fer yerself. You would na believe me even if I told you.” Vincent McLaren slid around her and began walking away.

“How can you know that if you don’ even give me a chance?” Briony called.