Page 8 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage

Briony smiled. “Think nothing o’ it. I was glad to help. How are you feeling this morneen?”

“Much better than yesterday, as you can tell, I’m sure. My leg does still hurt quite a bit, but I expect it takes a long time to fully recover. You do think it will fully recover, right?” His voice and countenance seemed nonchalant, but Briony caught a brief glimpse of fear in his eyes.

“From what Dr. Sherwin said last night, it sounds like you will be just fine.”

Mr. Mendes exhaled a heavy breath, revealing his genuine worry about the matter. “Good. And did he say how long it will take the bone to heal?”

“About six weeks. The doctor wants you to stay here until then.”

The man’s face darkened in disappointment for a moment, much like his sister’s and the captain’s had upon hearing the recovery time, but then a sparkle came into his eyes. “In that case, perhaps I’ll get to see you again while I’m here. I’m much more charming when I’m not in pain, you know.”

Briony flushed.Is he flirting with me?

“I-I’m sure you are.” She internally winced at how stupid she sounded.

The man smiled. “Once I’m back on my feet, I’ll do my best to prove it to you.”

Briony frowned even as her heart skipped a beat.How do I respond? Do I want him flirting with me?

Her gaze flickered back to his light-green eyes. She couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or not.

Probably na, and even if he is, once he knows the truth o’ my upbringing, he’ll want nothing to do with me. I better na give him any false hope.

“Don’ trouble yerself, sir. You must have better things to do.Icertainly do.” She spun around without waiting for his reply and marched out.

There. I hope that was rude enough fer him. I’m sorry, Mr. Mendes, but you don’ want to get to know me. ’Tis better fer both o’ us.

An Unexpected Arrangement

As Briony reached the end of the corridor, Adaira came by with some washcloths. She stopped and asked, “How is he doing?”

“I can’ tell if the medicine Dr. Sherwin gave him is working extremely well or if he’s simply skilled at masking his pain. Either way, he was very…agreeable.” Briony hoped Adaira didn’t notice how her voice cracked a little as she spoke.

“Agreeable? Hmm, that’s good. Even if he was na, I might overlook it since he’s such a handsome fellow. Perhaps he may need to stay longer than Dr. Sherwin initially thought. Broken bones do take a long time to heal,” Adaira said with a smirk.

“Nay, Adaira, you can’ be thinking that!” Briony shouted, just as Mr. Burgess and his son passed by. The elder one was courteous enough not to stare, but William, clearly intrigued by the women’s conversation, stopped to listen.

When Mr. Burgess noticed that his son wasn’t moving anymore, he turned and grabbed the boy’s shoulder. “William, come along. Yer being impolite. My apologies, mistresses.”

Adaira nodded at him, but Briony was too embarrassed to look Mr. Burgess’s way.

William gave both the women a sheepish smile. “Sorry!”

Briony said nothing, but her face was warm as she watched the boy scurry after his redheaded father. Once the Burgesses were in their room, Briony pulled Adaira into the privacy of the kitchen.

“So what is it yer so sure I’m thinking? It must be bad fer you na to want others to hear,” Adaira sneered.

“You wish to set him up with me! You can’ try to be a matchmaker in my life! I know this man is na from around here, but as soon as he discovers the truth about me, he’ll lose any interest he might have had. ’Tis unlikely he would be interested anyway.” The words tasted like ash in Briony’s mouth even though she was only being a little dishonest.

Adaira raised her eyebrows, the smirk not leaving her face. “Why do you think I was intending him feryou?I was meaning to snatch him up fer myself. But since you jumped to that conclusion so readily, that must mean you find him attractive too. Perhaps you would be a better fit fer Mr. Mendes than I. I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

“What! I—” Briony broke off with a frustrated growl.

Why do I make it so easy fer her? I should know better than that by now. After all, we’ve been friends fer years… Wait a second—

The amused expression on Adaira’s face told Briony she had fallen directly into her trap. “Adaira, yer such a toad! You were never intending Mr. Mendes fer yerself.”

Adaira burst out giggling. As per usual, her laughter was so contagious that Briony couldn’t hold back a few chuckles of her own.