When I don’t hear anything else, or smell chocolate and whiskey, I stand up again and slide my feet into the sandals beneath the chair where the outfit was placed. I open the door and walk down the hallway, taking the curved staircase down until I’m in the foyer.
A delicious aroma floats through the air, and my stomach rumbles as I follow the scent trail and wind up in the kitchen. Juniper stands at the broad island counter, kneading some dough on a cutting board, flour all over her clothes and even on her cheek, and Maeve is pulling something out of one of the ovens. When Juniper notices me, a wide smile sweeps across her face, and she wipes a hand over her forehead.
“Well, good morning! Aren’t you a beautiful sight!” she chimes.
“Morning,” I return, fighting a smile.
“Mum, look at her. She’s so pretty! You did great.”
Maeve is already turning to find me. Her loose curls are pulled up into a thick ponytail, her face free of makeup, yet she’s still flawless.
“Look at that. I knew red would look good on you.” She winks at me, then taps the counter in front of a stool. “Sit. Have something to eat.”
I pull the stool back as Juniper adds more flour to the dough. “What are you making?” I ask as Maeve brings a glass to me filled with green liquid. I take a sip, and it tastes like freshly squeezed grapefruit. I search for the maker of this juice and spot a sliced green fruit on a cutting board behind Juniper. Maeve turns for a cabinet to retrieve a porcelain black bowl.
“Glory Bread,” Juniper says, pushing her palms into the dough. “It’s so good in the morning. Spread some blackberry jam on it, and I swear it’s an orgasm in your mouth.”
Maeve places a bowl in front of me along with a spoon. She brings a pot toward me, ladling some of the contents into my bowl. The food in the bowl reminds me of oatmeal, with chunks of white and yellow, and it smells mildly sweet.
“It’s my famous porridge,” Maeve informs me, picking up a container and scooping out some black powder. She sprinkles the powder onto the porridge, as if it’s confectioners’ sugar. “Now don’t knock it before you try it. It’s quick to make but takes two hours to set. Literally melts in your mouth. Try it.”
I pick up my spoon and take a small bite to test. The flavors burst on my tongue—it’s like cream and cinnamon with hints of apple or a fruit that’s similar in taste. Pear, maybe? Do they have pears hear? Whatever it is, it’s freakin’ tasty.
“Mmm. Wow, Maeve, this is really good.”
I take another bite as Maeve lends me a pleased smile. “I knew you’d like it.”
“You’d better enjoy that cause she won’t make it again for another year,” Juniper pipes in. “She hardly ever makes it. As a matter of fact, Mum, can you make me bowl? I’m almost done with the bread.”
As I continue eating, Juniper collects a pan and dumps the dough into it, then presses it into the pan neatly. She slides the dough into the oven, washes her hands, then carries her bowl of porridge to the counter, sitting next to me.
“You two like cooking?” I ask.
“I don’t mind it,” Juniper answers.
“Neither do I, but it has to be when I’m in the mood. I used to cook day and night for my triple crew. All they did was eat, especially Killian! My word, he was a bottomless pit.” Maeve waves a hand at the sheer reminder.
“I loved cooking too,” I tell them. “Me and my brother Warren would cook together every week. We’d make a random dish we found on Pinterest.”
“Pinterest?” Maeve’s brows bunch together.
“Oh, right. It’s an Earth thing. You can find a lot of inspiration on it for recipes, crafts, all that.”
Maeve rests her lower back on the counter with a nod. “Do you miss Earth?”
I offer a half-shrug. “Some of the things.”
“Like what?” asks Juniper.
“I guess some of the food. The bookstores, especially my best friend Faye’s. I miss hanging out with her a lot. Also shopping at Target.” I huff a laugh, remembering my last Target run with Caz. That seems like ages ago.
“We have all of that here!” Juniper exclaims. “Well, everything but your friend Faye and this Target you speak of. We have plenty of bookstores, and trust me, the food in Blackwater is incredible. You should try Hatley’s. Their pasta is delicious, and they have this hazelnut mousse pie that is to die for. They serve tea all day long, and most nights they have a live band playing.”
“Whatever you need, Willow, we can provide it,” Maeve implores. “I know this isn’t your home, but we’re willing to do whatever it takes to make you comfortable and to make you feel at home here.”
I work my spoon around in the porridge. “Are you just saying all this so I don’t leave Vakeeli?” I ask, smirking.
“Guilty,” Juniper laughs over her bowl.
“It’s not that we don’t want you to leave, but…well, we know about your life on Earth,” says Maeve. “We’ve gotten bits and pieces from Caspian, and Alora may have spoken to me in private about what you told her that first night in her palace. With the thing about your mother…”
I feel a clench in my belly when Maeve mentions my mother. I told Alora that my mother was suicidal. Didn’t seem like such a big deal to tell the time. I didn’t think anyone would care. “All we want is for you to feel at home here. There is no rush for you to leave. All of us are here to protect you and be there for you, just as we are for Caspian.”
“I’m considering it,” I confess.
“Really?” Juniper lights up.
“Yeah.” I nod, smiling. “I really am. Me and Caz talk about it a lot.”
“It’s all Caspian wants,” Maeve tells me with a gentle smile. “I’ve never seen him so happy. He’s sleeping. He’s eating. He’s…alive. There’s even color in his cheeks now.” Maeve places a hand on mine, and despite her age, her skin appears satiny smooth, not a blemish in sight. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re being forced to stay here, though, and I’m certain Caspian doesn’t want that either. At the end of it all, the choice is yours, and we will respect it.”
I huff a laugh. “Talk about pressure.”
“We just love you,” Juniper gushes, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “I feel like I’ve found my long-lost sister! It’s so refreshing after being surrounded by men all the time!”
I wrap an arm around her, giving her a squeeze.
“Well, speaking of making Caz happy…” I start, and Maeve stands taller while Juniper pulls her arm away but keeps her attention on me. “He’s taking Della’s loss really hard, and I can tell he’s trying not to think about it too much and wants to focus on what’s in front of him. Anyway, I was thinking since he will be returning around dinner time, maybe we can set up a nice dinner for him. All of us can be there, maybe some of his close friends. I haven’t met any of them, I don’t think, but it’d be nice to get to know them.”
Juniper and Maeve steal glances at each other, and there’s clearly some silent communication going on that I know nothing about.
“What?” I ask, looking between them.
“It’s just that Caz doesn’t invite many people into Blackwater Manor,” Maeve explains. “He likes to keep it to just family and people he fully trusts.” I consider that, and a warmth wraps around me when I remember that, not too long ago, I was only a stranger to him. Now look at me, a permanence in his castle.
However,” Maeve goes on. “There is a guesthouse just beyond the castle. It’s beautiful there, close to the ocean, and there’s a large table inside it that seats over twenty people. It’s been there since Caspian tore down Magnus’ castle to replace it with Blackwater Manor.”
“Wait, he tore down his dad’s castle?” I ask.
“Oh, yes. It was a whole thing,” Juniper says, waving a hand. “He was the new monarch and wanted nothing of Magnus to remain. We celebrated when this place was built, drank ourselves dizzy.”
“Yes, I recall you lot drowning yourselves in wine and liquor,” Maeve says, shaking her head with a smile. “Anyway, the guesthouse isn’t used much, only for meetings or when Rowan wants to sneak some Blackwater whore on castle grounds. Della kept up with it a lot, so I’m sure it’s in good shape. Perhaps that could work?”
“It sounds like it could work. Do you think I can see it?” I ask.
Maeve is already walking across the room. “Follow me.”
