Page 43 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage
Suddenly, Briony grabbed Adaira’s shoulders. “Wait, wait, wait. That’s na why I came here. Before Mr. Mendes and I could ever be more than friends, I have to know if I can trust him. What should I do?”
Adaira rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Silly goose, what do you think? Talk to him! Yer a smart, sensible woman, but when it comes to love, yer as foolish as the rest o’ us! Tell him what’s troubling you andtell him how you feel. See where that takes you. From what I’ve seen, Mr. Mendes is a good man. He’ll give you an honest answer.”
Briony opened her mouth to protest her friend’s use oflove, but Adaira shushed her.
“Ah, before I forget, that man from before, Mr. Moreland—he brought me a bunch o’ flowers yesterday and gave me a heartfelt apology fer his behavior. He did na make any excuses, and he said that he wished to make it up to me by treating me better from here on out. Something about how the past was all but forgotten and if you trusted me, then he did too. He said he wanted to talk to you too. Who knows? If Mr. Mendes does na work out, perhaps Mr. Moreland might na be so bad after all!”
Briony frowned in surprise, but then a small smile worked its way onto her face.I knew Niall was na all bad!
“But anyway, get to it, lass!” She spun Briony around toward the kitchen exit. And Santiago’s room.
Briony groaned, but she did as she was told. When she reached the merchant’s door, she gave it one soft knock.
She waited for his customary invitation, but within two seconds, the door was opening and she was face-to-face with the man himself.
All coherent thought left her as she stared at Santiago with an open mouth.
“Good morning, Briony. Are you all right?” His eyes were etched with curiosity and concern.
Briony cleared her throat. “Nay, I’m quite fine. Quite fine. Aye, nothing wrong at all.”
Santiago raised his eyebrows. “Right.”
“Right. So are you ready to go? I think today is a great day to take you to Drulea Cottage. If you’d like to go, that is.”
“Ah, delightful! I’ve wanted to see it ever since you told me how nice it is.” He grasped her arm in his, setting her heart aflutter and stealing her breath at the same time.
Should I tell him the truth about what I overheard? And that I need to know if I can trust him? And worst o’ all, that I fancy him?Briony shook her head and marched onward, trying to ignore her anxious thoughts.
Soon the two of them were making their way up the hill and Drulea Cottage was coming into view. Large patches of thrift and honeysuckle dotted the landscape, bringing fragrant scents to their nostrils as they approached. The recent rain made the plants more vibrant than usual, and even after living here for all her life, Briony was struck by her home’s natural beauty.
“Now I understand why you like Everton so much,” Santiago said as he, too, stood entranced.
Briony smiled and led him inside. It was a fairly simple layout with the kitchen area on the left side, a dining area with a good-sized table and chairs in the center, and a fireplace on the right side. Her bed was in a little nook in the back corner, not readily visible when people first walked in. A second door led outside to a nice vista of the ocean where two more chairs sat waiting for occupants.
“Has your family always lived here?” Santiago asked as she led him to one of the indoor chairs. He propped his cane against the table and eased into his seat.
“Nay, but I’m the fourth generation to call it home. The person who first owned Drulea Cottage died before he finished putting it all together, and ’twas abandoned fer many years before my great-grandmother claimed it. I don’ know how she did it, but somehow she managed to complete what he started,” she said with a hint of pride. “Why the first owner named it Drulea Cottage, though, I could na tell you.”
She sat down in the chair opposite him, fidgeting with her dress.
“Your childhood must have been a very blessed one,” he said, making her look up with a quizzical frown. “I mean, not many people have the chance to grow up in a place as beautiful as this.”
“Ah, I suppose that’s true. I may na have traveled before, but I dare say ’twould be difficult to find a town in a lovelier spot. How about I make us some tea, and then I can take you out back to see the view?” she asked, rising and going over to the cupboard.
“That would be wonderful.”
An almost comfortable silence settled over the two of them as Santiago surveyed the cottage’s interior and Briony got out a kettle.
If I was na stewing with nerves, I’m sure ’twould feel very pleasant having him in my home. Moments like these make me think that maybe ’tis na such a stretch fer him to reciprocate my feelings. Surely he would na seem so happy if he did na enjoy spending time with me. How much o’ a push does one need to exchange feelings o’ friendship fer feelings o’—
“Briony?”
“Aye?”
“I was saying, if you’d like, I could take you down to my ship today or tomorrow.”
Briony dropped the teacup in her hand as her face turned white. The cup shattered into several pieces on the floor, making Briony draw back in surprise. She knelt to retrieve the broken bits, but her mind was absorbed with guilt.
