Chapter 11
The memory of the remedy stung Avery’s conscience, and shame colored his face. To cover it, he shifted the blame.
With mock outrage, he snapped, “These servants have no shame! Stinting your coals? I’ll have some brought at once!”
Grabbing Dominic, he strode out
Margaery sighed with relief and bolted the door.
Avery caught her wary glance, sharp as if warding off a curse, and a bitter pang twisted his heart, heavy with guilt.
“We’ve been so caught up with Tessa, we’ve forgotten Margaory, Winter’s gripped us for weeks, and no one sent her coals. How has she endured these bitter nights?”
“Everyone else has had fires for forty days,” he muttered. “She’s been at us daily, and I thought her spoiled, picking fights with Tessa for sport.
“But-
He’d neglected something so vital.
He couldn’t admit he’d taken her remedy and done nothing. Instead, he grumbled, “That girl’s too proud. No coals in her room, and she never said a word!”
Then it struck him–Margaery had shivered through forty days in Gracewind’s icy halls. She’d knelt in snow for a day and a night, then been locked in the woodshed. Avery felt like a wretched fool.
Once, Margaery had been their dearest sister.
“How did it come to this?‘ he thought bitterly.
His thoughts churned, leaving him restless. He’d meant to ask Margaery to make peace with Russell and share the remedy for Tessa, but the words wouldn’t come.
Dominic frowned. “The servants need a firm hand. If we don’t deliver those coals today, we’ve no right to ask for the remedy.”
Avery rubbed his brow. “Yes, Tessa’s illness won’t wait. Let’s sort the coals first.”
They stormed to the storeroom, scolded the steward soundly, and ordered coals prepared at once.
Dominic lingered at the door, his face clouded. “We’ll wait to ask for the remedy.”
Avery nodded. “Yes, we’ll bring the coals soon. Poor Tessa, waiting another half hour.”
Truth be told, he wanted to beg Margaery for the remedy, but pride stopped him.
She’d always offered her remedies freely before. A few days of his coldness, and Margaery would come with gifts to win
him back.
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Chapter 11
But Tessa’s illness couldn’t wait days. They’d bide their time until the coals were ready.
Avery glanced at Dominic. “Let’s check on Tessa. She must be heartsick, waiting.”
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Dominic nodded. “She’s not like Margaery. Tessa’s known such hardship. To come home to neglect–it’s too much for any
heart.”
They hurried to Tessa’s room.
Avery stood by her bedside, guilt etching his face. “Tessa, dear, there’s a slight delay tonight. Just a half hour more, and I’ll
fetch your remedy.”
“Thank you, brother,” Tessa whispered, her voice frail but kind.
Her hands clutched the quilts, though she forced a gentle smile. “It’s so cold. You and Dominic have worked so hard.
Please, rest. I’ll be fine.”
Her words were brave, but her brow creased with pain, and she pressed a trembling hand to her stomach, as if struggling to conceal her suffering
“How can we rest when you’re like this?” Dominic said, his voice cracking. “Tonight, I’ll stay with you.”
“No, please,” Tessa murmured. “If Margaery hears, she’ll be upset…” Her words broke into coughs. She reached for the water, nearly falling in her weakness.
“Tessa!” Dominic caught her gently in his arms, taking the cup and guiding it to her lips with tender care.
His eyes
brimmed with pity.
“Dominic, my stomach aches,” Tessa whispered, tears glistening in her eyes..
“Let me help,” he said softly. Setting the cup aside, he warmed his hands and eased them beneath her gown to soothe her
pain.
In the chill of her bed, Margaery lay sleepless, the cold biting at her skin..
She lit a candle, its soft light dancing across the room, and pored over a worn chart of healing points, her fingers tracing each mark on her body.
She murmured the day’s lessons until they wore fixed in her heart, only then slipping into a heavy, restless sleep.
But deep in the night, a commotion broke the silence, Avery arrived with servants, hauling charcoal and pounding on her door with a clamor that jarted her awake.
Margaery steadied her breath, pushing down her irritation, and rose to open the door.
Avery stood there, his smile sly as a fox’s.
“Margaery, my dear,” he said, his voice warm but laced with guile, “if you need anything, you only have to ask. We’re family
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23:41 Wed, 20 Aug
Chapter 11
-why so distant now?”
A faint shadow of regret lingered in his eyes, softer than his usual sharp manner.
If she didn’t know him–how he’d do anything for Tessa–Margaery might have believed he cared for his sister again.
But she saw through his game. His kindness was a baited hook, meant to draw her into doing his bidding.
She was done biting.
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“Thank you, brother,” she said coolly, a yawn breaking her words as she turned back to her room, her face bare of even a polite smile.
Avery stood stunned. ‘Just ‘thank you‘? Nothing more?”
He’d expected her to soften, to fawn as she once might have for a scrap of his favor.
A few warm words, and he could’ve easily asked for the remedy he needed,
But this Margaery–cold, unyielding–left him at a loss.
Tessa’s pained cries haunted him. He’d promised her the remedy that evening, and now, ready or not, he had to ask.
He signaled the servants to light Margaery’s hearth, warming the chilly room, before forcing a smile. “Margaery, your apology to Tessa today set things right.
“We’re a family again, aren’t we?”
Margaery sat on her bed’s edge, her gaze steady, silent, offering
ing
Avery shifted, unease creeping in, but pressed on. “Tessa’s ailing tonight–her stomach’s in knots. I’ve tried every cure! know, but nothing helps. Have you any old remedies? Something to ease her?”
“None,” Margaery said, her voice sharp and final.
Avery stiffened, his eyes narrowing “Truly? Not one?”
In his mind, her reply had come too fast. It didn’t sound honest. It sounded like defiance.
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