“I had to. Needed a way to carry this.” Opening it again, I pulled out the sketchbook Kit gave me. It made me smile to think of Kit sneaking around working on the cover before he sent it off to be bound. It was, without a doubt, the finest gift I’d ever received.
“Oh, that’s lovely.” Rosie looked appropriately impressed as she added, “Much bigger than your old one.”
I must have been beaming because my cheeks were starting to ache. “Kit had it made for me,” I said. I turned the pages, showing the few sketches I’d started and commenting on the smoothness of the paper until I noticed her wistful expression.
“Rosie?” I prompted.
Her brown eyes fixed on mine. “He’s a good man,” she said. “Kit is.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say while realizing I may have already said too much about what had become a sensitive subject.
There was a long pause as I closed the sketchbook and tucked it away. Rosie nursed her tea until I worked up the nerve to speak again.
“I’m truly sorry about Tessa.”
Rosie sniffed into her cup. “It’s a sort of relief,” she admitted softly. “I didn’t care for her much myself near the end. She changed as we got older, and not for the better. But… I feel bad for being glad she’s gone.”
I raised my shoulders in a shrug. “She was a bit awful.”
“Penny!” She gasped and slapped my arm, but her scorn was overcome by a bout of giggles. Soon, we were both laughing. “You were ready to fight her off with that silly knife.” She gestured to the dagger sheathed on my belt as she continued in a teasing voice, “Defending Kit’s honor like a proper gentleman. Gods, I was blind. You’re so smitten with him.”
Blush stung my face, and I rubbed my hand over my cheeks. “We’re courting now.” The admission tumbled out.
Rosie sat back, wide-eyed. “Are you really?”
I nodded. It felt good to say. For all the secrets Kit and I were forced to keep, it was a pleasure to spoil this one.
“When did he ask you?” Rosie inquired.
“I askedhim. After the third Oath.”
And I was still wrapping my mind around the fact that he said yes.
“Well then. Congratulations.” She looked proud, and I hoped Sayla would be equally so when I told her.
There was more to tell, but it could wait. I didn’t mean to make this about myself or even Kit. Hard as that was not to.
I squirmed a bit, settling to tuck my hands under my thighs to hold myself still. “I’ve missed baking with you,” I said at length. “I’ve missedyou.”
Rosie sighed, then reached across to pat my knee. “I’ve missed you, too,” she said, then chuckled. “So has my father. He seems to think we’d adopted you.”
I cracked a grin. “You could.”
“And steal you away from Kit?” She shook her head. “I wouldn’t dare.”
The tension eased, and I felt myself relaxing. “So, can we do lessons again?” I asked.
“They haven’t been lessons for some time, Penny.” Rosie referenced the blackberry pies on the table. “You knew plenty when we met. Thank your mother and sister for that. I just enjoyed spending time with you. But, if we’re going to keep it up, I may need to start paying you for your help.”
“You don’t have to?—”
“You have a beau now.” She ticked her finger at me. “That comes with expectations. If you intend to court Kit properly,” she said, “you’ll need a bit of money. Rather than spending his.” Before I could protest or even acknowledge she was right, Rosie carried on. “There should be gifts and occasions… Do you know his favorite color? Food? Flower?”
I chewed my lip. “I wanted to give him flowers this morning, but there aren’t any.”
She flapped her hand toward my satchel. “Make a list in that fine journal of yours. Learn everything you can to spoil the man silly. He won’t be able to resist you.”
When I was younger, I resolved to be an ideal suitor and, eventually, an ideal husband. Courtship was the start of that, and I was determined to do it right.
