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ChapterTwenty-Eight
Elena moved through the motions after speaking with Craig. She was faced with two impossible options. Not physically impossible, but in her mind, neither was an option she wanted to choose.
As the condensation began to drip, she set a small jar under the spigot to collect the liquid which was the same as gold up here. As soon as the small bottle had filled to about half, she replaced it with a larger bottle and set the small bottle in one of the wooden crates with her seeds in it. Hiding it behind the material tucked around the edge of the basket.
She then set out her bundles of seeds, filled her containers partially with soil, then planted her seeds. She used small sticks she’d cut down and flattened to label the seed containers. Theresa came out to help her and she tasked her with filling the containers with soil and flattening sticks to write on.
They largely worked in silence and Elena was grateful for it. She wasn’t in the mood to make polite conversation.
“Elena? Is it alright if I go make lunch for our mamas?”
She nodded. “Of course. I didn’t realize it had gotten so late.”
“You seem rather preoccupied.”
Elena nodded but said nothing and Theresa ambled to her own cabin instead of going to Elena’s.
She replaced the filled bottle under the spigot, corked it closed, then lifted the jar to the workbench to label it with the date.
“Elena?”
She turned to see Kent standing at the edge of the brewing area. “Hi, Kent. How can I help you?”
He turned to see if anyone was listening then faced her. “I heard Craig wants you to marry. I wanted to let you know that I’ll marry you. I know it’s not a love match, but to be honest, there’s no one up here for me either. We might be able to make a decent life you and me.”
She stared at Kent. Someone she’d known, all of his life. Blue eyes and dark hair and not as harsh or crude as most of them up here. And to be honest, he had an education and wanted to make life up here better for their people. She could do worse.
But.
He wasn’t Aidyn.
She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. Her fingers shook slightly as she gathered her thoughts. His eyes watched her fingers then slid back to her eyes. “Look, I know this is coming from left field, but I’m trying to help.”
She locked her hands together in front of her to keep her fingers still and swallowed. “Thank you for the offer. May I think about it?”
He nodded. “Sure.”
He stepped back two steps, then bobbed his head and turned toward his cabin.
Her belly flipped and she swallowed to keep from vomiting. Inhaling long steady breaths and letting them out slowly seemed to ease the discomfort. But the dread that settled over her shoulders seemed much too heavy to bear.
She leaned against the workbench and stared at the seeds until they blurred. She sniffed and pulled a handkerchief from her apron pocket and dabbed at her nose. Tucking it back in its pocket, she took an unsteady breath and let it out. She turned to check the bottle under the spigot, pulled an empty bottle from the shelf, and replaced the full one. She added more water and emulsified herbs and stoked the fire.
Could she live like this for the rest of her life? What she was about to ask Aidyn to do would cause so much trouble. She didn’t think Kent would ever beat her. Maybe after they had one or two babies, he’d not even want to have sex with her anymore.
That thought caused her stomach to turn and this time the breakfast she’d eaten spilled out. She ran to the back side of the brewing area and emptied her stomach. Her knees shook and her body felt damp with sweat. She righted herself and shuffled to the cup of water she had on the workbench. Swishing water in her mouth and spitting it out, she took a tentative sip from the water and let it slide down her throat.
“Here you go.” Theresa’s voice broke her haze. “Oh, Elena, are you alright? You’re pale as a sheet.”
“I’m fine, Theresa. I’m okay.”
“Are you sure, I can ask Mama to come out here.”
She held up her hand and shook her head. “No. Please. I’m fine.”
“I brought you some lunch. Maybe that will make you feel better.”
She swallowed and nodded. “Yes. That will probably help very much. Thank you.”
