Aveen set the spoon aside and leaned a hip against the counter. “True, but it can be freeing as well.” She tapped me on the nose the way she used to when we were younger. “I was so worried about you falling for the infamous Gancanagh, but Tadhg’s love shines in his eyes when he looks at you. How he speaks to you and about you when you aren’t in the room. You should’ve seen how broken he was while you were cursed. And look at all that your love has done for Tadhg, saving him from his curses too.”
Ah, yes. Tadhg’s curses. The reason we were in this mess in the first place. He was never the villain I’d always believed, simply a man who had made mistakes and paid dearly for them. If Robert had been a witch, I probably would’ve ended up with a curse or two as well.
Even though I’d forgiven Tadhg for what had happened with Anwen, bitterness still festered in my heart. Who was to say he hadn’t given in because part of him had wanted her too? How could I hope to keep a man like Tadhg satisfied when I lost my youth and he remained forever handsome? Would he still want me when my face became wrinkly and my skin sagged off my arthritic bones?
Only time would tell, and I wasn’t sure I could stand to wait.
Aveen smoothed a hand down my arm. “Keelynn? Are you all right?”
A false smile was all I had to offer. “I’m tired. I haven’t been sleeping well.”
Her eyes softened. “It’s difficult going back to an empty bed when you’re used to having someone beside you.”
I didn’t want to talk about men anymore. Tonight was for the two of us. “How about we bake this cake and eat every last bite?”
With a grin, Aveen set a silver cake tin next to the batter and said, “That sounds like a good plan.”
* * *
It turned out, Aveen didnotremember the ingredients as well as she’d thought she did. The cake smelled like heaven, but when we took our first bites, we ended up spitting them back onto the plates. The cake was drier than the soil after the blight on the outside and sticky on the inside.
Groaning, Aveen frowned down at what remained of the gigantic slice she’d cut for herself. “I’m so hungry, I’m considering a second bite.”
“You couldn’t pay me to eat another one. There’s some fruit in the basket.” Personally, I’d had enough fruit to last me the year. All Ruairi had in this place were fruit and veg and ingredients to bake terrible cakes.
“I don’t want fruit. I want something sweet—or savory.” She fell back onto the cushion. “I miss Eava.” The tall grandfather clock let out a low, thrumminggong, marking the hour. Another day nearly gone. “I’m surprised Rían hasn’t shown up yet.”
As if he’d heard her all the way in the castle, the front door flew open, and Rían waltzed right through, his black attire making him look like a shadow. My smitten sister sighed like a swooning youth. If I wasn’t so happy for her, I would’ve rolled my eyes.
Rían’s nose lifted in the air. “Something smells good.”
“I baked a cake,” Aveen said with a glint in her eye, nudging her plate toward him.
Rían picked up her fork and sliced a bit off the end. We both watched with tight lips as he took a bite…and choked. “Do you love it?” Aveen asked, batting her lashes.
“It’s…um…” By some miracle, he managed to swallow the dry chunk.
I couldn’t take it anymore. The poor man looked positively green. Laughter bubbled in my throat. Aveen joined me, falling forward and clutching her stomach as tears spilled through her lashes. “It’s vile,” she managed between gasps.
Rían’s scowl only made me laugh harder. “And you didn’t think to tell me thatbeforeI ate some?”
“I’m sorry.”
“No you’re not.” He tugged one of her curls with a gruff chuckle. “I was going to give you some of the leftover tart I hid from my brother, but after that little trick, you get nothing.”
Despite my melancholy, my smile remained. “Don’t punish me for my sister’s mistakes.”
A pie plate appeared in his hands, and my mouth immediately began to water. Aveen went to swipe for it, but Rían yanked it back and handed it to me instead. After all he’d done, I didn’t want to like him, but he wasn’t nearly as bad when he was being sweet to Aveen and feeding me.
I thanked him and retrieved our forks from the abandoned cake plates, handing one to Aveen. We both dug into the gooey center and moaned when sweet cinnamon and apples hit our tongues. So bloody good.
Ruairi appeared in the doorway, his golden gaze landing on the abandoned cake. “Oh, cake.”
None of us said a word.
* * *
“Happy now?” Rían asked from beside the fireplace.