Climbing the creaky stairs, she knocked at Scarlet’s bedroom door. She heard rustling inside before Scarlet opened the door a crack and glared out at her.
Michelle pretended to still be angry with her, too, though she despised herself for it.
Lifting her chin, she said, “This cold is making my arthritis act up and I wasn’t able to do most of the chores this morning. I need you to go do them. The cow will be growing uncomfortable if she isn’t milked soon.”
Scarlet propped open the door a bit more and drew her brows together. “Since when do you have arthritis?”
Michelle met her glare for glare. “You know that I don’t like to complain, Scarlet. I don’t speak of it much.”
“Or ever,” she shot back.
Michelle sighed. She didn’t want to fight. “I know you don’t like milking the cow, but could you please just do it?”
Scarlet threw up her hands. “You could just ask, you know. This is my farm, too. I haven’t complained about doing chores in years, but you still treat me like some spoiled city kid who’s going to throw a tantrum every time you ask me to do something. All I want is to belong here, and for you to treat me like I belong here.”
Michelle’s eyes began to water. She tried to respond, but was rendered speechless.
Scarlet sighed and turned away, the disappointment obvious on her face. Michelle hadn’t thought it was possible to feel worse than she already did.
“You’re right,” Michelle finally whispered. Scarlet glanced back at her, and Michelle gave her a weakened smile. “I’ll try to be better.” She cleared her throat. “So, will you…”
“Of course I’ll go do the chores,” muttered Scarlet, looking only slightly appeased. “Just let me change my clothes.”
She swallowed, watching as her granddaughter pulled her red hair up into a messy bun.
Stars, she loved this child. This child who was becoming a young woman before her eyes.
She couldn’t wait until she could tell her so.
“Thank you,” she said, and made her way back down the stairs.
Minutes later, she heard Scarlet’s footsteps pounding down the stairs. The back door creaked and shut—not a slam, but not particularly gently, either.
No sooner had she started a pot of coffee than she heard a quiet knock at the front door. She tensed. He was early. She hoped Scarlet hadn’t noticed his arrival.
Wiping her clammy hands on a towel, Michelle went to answer the door.
“Bonjour,” she said to the dark-haired man on her stoop. “You must be Monsieur Linh.”
He was fidgeting with the collar of a heavy winter coat, and he didn’t stop fidgeting even when he took her hand. His smile was big, though. Big and eager and nervous and impressed. “And you are Michelle Benoit,” he said. “The keeper of the greatest secret of the third era. It is a most profound honor to meet you.”
Still reeling from the fight with Scarlet, Michelle found it difficult to smile back, so she just stepped aside and offered to take his coat. “My granddaughter lives with me, and I’m afraid she doesn’t know about any of this, so I’ll appreciate your discretion.”
“Of course. If I could not be discreet, I’m sure Logan would not have considered me for this momentous responsibility.”
“I’m sure that’s true. Please, come into the kitchen. My granddaughter is out taking care of some chores. We should have about half an hour to discuss the girl and the procedure before she returns.”
*
Famous last words, Michelle thought, repeating the catastrophe of her meeting with Garan over in her head again and again. She sat at the foot of her bed, a box settled on her lap. She was staring through the window at a half-moon partially obscured by wispy winter clouds and wondering how the politics and mysteries of a world so very far away had managed to take such a toll on her own life.
She had hardly slept. Though she and Scarlet had certainly had their spats since Scarlet had come to live with her, never had their fights been like this. Never had they felt like they mattered. Never had Michelle felt hopeless to make things right.
She hadn’t given Scarlet enough credit with the chores. She’d completed them almost as quickly as Michelle herself could do them, and Michelle had still been talking with Garan when Scarlet had come back in. Sneaked back in. She’d eavesdropped on their conversation, and though Michelle wasn’t sure exactly what she’d heard, it was clear that Scarlet hadn’t figured out anything about Princess Selene. Rather, she’d misinterpreted the conversation and now seemed to be under the impression that Michelle was going to send her away. That Garan was adopting her.
And Michelle didn’t know how to explain otherwise. She didn’t know how to make this right.