my heart. I was annoyed at being turned away from the door, that’s all. Call it wounded pride, if you like.”
His sister tilted her head at him. “I’d call it more than that. But I’ll not pry into your affairs of the heart. Come within and have some mulled ale. I have a good fire going.”
He followed her into the tiny parlor, staring around him. He’d considered himself and Helena poor when they were forced to fend for themselves, but compared to what Julia had, they lived in luxury. They had the benefit of flagstone floors, whitewashed walls, windows infilled with diamond-shaped glass panes, and a table at which one could sit. They even had beds with legs to raise them above the floor.
“It’s terrible what’s happened to her.” He sat close to the fire and pulled off his boots, then warmed his hands. Julia had no fire, no tankard of steaming ale, no one to love and care for her but Hal.
“What’s amiss, Brother? Was your meeting with her not a happy one? But how remarkable that Hal should be with her!”
Myall took a deep draft of his ale and felt a little better. Then he explained about the goose. By the time Helena had finished laughing, he was starting to see the amusing side himself.
“She must have been sitting on it that first time you went past.” Helena was struggling to regain her breath. “How uncomfortable it must have been. Poor bird—I pity it.”
And he envied it. At least Julia wanted the goose. But after that one night when they’d explored each other’s young bodies, Julia had no longer wanted him. He’d been too bold, and he’d gone too far. He was lucky her uncle or her father hadn’t taken a horsewhip to him. But how often he’d wished things could have turned out otherwise! He had always intended to do the right thing by her.
“I can see what must be done.”
His head snapped up. “What do you mean?”
“It is simplicity itself.” Helena beamed. “You must share the goose.”
“How?” He had a vision of the bird cloven in two and winced.
“It would be cooked first, fond fellow! Then you can share the meat. Faith—we could cook it here, and invite her and Hal to join us for the meal. I’m certain Aidan won’t mind if there are two more at the table on Christmas Day. Although—we ought really to be with Father.”
He didn’t want to talk about their father. “She won’t come—she’s too proud. When somebody who was once above one then finds themself beneath, it causes bitter resentment. She doesn’t want charity. I could barely persuade her to accept the vegetables and worts that I took.”
“And what’s she going to do with those if she has no hearth to cook them over? Honestly, Myall—I know you mean well, but you don’t always think these things through.”
He didn’t know what he’d thought. He’d only known he must do whatever he could.
The idea of eating the goose together might be acceptable to Julia. He broke into a grin. Hal would be his ally in this. Hal would never turn his nose up at the offer of a Christmas feast.
“If she agrees, she won’t want to come here dressed in rags. Is there aught you can lend her?”
“Remind me what color her hair is.”
“Like ripe corn on a summer day.”
“And her eyes?”
“Blue as the ocean.”
His sister groaned. “Unlike you, I’ve never seen the ocean, so that doesn’t help.”
“As blue as lapis lazuli, then. Like the Virgin’s robes in an old painting. Why do you ask?”
She smirked at him. “You’re besotted already—I can tell from your poetic descriptions. I ask because I want to know which of my old gowns would suit her best. I hope she’s not too much larger or smaller than I, although the lacing can be opened up quite a lot if she’s plumper.”
Curse it. Now, Helena had him thinking about Julia’s figure. He almost groaned aloud as a vivid memory of the taste of her tingled on his tongue.
His throat was constricted. “She’s a similar height to you—fuller in the bosom and hips, mayhap.”
“Well, she can always leave off wearing a rouleau, if that’s the case. My russet gown with the blue embroidery will serve well, I think. She must come here early, so I can help her dress. Why not invite her for a meal before Christmas Day, so that she can feel more comfortable around us? Then she can try on the gown in