A Dove's Tale

Chapter 69

I scrubbed the bucket out and climbed the hill to my house, leaving the soap and scrub brush in their place at the back and circling around the side to the dirt road. The silence lingering in the air after the chaos of the Stotts kids felt strange. Charlie was grooming his horses and avoiding eye contact with me. I paused next to him on my way to the door.

"Thank you for driving the horses faster this morning," I said quietly, so the guards wouldn't hear.

Charlie's hand froze mid-stroke. "I shouldn't have let him on the carriage," he muttered, resuming his brushstrokes across the horse's neck hard enough to make the horse shake its head and stamp its hoof irritably.

"I know what he's like," I said, putting a hand on his arm to stop him. "You did what you could, and it helped. It really did. So thank you."

Charlie's lips turned up into a reluctant smile as he finally met my eyes. "You're too kind, Miss Ivetta."

I just smiled and went back inside.

"So, what did the doctor say?" I asked Mother as I set the bucket in its place.

"The usual," she replied dismissively.

I turned away so she wouldn't see my smile falter while I started lunch. 'The usual' wasn't good.

"Did I hear something about a toad?" she asked.

"Yes, you did. Henry tried to sneak a toad inside."

She laughed softly. "I'm so glad you were a girl."

"Toads never really appealed to me. The boys lost Rachel, too."

"It's a wonder Maria still has all six of them."

"When do you think Mr. Stotts will start taking Jason to work with him?"

"Soon, I would think. Henry will have to learn some responsibility when that happens."

We chatted back and forth, with her words gradually tapering off and me carrying the conversation more and more. I helped her to the table for lunch, and then I helped her back to bed and washed the dishes. A quick glance at the clock told me I had a few minutes to spare with Mrs. Stotts before I left.

"Get some rest, and we'll talk more when I get back, okay?" I said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Don't work too hard, Ivetta."

She always said that. I smiled and headed for the door. "Goodbye, Mother."

Outside, the prevailing silence continued. Mrs. Stotts was standing in her doorway with her hands on her hips and her lips pursed, her brow furrowed as her dark chocolate eyes swept the road, empty except for the carriage.

"You wanted to talk to me?" I prompted her, walking over to her side.

She gave me a tired smile. "Kids. I sent Henry off to get rid of his toad and find his sister, and he's probably forgotten his sister because he's playing with his toad. Are you okay, Ivetta?"

I nodded. "You're worried about the guards, aren't you?"

"Well, of course I am. Something's clearly going on with you."

"It's...complicated, but it's under control. Did the doctor say anything about Mother?"

Mrs. Stotts sighed. "Nothing new. Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you later!"

I went back to the carriage, but Prince Licht wasn't inside. A throat cleared behind me. I looked nervously at the guards.

"He went that way," one of them said, gesturing with his head.

"Thanks."

I followed the guard's direction toward the river again, upstream from where I'd been earlier. Prince Licht was sitting on the riverbank, his head of shaggy silver hair tilted down toward something in his lap. Curiosity drove me to approach without announcing myself, but he heard me coming, and he looked back at me. His normally cold, dark crimson eyes were alight with a gentle warmth. As I drew closer, I saw Rachel nestled in his arms, her face screwed up in concentration as she wove a string of wildflowers together. I smiled and squatted down beside them.