The Last Rose

Ceithir

The celebrations were at last dying down. Most of the guest had left in horse drawn carriages into muddied roads leaving only the most rowdy and party-centric to continue on.

I had been relieved of my dish washing duties, but was far from back into Seonag's good books. I spent most of my day with Crìsdean, carrying out the jobs no one else wanted. Most of their time was spent between the pantry and the kitchen, finding ingredients and giving them to the maids.

'You'll be as strong as a man soon!' he teased while I struggled to grip onto a huge bag of flour.

'Aye, and you would be too if you helped me instead of sitting there watching,' I retorted, awkwardly rearranging the bag in my arms. The scratchy material itched my hands profusely and the weight of it was aching my back.

Crìsdean scoffed and took it from my arms with great effort. 'Cac, how did you carry this?' he puffed.

I rolled my eyes. 'I've worked every day of my life since I was twelve. I think I would've built some muscle by now.'

While Crìsdean delivered the flour to Seonag I set about cleaning up the mess he managed to leave no matter where he went. There was flour sprinkled on the floor, a fish head on the shelf and a rotten apple in the corner of the small room. I brushed the mess on the stone floor first, into the corner with all the other rubbish. Shutting the door to get every last grain, I continued sweeping.

It was five minutes before the door opened again. I was bent down under a shelf grappling for a carrot that had fallen down the back of it.

'You should really be cleaning this,' I said. Finally I grabbed the carrot and retreated out of the uncomfortable position.

'If you needed a hand all you had to do was ask.'

I spun around and found my jaw tightening. Be polite, I reminded myself.

'I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't see you there.' I lowered my eyes, anxious to meet Alasdair's gaze. I was torn, angry at him for making my think things I did not want to think on, but also excited to see him again.

'For Christs' sake Peigi, don't act like that,' he groaned, slamming the flimsy door behind him. I brought my eyes to his slowly. He ran a hand through his messy curls. 'I've come to apologise to you. I didn't mean for you to be punished because of my actions.'

I clenched my fists behind my back. He sounded sincere, but I knew now not to trust a thing he said.

'Thank you. I too apologise for any embarrassment I have caused you,' I said with as little emotion as I could. 'If that's all Sir, I think it best that we don't converse from now on.' The look on his face told me he hadn't taken that well.

'What's gotten into you, Peigi?' he asked, taking a step toward me. I took a tentative step backwards, my back hitting a jutting shelf.

'Nothing's changed. I just feel it would serve us both better to stay out of each other's paths.  Sir.'

'Will you stop that? Stop calling me Sir!' he said with a raised voice. His eyes became wider and he took another step closer so that he was almost touching me. 'I made a stupid mistake and I take it back. Now will you please stop acting like you've a stick shoved up your arse?'

I gasped and held my head high. 'Aye. It was stupid. But it wakened me to reality. We should never have been friends as children. We shouldn't even be talking now,' I hissed. 'Everything about this is inappropriate: the close spaces, the shut door. Not to mention Seonag will have my head if I knows you're talking to me. Get back upstairs to your fancy ladies and leave me in down in the kitchen. Don't pretend it's any different.'