Read The Silver Rose Online

Authors: Rowena May O’Sullivan

Tags: #romance, #paranormal

The Silver Rose (7 page)

BOOK: The Silver Rose
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“You'll have to choose from one of the pieces left if you want to buy something,” Aden told Alanna.

“Just as well you've hired my cottage,” Alanna schmoozed. “You can start work immediately on a replacement. I fancy a one-off design too.”

“If I finish my current commission on time.” Aden wasn't about to be pushed. Good on him, thought Rosa. Her sister didn't take no for an answer easily. But then Aden added, “Have you any ideas on what you'd want?”

“Oh, she'll want a dragon,” Rosa informed him with certainty. “She's obsessed with them.”

What she didn't expect was the sudden caution in his eyes. It was there only for a second, but she witnessed it nonetheless before he resumed the slightly amused air he wore like a mask. She wondered if her sisters had seen the slip, but Beth was pottering about at the dining table, listening as she set out the cutlery. Alanna was too self-absorbed to see anything other than what she could get out of Aden.

“Why are you obsessed with dragons?” Aden tilted his glass to clink with Alanna's.

“She's famous for her dragons,” Rosa clinked her glass with his also. “You must have heard about Gregori? The most famous one of all.”

Could it be she was reading too much into his casual stance as he sipped his wine while listening to them talk about Gregori? Two years ago, a jade dragon with inset ruby eyes had appeared in the gallery's courtyard, positioned in the center of the ornamental pond. He'd been there ever since.

Alanna had claimed she had carved him over several weeks in the evenings, but neither she nor Beth had ever seen her working on him, and Rosa had always felt there was something not right about Alanna's story.

Gregori was the most exquisite piece. He gleamed with an inner beauty. His ruby inset eyes often glowed in the light of the day, even in the late afternoon sun and sometimes into the evening, as if they had been charged like a solar light. Rosa had often tried to inspect the spell within Gregori. His shield was strong, but she had picked up the fact that yes, Alanna had been the creator of the dragon. Since then, she'd not questioned her sister again on the matter.

Not long after Gregori was created, word spread of his lifelike appearance, and he had become a focal point of their gallery and fame.

“I confess,” Aden told Alanna, “I've heard rumors about the quality of this piece, and he is one of the reasons I agreed to come to Raven's Creek.”

Rosa rolled her eyes as she witnessed Alanna's ego inflate, her eyes filling with no small amount of pride.

Beth moved back into the tiny kitchen to check on the meal and joined the conversation. “We're all obsessed, really. It's not just Alanna. I'm crazy about embroidering and weaving tapestries and Rosa with herbal potions, the gallery, and her silver jewelry.”

“Mostly Rosa's obsessed with us,” Alanna interjected. “Telling us what to do. How to live our lives. Yada, yada, yada.”

Rosa wasn't about to let her get away with that one. “I do no such thing. I merely point out the pros and cons. I like to make considered decisions.”

“Never mind us,” Beth told Aden when Alanna and Rosa glared daggers at each other. “The world of responsibility was placed on Rosa far too early. Our parents died young, and she took over the mantle of parent. She grew up too fast. We all did, but it was hardest on Rosa. She had to work on keeping us together as a family unit. On convincing the authorities not to remove us from the family home.”

“Tell Aden our life story, why don't you?” Rosa interjected. She moved swiftly to change the subject. Beth was far too open and trusting. But Aden surprised her by saying, “I can't imagine what that was like for you all. As far as I can tell, she's succeeded. You're all still together and acting just as family do.”

Rosa wondered what Aden's family was like if he thought this bickering was normal. “Alanna's just pissed she didn't get the dolphin.”

Alanna stuck her fists on her hips. “I never get pissed!”

Beth and Rosa erupted into gales of laughter, and it must have been catching, as Aden joined in also. “I think I'm going to enjoy my stay in Raven's Creek.”

“Me too.” Alanna winked. “Especially when I get my one-off silver dragon.”

“We'll see,” Aden acquiesced. “I'm not promising anything until I'm sure I can deliver. My work takes time, and I won't relinquish a single piece until I'm one hundred percent happy. And what about you, Beth? What do you want?”

“Wooden spoon earrings,” Rosa joked, but she already knew what Beth would ask for.

“I love fairies,” Beth told him as she headed back into the kitchen. “But I don't expect you to make me anything at all.”

Beth's comment was typical. She was the exact opposite of Alanna. Soft, gentle and quiet. There wasn't a greedy bone in her entire body.

“Earrings!” Alanna thumbed an earlobe. “I want earrings too.”

Rosa just shook her head.
Goddess, what were you thinking when you put the three of us together in the same family!
“Don't feel compelled to make anything,” she told Aden.

“I won't,” he responded. “But you've all made me feel so welcome.” He winked at Rosa, and she flushed guiltily as they both knew it wasn't true. “I'm not promising anything, but I'll do my best to accommodate you all.”

“That's all we can ask,” Beth said with a soft smile when Aden wandered into the kitchen. She placed a wooden spoon in his hand. “Make yourself useful. Give that pot over there a stir.”

Rosa stood alongside Alanna and popped pistachios into her mouth one after the other while they watched the famous silversmith stir a figure eight in a pot.

“Would you look at that? He might be able to work precious metals but the way he's handling that spoon defies gravity.” A few wines and the tension of today had eased Rosa's suspicions somewhat, and she was actually beginning to think just maybe it would be okay for Aden to be in their circle.

“Goddess knows how he'll fit in the studio next door,” Alanna ruminated. “But who am I to complain? The cottage is occupied, and I get a necklace as a bonus. I'm a happy witch.”

“Shhhh.” Rosa leaned in close to Alanna. “Enough with the witch talk.” Then, realizing she was, as Alanna called it, being bossy, she added, “I'm happy if you're happy,” and realized her statement was, in part, truthful. It would have been better if Alanna were living in the cottage instead of a stranger.

Rosa returned her attention to Aden as he worked alongside Beth. A gorgeous, handsome, talented stranger with more potential than any male in a hundred-mile radius.

Passing room in the kitchen was minimal, and Beth squeezed by Aden. To give her more room, he pressed himself up against the stove but knocked a pot handle. The pot spun and wobbled. He let go of the spoon to steady the pot and it fell with a splat at his feet.

Alanna choked on a pistachio and howled with laughter. Rosa concentrated on patting her sister's back. Goddess knows it was good to see he was not so perfect after all.

“I'll get it.” Beth picked up a large platter from the bench and shoved it into his hands. “Take this out to the table instead. I'm right behind you.”

“Thank heaven one of us can cook,” Alanna declared, her eyes alight with mischief as she shoved two placemats together to accommodate the platter. “I can't boil an egg without turning it to a sulphuric mess and Rosa's kitchen — well, the less said about it the better.”

“No need for explanations,” Aden told them. “I've already seen the devastation.”

“Devastation!” Rosa protested, a hand going to her chest, her eyes wide in pretended dismay.

“You have?” Alanna eyed her sister suspiciously. “When?”

“This afternoon.”

Rosa prayed he wouldn't say anything more. “I know exactly where everything is.”

Beth rolled her eyes. “Riiiight!”

“So what were you doing in Rosa's kitchen?” Alanna probed.

Rosa rushed in, hoping to avoid any mention of the cut on her shin. It would lead to her scrying bowl, and there was no way she wanted to go there tonight. “Aden came over to invite me to see his body of work.” Talking about the loss of her bowl would cause tears, and then she'd have even more explaining to do.

A naughty glint flashed in Alanna's eyes. “Oh, we checked Aden's body already. And it definitely
is
a piece of work!”

Rosa gaped at her sister's audacity and Beth blushed but laughed as well. Aden was speechless for a fraction of a second before the corner of his mouth twitched into a macho smile, and she swore she saw his chest swell. She didn't think he needed any more confidence than what he already possessed.

Alanna clinked her glass with Aden's and shrugged. “I'm only stating the obvious.”

“I'm lost for words.” Rosa grabbed another handful of pistachios and stuffed them into her mouth.

“I'm flattered.” Aden reached to top up his glass with more wine. “I think.”

“You should be.” Alanna batted her eyelashes and waved a hand in front of her face as if to ward off heat.

Beth lit the candle centerpiece on the table. “Ignore her. She thrives on shocking people.”

“Yes. Ignore her,” Rosa concurred. “She's sleep deprived.”

Alanna huffed. “Me? Impossible!”

“Get real!” Rosa elaborated for Aden's benefit. “Alanna's working on a new piece. When that happens, she works round the clock until it's completed.”

Alanna huffed. “I'm here, aren't I?” It was clear this conversation wasn't going in the direction she liked, so she switched to food and plucked a salad leaf from a bowl to munch on. “We'd all starve if Beth wasn't so taken with cooking.”

“No danger of starvation tonight.” Aden inhaled the aromas coming from the table, and his stomach rumbled.

“You've outdone yourself, Beth,” Rosa agreed. “This must be the best yet.”

“In honor of our guest.” Beth was pleased. “I didn't know if you ate meat at all so I made a vegetarian dish as well just in case.”

The aromas from the oversized vegetarian lasagna, veal masala, and baby potatoes smothered in butter and garlic were enticing. A bowl of salad greens decorated with nasturtium and marigold picked fresh from Beth's garden, a dish of runner beans, and another with crusty homemade garlic bread threatened to overload the old oak table. And there was dessert too. Silver spoons on the table and the light flickering from the oven told them that.

“I'm so hungry I could eat everything.” Alanna rubbed her hands together, sat, flicked out the napkin, and placed it on her lap. “Come on, you lot. It's getting cold.”

Pulling out the chair at the head of the table, Beth signaled for Aden to take a seat but she addressed Alanna. “Did you work all last night?”

“I stopped for basics. You know, water, bathroom, a snack bar. Although I still can't say what the piece is going to be. It looks like a big blob of nothing at the moment. It stinks I had to work in the gallery today; otherwise it might have been something worthy of reporting by now.”

Rosa couldn't help herself. She just had to point out the obvious. “Maybe it's as well. Your judgment could be compromised from lack of sleep.”

Alanna glared at Rosa. “I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself.” She reached out for a spoon and began to fill her plate.

“Testy as well as hungry,” Rosa concluded and took her seat opposite.

“No more bickering,” Beth warned them both. “Let's forget about work for one night.”

“Damned good idea,” Aden said. He picked up an uncorked bottle. “Who wants more?”

“Me!” Alanna held out her glass and leaned in close to him, her flirting so obvious Rosa fought not to give her sister a swift kick under the table. “So! What do you make of our little town so far?”

“Small,” Aden acknowledged. “Everyone appears to know everyone and everything.”

“Don't we know it,” Rosa agreed.

“I made several new close friends today,” he told them.

Alanna hooted. “A secret isn't a secret for long, that's for sure.”

Surprise flickered in his eyes. “I'm a secret?”

“You're not,” Beth interjected and signaled for Aden to tuck in. “You're famous, and your early arrival has given the community an injection of fresh energy. I swear this year's festival is going to be the best yet. I just know it. And I'm so happy you're staying next door.”

Rosa raised her glass. “A toast. Here's to our special guest, Aden Dragunis.”

Aden kissed his glass with hers. “And to an eventful festival.”

Chapter Nine

Every Wednesday, the sisters met for breakfast at the Cookery Nook, a few stores down from the gallery. After a late night, all three were bleary-eyed and more than a little hungover. The welcome party had gone on well into the wee hours, but it was Alanna who looked the worst; once again she had gone most of the night without sleep.

“OK,” Rosa began without preamble to Alanna once their meals were served. “You were right. I was wrong.”

“Of course I'm right!” Alanna stirred three sachets of sugar into her coffee. She paused and looked up. “Refresh my memory. Just what is it I'm right about?”

Rosa's hand skimmed the dolphin resting against her sternum, the feel of it new and comforting. She guessed it was because silver was one of her mediums. That, and she'd paid a goodly sum of money for it even though Aden had discounted it heavily. Somehow it gave her the strength to continue.

“You were right about Aden.”

Beth frowned. “Am I missing something here?” She looked from Rosa to Alanna and back again.

Alanna jumped right in. “Rosa tried to convince me renting the cottage to Aden was a bad idea.”

“Really?” Beth sat back, her surprise evident. “Why?”

BOOK: The Silver Rose
8.71Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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