Just a little ficlet that can either stand alone or be considered as a part of the Quarter-Turn universe. Enjoy!
When Greer enters her bedchamber mid-afternoon to fetch a heavier wrap, she finds a brown package sitting on her pillow. It's wrapped in a red ribbon, and her name is scrawled on the corner. It's lumpy when she picks it up and she tugs on the end of the bow to pull it free. With careful fingers, she unfolds the paper to reveal a handful of small cookies dusted with sugar.
Greer smiles to herself, and nudges the cookies to one edge to read the little note written on the inside: "For St. V's day." No signature, but she knows who they're from. She lifts a little cookie to her nose and sniffs before she takes a little bite. Shortbread, with a twist of lavender and lemon and topped with the crunchy crystals, all to make the plain shortbread a little extra special.
Queen Mary and the others are playing at cards with other French ladies and eating sweets to celebrate the saint's day, so surely they won't miss her if she hurries. As quickly as she can walk, she makes her way to the kitchens on the other side of the keep. Fortunately, the frigid weather and cold corridors are her unspoken excuse for her rush for anyone who might wonder.
The kitchens are warm, as always, thanks to the fires and warm bodies that mill about. She sees Leith almost immediately, towheaded and working hard at mincing or chopping or whatever it is that he was doing with those onions. She makes her way over to him and jerks rudely on his sleeve. "I have an order from Queen Mary," Greer tells him haughtily and loud enough for the other workers to hear, arches an eyebrow and purses her lips. "She wants preserves with her pastries."
"Of course, m'lady." Leith drops his knife and wipes his hands on his apron. "What kind would she like?"
"Raspberry," Greer says. The castle boasted only two raspberry bushes that bloomed in early spring, and she knew it.
Leith pulls a frown and sets his hands on his hips. "Apologies, m'lady, but we ran out of raspberry preserves months ago."
"Well, what do you have, then? She was quite insistent."
Leith gestures at the rows of shelves at the far end of the kitchens. "Follow me, m'lady." With winter well-set-in, the shelves are densely packed with salted and preserved meats, dried herbs, jars of pickled vegetables and sacks of flour and sugar. Greer follows Leith to the back of the rows of shelves, where she knows from experience the preserves and honey are kept. As soon as they saunter around the corner to disappear into the dim semi-corridor that the shelves make, Leith spins on his heel, cuffs the back of her neck with his hand, and kisses her soundly.
With insistent hands, she pushes him backwards until they're at the back end of the shelves. The sounds of the kitchen workers keep them quiet as Greer opens her mouth under Leith's and lets his tongue slide in alongside hers. He hums a bit at the taste of the lemon and lavender on her lips and she pulls back and taps his chin with a fingertip. "Thank you for the sweets," she whispers, biting her lip when his hands drift low to palm her backside.
"You're welcome." Leith smiles gently at her and kisses the tip of her nose. "Are you going to do anything for me in return?"
The first thought that comes to her mind sends her heart racing, but it's Saint Valentine's day, is it not? Secret loves and rendez-vous is what the feast day is all about, after all. "I can sneak away tonight," she murmurs, fingering the laces at his neck. "I'll come to your room."
He swallows thickly and his fingers clench around her hips, but all he says is: "I'll leave the door unlocked."
With a jar of strawberry preserves and some honey in hand, Greer sweeps out of the kitchens with a flick of her wrap and heads back to the hall where Queen Mary exclaims that they've been waiting for her.
"So sorry," Greer apologizes with a roll of her eyes. "I just wanted to get something sweet from the kitchens."
She pops the top off of the preserves and spoons some out onto a cookie. Lola deals her in as she takes a bite. She'll need the sugar, Greer tells herself, if she's going to stay up all night.
(But once the sun goes down, it's really the anticipation of Leith's mouth and hands that keeps her fidgeting in bed next to Lola until the moon rises high in the sky.)
fin.
Happy Valentine's Day to all of you! Eat some chocolate and let me know what you think!