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In theto cook over the open fire in the great hall Each afternoon the wo, she ate it with abut hard bread, no ht hours, Jane scribbled busily away before the fire, so on herat Aedan over her papers and writing the future she hoped to have with hi quill and ink, the fla at her slippered toes, the hu of owls She relished the co, and planes flying overhead In all her life, she’d never experienced such absolute, awe-inspiring stillness

By the end of the first week of renovations, she’d begun to draw hope froh he refused to speak to her, day by day, he participated a bit more in the repairs to the estate And day by day, he seeer did she see disdain and loathing in his gaze, but confusion and… uncertainty? As if he didn’t understand his place and how he fit into the grand sches

Jane intended to use her y courses at Purdue that attacking "amnesia" head-on could drive the person deeper into denial, even induce catatonia So after ive Aedan teeks of absolutely no pressure, other than accli silently coed to do, despite thewith him but forbidden to demonstrate her love and affection

After those teeks, she proin No e wo before the fire in the hall NoShe would wear lower bodices and higher hems

And so, Jane bided her time, cuddled with Sexpot in the luxurious bed, and dreaht when Aedan would lay beside her and speak her nairl’s toes curl

Aedan stood on the recently repaired front steps of the castle and stretched his arht sky was streaked with purple Stars twinkled above the treetops, and a crescent moon silvered the lawn Everyheavy stones froh he’d learned to avoid pain in the land of shadows, the current aches in his body were a strangely pleasurable sensation He’d refused to participate in the repairs at first, withholding himself in silent and aloof censure, but e un to hanker to lift, carry, and patch His hands had itched to get dirty, and his n parts of the keep that had been inefficiently, and in places, hazardously constructed

Pondering the three coiven, he’d concluded there was nothing to prevent hi

When on the third day he’d silently joined the or and smiled and jested s, leading him to discover with some surprise that he had opinions, and, further, that they seeh they touched hi hi his arm

Because they weren’t females, he deemed it acceptable

When they asked the occasional question, he evaded He coedly re only to traipse off to the village, frorant s

Soeance shook his head, as if to shake thoughts of her right out of it With each passing day, things seeer see to breathe He’d begun to anticipate working each day, because in the gloa--a wall recently shored up, steps re-laid, a roof repaired, an interior hearth redesigned--and knoas his doing He liked the feeling of laboring and rued that his king ht dee

And each day, when his thoughts turned toward his king, they were ht not have bothered to inform him of his purpose at Dun Haakon, but the hu to offer him ample purpose