“
He served Adaira the first slice and grinned when she cast a wary look his way.
“You made this?”
“Aye,” he said, standing close to her, waiting.
Adaira took her spoon and poked at the pie. “What’s in it, Jack?”
“Oh, what all did we dump in there, Frae? Blackberries, strawberries, pimpleberries—”
“Pimpleberries?” Frae gasped in alarm. “What’s a pim—”
“Honey and butter and a dash of good luck,” he finished, his gaze remaining on Adaira. “All of your favorite things, as I recall, heiress.”
Adaira stared at him, her face composed save for her pursed lips. She was trying not to laugh, he realized. He was suddenly flustered.
“Heiress, I did not put pimpleberries in there,” Frae frantically said.
“Oh, sweet lass, I know you didn’t,” Adaira said, turning a smile upon the girl. “Your brother is teasing me. You see, when we were your age, there was a great dinner in the hall one night. And Jack brought me a piece of pie, to say sorry for something he had done earlier that day. He looked so contrite that I foolishly believed him and took a bite, only to realize something was very strange about it.”
“What was it?” Frae asked, as if she could not imagine Jack doing something so awful.
“He called it a ‘pimpleberry’, but it was actually a small skin of ink,” Adaira replied. “And it stained my teeth for a week and made me very ill.”
“Is this true, Jack?” Mirin cried, setting her teacup down with a clatter.
“‘Tis truth,” he confessed, and before any of the women could say another word, he took the plate and the spoon from Adaira and ate a piece of the pie. It was delicious, but only because he and Frae had found and harvested the berries and rolled out the dough and talked about swords and books and baby cows while they made it. He swallowed the sweetness and said, “I believe this one is exceptional, thanks to Frae.”
Mirin bustled into the kitchen to cut a new slice for Adaira and find her a clean utensil, muttering about how the mainland must have robbed Jack of all manners. But Adaira didn’t seem to hear. She took the plate from his hands, as well as the spoon, and ate after him.
”
”