Page 46 of Crimson Kingdom
Her eyes were lit up with excitement. The seasonal festivals had always meant so much to our family, but especially my mother. Baking for the people was a tradition that she began with Grandmother Bridget before I was born.
“Davin,” she looked at my cousin. “You and the older twins can make sure the Games are ready. Logan is taking the younger twins to help set up.”
My father nodded.
“And the four of you,” she gestured to Avani, Evander, Theo, and me. “Can help me in the kitchens this morning.”
Avani perked up at that. She loved baking as much as my mother did. And I loved spending time with my family, even if Evander would be here to ruin it.
I turned to Theo to explain. “We always bake--”
“Pastries for the festivals,” Theo finished with a smile. “I remember.”
“You...bake?” Evander’s tone was skeptical, and Avani choked on what I was fairly certain was a laugh.
“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked, my eyes narrowing in his direction.
“Because it takes patience, of which you have exactly none,” he said matter-of-factly.
I turned at the sound of my father’s slight cough, and sure enough, his lips were pursed with a suppressed chuckle. He at least had the decency to look disappointed in himself for finding amusement in the enemy.
I scowled at him anyway before turning back to Evander. “And you’ve gathered this from your ample knowledge of baking?”
“Apparently more ample than yours,” he muttered, taking a bite of his biscuit--something else I wanted to slap out of his hand.
He was bringing out all of the violent tendencies in me today.
“Well...today we’ll mostly be preparing the ingredients,” my mother cut in.
Which was a nice way of hedging around the fact that I most certainly had not inherited her baking skills, unless cakes were supposed to be black around the edges and raw in the middle.
“I confess I don’t have much experience in kitchens,” Theo said with a self-deprecating smile, and my mother beamed at him. “But I’m sure Rowan can show me around.”
Evander made a disbelieving sound in the back of his throat, and a few snickers sounded around the table in response.
I revised my warm feelings at having my family all together at this table, now that they were laughing with Lord Arseling.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
When we got to the kitchens, Mamá put Evander to work peeling apples while Theo and I gathered ingredients for dough.
She and Avani worked on preparing and combining the spices, since that was the part that required actual knowledge of baking. Evander expertly twirled the small kitchen knife between his fingers before he set to work, efficiently removing the thin outer layer of the apple.
“What do you do with the peel?” he asked.
“Just put it in the bucket right there.” Mamá gestured to a stainless-steel pail, but I knew what he was really asking.
“None of it goes to waste,” I found myself explaining. “They split it between the cattle and the pigs.”
He nodded, pulling another apple from the barrel and deftly taking the knife to it as well.
“So where do we start?” Theo’s voice startled me, making me uncomfortably aware of the fact that I had been staring.
Stars.
“Flour,” I told him, leading the way to the larder.
I pointed to an enormous burlap sack, and Theo hefted it up with ease. I couldn’t resist giving his bicep a little squeeze, like I had when I first met him.