Chapter TwelveMaria
The next morn as I rinsed undergarments in our wash basin, James greeted me with an expectant smile. “Top o'the mornin' to you, my bonny lass.”
“No money changed hands, James.” I got it over with.
“Dinna he offer any?” He poured honey on a biscuit and shoved it into his mouth.
“Yes, but I refused it.” I wrung out a pair of petticoats.
He snickered. “What else of his did you refuse?”
I knew it was a rhetorical question. He was hardly interested in what went on between me and Alex. “He fell asleep.” That was all James needed to know. And it was the n***d truth.
“That useless, eh?” He shook his head, still chewing. “He's gettin' old, I reckon.” l*****g honey from his fingers, he poured himself a glass of ale.
“You were born two months apart. If he's getting old, yo
