Chapter 40
Cian gradually relaxed the longer she spent in the kitchens. Gleaming new appliances, many with glowing clocks and control panels she couldn’t make sense of, gave her a painfully clear sense of how much time had passed.
But the ancient brick walls, darkened by centuries, gave her a solid connection. She’d seen those bricks baked, in huge, temporary ovens outside. She’d supervised their placement so long ago, along with the much older stone and timbers of her grand house.
Every memory and anchor she could hold onto settled her nerves a tiny bit.
It had been nearly as long as the house had stood since anything had truly surprised her. Even so, Cian had no way of knowing what had changed, or who had worked into her family to threaten her.
Though this Father Simmons, as he now
