No matter how hard she tried to strain her ears, Jonet could not decipher what she was saying, but she seemed a little agitated, a slight frown on her usually vacant face.
After a while, Jonet could no longer hold her silence. “Are ye worried about something, Freya?” she called.
The sound of her voice frightened her enough to make her jump and clutch her chest with a gasp. “Mis Jonet! Ye’re awake!”
Jonet sat up, her heavy black hair falling down around her shoulders. “Aye, and I couldnae possibly go back to sleep with ye mumblin’ under yer breath like that. What’s botherin’ ye?”
“Nothing at all.” Whatever frown she had been wearing before was instantly wiped away and Freya clasped her hands before her, regarding Jonet evenly. “Did ye have a good rest, Miss Jonet?”
Jonet lifted a brow. “Did ye really just try to change the subject?”
“Because it is nothin’.”
“It doesnae seem so,” Jonet pressed.
Yet Freya was unmoved by her persistence, merely cocking her head to the side and saying, “Ye seemed
to have had a fitful sleep, Miss Jonet.”
Jonet chuckled. “All right, fine. Ye win this one. But I promise ye, Freya, ye will open up to me one day. I cannae be the one tellin’ ye everythin’ about me life and ye tell me nothin’.”
Freya was unbothered by Jonet’s attempts to guilt her. “Ye neednae tell me anythin’, Miss Jonet.”
“Ye sure? A lot happened with Matthew yesterday that I’m sure ye will want to hear about.”
Freya only shrugged. She walked over to the closet to fetch Jonet’s dress. Jonet watched her.
“I’m sure it did.”
Jonet sighed. “Ye are nay fun at all. But I will tell ye anyway because I daenae think I can keep it to meself a second longer.”
For a brief moment, Jonet thought she saw a shadow of a smile. Spurred on by it, she sat up a bit straighter, eager to begin telling her everything. She had never felt anything like this before. With Murdock, she had fallen for him nearly instantly, charmed as she was by his kind smile and his handsomeness. With Henry, she had seen his potential, had instantly liked him as a person even though her feelings had not ran as deeply for him as they had for Murdock.
Yet with Matthew, Jonet was unsure what this was. She certainly found him attractive, but it almost felt as if no matter what she did, she would not be able to remove him from her head.
“Ye ken Mr. McDulaigh,” Jonet began. “He is the man who’s been askin’ for me hand in marriage.”
“Aye, Miss Jonet, I am very aware of him.” While she spoke, Freya turned away and began rummaging through Jonet’s closest to find her something to wear. “I daenae think there is a single person in the Castle who doesnae ken Mr. McDulaigh. Ye two are the center of gossip.”
“Truly?” Jonet blinked in surprise. “Well, I suppose I shouldnae be surprised. It has been some time since I last had someone askin’ for me hand in marriage.”
“Aye, and someone so handsome, too.” Freya turned to face her holding up a dark red dress. Jonet nodded instantly. Usually, she did not care what she wore, but for today, she wanted to put some effort into how she looked. Who knew if she would be visited again today?
Freya nodded and approached the bed just as Jonet crawled. “So, what is it, Miss Jonet?” Freya asked. “Do ye like him?”
“Of course nae!” Jonet protested instantly. As soon as she did, she wished she could take it back. She had not meant to shout that the words and now she was positive Freya thought the opposite of what she had said.
Freya tilted her head at her, giving her a knowing look as she lifted her brows. “Are ye sure, Miss Jonet? Ye’re very red right now. Are ye blushin’?”
Freya reached out to place her hand on Jonet’s forehead, but Jonet slapped it away.
“Daenae tease me,” Jonet grumbled. “I daenae like him. I think he’s annoyin’ since he keeps showin’ up even though I’ve made it very clear that I daenae want him around. I’m nae goin’ to marry him so why does he even bother?”
She could have been mistaken, but Jonet could have sworn she saw a smile on Freya’s face. Jonet could not tell when last Freya smiled. She was such a hardworking and serious girl that she never even allowed herself to experience anything fun, even when Jonet begged her to.
Jonet rolled her eyes good-naturedly, even though she was enjoying their conversation. “Ye find this funny, do ye, Freya?”
The smile was gone. “Of course nae, Miss Jonet.”