Have you finished Darkflower and need a quick little Alex and Saorsa scene to tide you over until Bonewytch comes out this summer? Here's a little unedited bit from the Tower of Roses to help!
Duncan, Svend and Annag entered the kitchen, where Vika sat at a table with Laoise, having an early lunch.
"Have you seen Saorsa anywhere?" Svend asked. "Willow asked me to ask her for the…"
There was a tremendous crash from the storeroom off the kitchen, followed by a muffled exclamation of male surprise.
"What the hell was that?" Duncan said, raising his eyebrows as he moved towards the closed storeroom door to investigate.
Vika raised her hand as she speared a roasted potato with the fork in her other hand. "I wouldn't go in there if I were you."
Duncan frowned. "Why the hell not?"
Laoise grinned. "I think Alex is helping Saorsa rearrange the storeroom."
Duncan nodded. "They need help? Some of those shelves an' flour barrels are heavy."
Vika looked at her brother with a knowing half-smile on her face. "Not that kind of rearranging, D."
"Oh." Duncan stepped away from the door. "I…well, alright then."
"They are trying to sneak around," Laoise laughed. "But they are not nearly as subtle as they want to be."
"Alex follows Saorsa around all day, like a wolf drooling after a sheep," Vika agreed. "Christ, Saorsa's nether regions must be about to fall off. It's gotten so that I stop and listen before I open every single goddamn door on this property in case he's pounced on her and stuffed her in the chicken coop or something."
Svend laughed. "He just missed her."
Annag gave a wry smile. "There's missing someone, an' then there's this." She chuckled. "The other mornin' I came across Saorsa tryin' to sneak back to her room to change, holdin' her clothes together. Alex had basically torn the arse right out of her trousers."
There was another crash from the storeroom, followed by the sound of Saorsa giggling, and then the door to the store room opened and Alex emerged, shutting it behind him. He turned, and Vika tried not to laugh as she saw Alex' eyebrows raise slightly. He clearly hadn't expected there to be people in the kitchen with their eyes already trained on him. He quickly arranged his face into a serious and focused expression, and adjusted the cuffs on his shirt. "Mornin'," he said to the assembled group.
They all tried to hide their smiles and failed.
Alex gave them a curt nod, the very picture of poise, and strode out the door as though he was on his way to an important meeting at a different location, and was determined to be prompt.
There was a pause after he left.
"Wait for it…" Vika laughed.
Five seconds later the door to the storeroom opened again, and a completely disheveled Saorsa Stuart stumbled out, clutching the door frame for support. Her hair was standing out in all directions like a sculpture of a sea urchin made by a drunkard, and her shirt was buttoned haphazardly. The kohl eyeliner on her left eye was smeared, and she appeared to be having difficulty catching her breath. Vika noticed the heel on one of her boots was missing, causing her to walk with an awkward up-and-down motion, and the cord to the amulet she always kept carefully tucked under her shirt was half in and half out of her collar.
"Oh," Saorsa gasped, surprised, taking them all in. "I was…I was just looking for my basket tools."
"Of course you were," Laoise smiled kindly. "I think I saw them on the front steps."
"Wonderful," Saorsa panted. "Thanks. That's very helpful." She unsuccessfully tried to smooth her hair down, and began clump-clumping her way towards the kitchen door, walking on one completely busted boot and another that still sported a three-inch heel, struggling to maintain a sense of decorum. As she passed the group everyone couldn't help but notice yet another issue with her outfit: the clear impression of two of Alexander Scott's hand prints in flour on each side of the backside of her dark trousers.
"Have a…nice morning," Saorsa said cheerfully, turning and waving before hobbling out the door.
"Bet those boots aren't the only reason she can't walk," snorted Annag, and everyone started to laugh.
"That woman," said Vika, shaking her head, "needs a damn day off."
……..
