Free The Second Life of Magnolia Mae by Angela Schroeder

face, causing a dark shadow that merely enhanced the strong lines of his jaw. His blue eyes shone, and in the depths of them was something she could not describe. It was something that she had only ever seen once before: the night the ring had been brought to her at the diner. Could it be that this was the same man? It seemed highly probable. After all, she had just travelled through time and woken inside of a girl who was supposed to be dead.
    Hope flickered in his eyes as they searched her face.
    A small smile flirted across her lips before she closed her eyes again.
    “She needs a hot bath. She needs to wash so her wounds do not fester. I cleaned the dirt out of the larger ones before I stitched them shut. She will need to wash the smaller wounds, however. She’ll rest better once the mud and grime is off.”
    Jaceson stepped forward as Nonna finished speaking. “I will have a bath brought up for her.” His footsteps crossed the floor. “Do you think she will ever remember it all?” Anguish filled his voice.
    “In time, my boy. In time.”
    Magnolia was emotionally drained, and she found herself wondering what happened to her brother before she allowed herself to drift off to sleep once again.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    H OT WATER SLOSHED DOWN over her head, rinsing out the soap that had been lathered in for the third time. The scent of roses filled the room.
    Jaceson had ordered two tubs brought and filled with hot water so she could wash the filth off in the one then relax and soak in the other, keeping her wounds from the muddy water. He’d left Nonna and Railynn the young servant, to care for her. She wondered why Jaceson was so attentive here. In this time, in this place, he was not her brother. So why did he look after her?
    “What of Jaceson?” She finally broke the silence to ask.
    Railynn was across the room changing the bedding to something fresh. Magnolia had left the sheets bloody and muddy. “He’s very handsome.”
    Magnolia glanced in the girl’s direction to see a blush creeping up her cheeks.
    “I know that I should not be looking at Alistair’s brother like that, but he is certainly easy on the eyes.”
    “That he is,” was the soft response given. She could not recall a brother being mentioned in the books. She was certain that the King and Queen of Marcello had only born one child.
    “He has always been Prince Alistair’s favorite companion. It doesn’t seem to matter to them that they don’t share the same mother. Jaceson is not treated with ill-regards by any, except the queen. They say she is afraid that he will try to take the throne someday.”
    “Would he?”
    “Never! He is loyal to all he cares for. Most loyal to his brother and now to you, m’lady.” Railynn turned back to the bed.
    With the help of Nonna, Magnolia was able to get out of the tub, dried, and then into some clothing. She stood there in a white, lightweight, very loose-fitting dress, what she could only assume were nightclothes. Dragoste nuzzled her hand as he came to her side, having left the fireside where he had been sleeping.
    “Railynn, I need you to please bring some boiling water.” Nonna watched her closely for a few minutes after the young girl had left the room. “Magnolia?”
    She lifted her eyes to the old woman who was before her.
    “My dear Magnolia, you have been through much.”
    “Why do you call me that?” An eyebrow raised as she asked the question while being led over to the bed.
    “Child, it is your name. Do you truly not remember?” Worry filled the kind old eyes that searched her face. “Your father and mother could not agree on a suitable name for you, so you were Christened Daciana Magnolia. Only I call you Magnolia, but now, Jaceson and Alistair have taken to calling you Mag at times, though not often.”
    The two of them walked over to the window. They overlooked the sea, and Magnolia gazed at the rocky shoreline meeting with the expanse of blue water. The setting sun glinted