Gentle breathing fills the room, with Jane already falling asleep a few hours ago. I, on the other hand am so restless that sleeping feels like an impossibility. My mind whirls with thoughts of Mr. Darcy, of all people. It’s been several weeks since our encounter, yet the image of him is fresh. Part of ...

I sit on the divan next to the picture window and stare down the front gravel drive. I’m not quite sure why I continue to do this every day. Each morning, mama voices her concern over our situation and how the entailment is no issue if I secure an engagement with him. Every time I ...

Rionan bowed her head for the end of Mass prayer. She tried to conceal her sneer when Gunnar did the same in the front pew. This was the third Mass she had to endure seeing him at. Each time, his demeanor was quiet, and he dressed in solemn colors. Once the bruises had faded, he’d ...

Derrick clutched the game piece and context information in one hand as they waved goodbye to Ira and Callum and headed toward the bus stop.  “Dr. Fraser will not believe this,” Kally whistled. “A mystery that predates the first millennium being solved by yours truly.”  The bench sat in a puddle of white light, and ...

For three years, they grew their farm and their family. Helgi and Sigrid married in the first spring after the lambing time. By the next spring, the house, long completed, hosted Ingrid, Helgi, Sigrid, Rionan, and the one-year-old. Helgi and Sigrid manned the farm and the animals, while Rionan and Ingrid made the town their ...

Rionan flicked away the lock of hair that had fallen over her eyes. It had grown long in the past year, but wasn’t long enough to properly tie into a braid. She did her best to ignore it and focus on her work. The blazing sun refused to let up while she bent over the ...

Derrick followed Callum as he led them up the drive of a sprawling farmstead to the small house in the center. It almost blended into the landscape with how low it sat. Taylor’s camera shutter accompanied their footsteps as he took pictures of the surroundings.  “The first building was somewhere that way–” Callum gestured off ...

They boarded a small ship on the beaches near Ingrid’s family house. Sigrid and Rionan sat aboard deck and held tight while Ingrid, Helgi, and Bo threw their weight at shoving the stout frame into the water. The sand crunched and shifted beneath their feet. Foam and cold seawater dribbled into their shoes, but the ...

Ingrid forced Rionan into a bath in the back room of the longhouse and handed her a bar of soap dotted with lavender. Rionan appreciated the subtle scent as she rubbed the smooth foam into her arms and hair and listened to the bickering outside. It felt good to have soot and dirt out of ...

The man who grabbed their attention was in his mid-sixties, at least, with a salt-and-pepper beard that reached his chest. He had a full mug in hand like he had just returned from the bar. Kally sniffed and nodded, “Why?” Derrick hesitated. “It’s for a project,” he hedged. “We’re college students.” The man lumbered over ...