The Viking (11 page)

Several yards away, Andrina cupped her hands and shouted, “She be not lost, Jirvel. She likes to catch butterflies, but she knows not to go far. We will find her.”

“I pray yer right,” Jirvel whispered. She put down her mixing stick and started to head for the river.

But Stefan stopped her. “I will go to the river. Send the older girls that way.” He pointed east toward William
’s land. “Take the others and search the woods. We will find her.”

Soon the voices of nine people filled the air, “Suria!”

Kannak was beside herself with worry, but while Andrina was concerned, she was not in a panic. “We might see William,” she whispered between shouts for her sister. “He is so handsome.” The closer she got to his cottage, the louder she shouted. “Suria!”

But time drew on, the child was not found and by the time William came through the thick trees on his horse, tears were in Andrina
’s eyes. “The fault be mine,” she sobbed. “I am the one charged with watching her, but I let myself get diverted.”

He got down off his horse and put a hand on her shoulder. “Dinnae fret yerself so, I will help ye find her.”

“Truly?”

He grinned, “I
’d not lie at a time like this.”

She realized her mistake and tried to smile.

“Did ye see which way she went?”

“Nay. Stefan went to the river and Jirvel and the girls are searching the trees.”

“Good. Keep looking here and I will search toward the river also.” He did not say it, but William was worried. The currents in the river were swift and more than one child had gotten swept away in it.

*

Stefan was terrified. He could not find the child on the shore nor in the water. But then, if she fell into the water it surely would have washed her away by now. Suddenly, he spotted the gray wolf. It was just standing on the bank watching him and as soon as their eyes met, the wolf took off. But then it stopped and looked back as though it wanted him to follow.

“Suria,” he shouted. He paused to listen, heard nothing and then decided to follow the wolf up the river bank. When it got too far ahead, the wolf again stopped and looked back, so Stefan quickened his pace. He had heard of dogs leading someone
to the lost, but never a wolf.

“Suria!” he paused, listened and thought he heard a whimper coming from somewhere ahead. He started to run as did the wolf, keeping safely out of Stefan
’s reach until it stopped near some bushes. “Suria!”

“I am caught.”

He was so happy to hear her, he finally allowed himself to breathe. “Where are ye, lassie?”

“Here.”

Stefan stepped through the bushes, spotted the top of her head and leaned down to pick her up. But just as she said, her skirt was caught in the bushes and she couldn’t pull herself free. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she found her voice enough to whisper, “I seed a wolf.”

“I saw it too, but it dinnae hurt ye.
‘Tis a good wolf.”

“A good wolf?” As soon as he got her skirt free, she wrapped her little arms around his neck and let him lift her up.

“I must tell the others yer safe.” He put two fingers to his mouth and whistled. He could hear shouts in the distance, smiled and started back. The wolf was gone, but to his amazement, Jirvel’s horse came running. Stefan laughed, set the child on the horse and swung up behind her. By the time he got the two of them back to the cottage, all six girls, Jirvel, Kannak…and William were waiting.

Andrina ran to the horse, pulled Suria down and kissed her face repeatedly. “Ye must not wander off like that. Ye scared us witless.”

“I tore my skirt.”

Andrina smiled to comforter her worried little sister, “We will mend it. Now promise ye will not wander off again and I will let ye down.”

“I promise. I followed a rabbit, hop, hop, hop … and,” she quickly drew in a sharp breath. “A wolf found me, but ‘tis a good wolf. It dinnae hurt me.”

“A good wolf, be it?” At last Andrina remembered William was there and returned his smile. “Thank ye for helping us.”

“Yer welcome.”

He seemed not to want to leave and Stefan noticed. “Might we get yer advice on our wall? I confess I have never built one and I dinnae know if it will hold.” He hoped Jirvel would not be offended and when he looked, she gave him a slight nod.

“I would be happy to take a look.” William turned once more to Andrina, nodded and then followed Stefan toward the wall.

When the girls started to giggle, Jirvel intentionally interrupted. “Back to work everyone. Suria, yer staying with me afore yer father has my head.” She grabbed the little girl
’s hand and followed the men toward the wall.

CHAPTER X

This time when Ronan came to get his daughters, Jirvel was inside the cottage and did not come out to thank him. All seven of his daughters tried to explain what happened to Suria at once and he seemed to be able to hear them all. Relieved that she was alright, he picked her up and hugged her. Then he glanced at Jirvel
’s cottage to see if she had witnessed his tender display. She had not. “Is yer mother unwell?” he asked Kannak.

“Nay, she be well.” Stefan answered for her. He neglected to elaborate on Jirvel
’s excuse for not being neighborly. Instead, he handed Ronan the empty bread sack. “The wall be nearly finished but we would appreciate Diarmad and Andrina’s help again tomorrow.”

“And not the others?”

Stefan paused as if trying to find a delicate way to say it and then leaned closer, “Lassies take a great deal more care than laddies, do ye agree?”

Ronan rolled his eyes, “Ye
cannae know until ye have seven.” He thought about it for a moment. “Very well, ye may have Andrina in the morning, but Diarmad cannae come until after the noon meal.”

“Thank ye.” It would be perfect, Stefan thought. William was coming to help too and Diarmad need not be where he might interfere. Stefan accepted another hug from Suria for saving her, helped the girls mount their horses and watched them ride away.

*

While Kannak went to do the evening milking, Stefan went inside and took the long bow down off the hook on the wall. He thought the string was a little too loose the last time he used it and wanted to restring it. “Slighting Ronan this once will not be enough.”

Jirvel finished cutting a potato into sections and then laid her knife down. “Perhaps ye might tell him I prefer another.”

“Which other?”

“I dinnae know. I can think o’ no lad I fancy.”

“If we do that, Ronan may hasten his plan and go see the priest directly instead o
’ waiting for him to collect the tithe after the harvest.”

“Perhaps we should go north after all. I dinnae want another husband. One bitter lad be enough for any lass and I suspect Ronan wants this land and the cottage for one o
’ his sons far more than he wants me.”

“If only ye had something to threaten Macoran with. Perhaps then he would discourage all the lads who want ye.”

It was almost as if he knew something and Jirvel studied Stefan’s eyes for a moment. Then she dismissed her suspicions and lowered her gaze. “Perhaps I do have something that might persuade him.” She lightly kissed Stefan on the cheek and went back to her potatoes. “Ye are a good son and I could wish for none better.”

Stefan
’s heart leapt for joy at her words. Finally he was assured he had a family again and he refused to give this one up. He was not even willing to give up the pesky wee bairn though he would never tell Kannak that.

*

When William and Andrina arrived the next morning, Jirvel was ready to play matchmaker. She handed Andrina two empty pails. “Can ye manage? Will the water be too heavy? Perhaps ye should just fill each half…”

“I will help her,” William offered. If he suspected being set up, he did not let on and the two of them walked happily down the path toward the river. Jirvel smiled, Kannak smiled and Stefan grinned. Macoran would not have a hand in this match if the three of them had anything to say about it.

Jirvel mixed the clay, water and heather together in the small pit. Kannak and Andrina went to gather more rocks while the men stacked the stones in two parallel rows and filled the space between them with the mortar to make the third and final wall. It was hard work and Jirvel encouraged the girls to fetch plenty of drinking water. Each time Andrina offered her flask to William, she couldn’t help but smile. Nor could William manage to keep his eyes off of her.

When Stefan went gone off for his comfort and the girls were gathering more rocks, Jirvel
became a bit more emboldened. “‘Tis it me or ‘tis there love in the air?”

With hopeful eyes, William stopped his work and looked at her. “Do ye think so? I mean do ye think Andrina prefers me?”

Jirvel rolled her eyes. “If ye dinnae see it in her eyes, yer brain has addled. Ye best ask Macoran for her and quickly afore someone else gets to him.”

“I am not worried.”

“Why not?”

“I asked for her six months ago, only it has taken this long for her to notice me. I dinnae want a wife who does not prefer me.”

“If that be the case, I will send her to fetch more water and if yer wise, ye will follow and ask her if she will agree to marry ye.”

“But if she says nay
…”

“She will not disappoint ye. She preferred ye long afore now.”

His eyes instantly lit up and he turned his attention back to laying the rocks. The wall was only three feet high and nearly finished with a wide enough gap in the side for a gate. It might not keep a hungry wolf or red fox out completely, but it would keep the chickens in.

Jirvel smiled, noticed the girls were coming and went
back to work. “Love…’tis the only thing in life worth the wait.”

*

William and Andrina were married the week after, in the village for all to see and Kannak, her new best friend, attended her while Jirvel pleaded a headache so she could avoid Ronan. After the ceremony and the feast, William carried his beloved off on his horse and took her to his cottage.

It was not the only thing worth celebrating and not long after the newlyweds were last seen, Macoran
’s guard gathered in front of the keep, loaded Mistress Macoran, her sons and her things on horses and escorted them out of the village to begin the two days of travel to the Brodie hold. The clan wanted to shout for joy, but they held their tongues out of respect for their adored laird. Even so, there was a great deal of gladness among them and especially in the happy eyes and voice of the widow Sarah.

A short time later, Macoran mounted his horse and Stefan was certain he had gone to see Jirvel, so he lingered, talking to Blair and Fergus until Kannak started to glare at him. Still, he wanted to give Jirvel time to get a promise from Macoran not to betroth her.

*

Somehow Jirvel suspected Macoran would come and even brushed her auburn hair a second time before she loosely braided it and let it hang down the middle of her back. She put on her new red frock, straightened it and then sat down at the table to wait. There was to be a war between them and she fully intended to win it. But the time passed slowly and he did not come. At length, she decided to go to the river, draw a pail of water and see to her flowers. Never before had she felt like planting flowers
– not while she was married to Eogan and it gave her great pleasure to do so now that he was gone.

She was just coming back from the river when she spotted him. This time she would not curtsey and hoped he would take that as a sign of determination. For the past few hours she debated her approach and thought of a range of methods to win her battle from smiling sweetly, to running her sword through him. But just now he looked so handsome seated on his horse, she had to look away to keep from letting her determination dissolve. After all these years, excitement still rushed through her veins at the sight of him.

Macoran watched her carefully pour the water around her flowers and wondered if he dare get down. She did not smile but neither did she glare at him in her normal manner when he came to see her. He decided to take a chance and slowly dismounted, but he kept the reins in his hand instead of tying his horse to a tree branch.

“Good day to ye, Jirvel.”

“Why have ye come this time?”

He was relieved. If he knew how to handle any of her moods, it was this one. “Ye did not attend the wedding and I came to see if ye were unwell.”

“Nay, that be not the reason. Kannak would have said if I were unwell. Too much has gone between us for ye to lie to me now.”

“Kannak said ye had a headache. Has it passed?”

“Nay, it was a lie. I wished to avoid Ronan.” She poured the last drop of water and set the bucket down. “Have ye given yer permission yet?

“Nay, but I
cannae avoid it much longer. If only ye would tell me whom ye prefer, Jirvel.”

She walked to him and looked him square in the eye. “I told ye whom I preferred years ago.”