The Viking (9 page)

Diarmad
’s eyes grew wide and he quickly found a rock opposite Stefan to sit on. “In these cold waters?”

“Aye, they are very strong lads.”

“‘Tis possible, I suppose. We did not see a lad in the water, but we were not looking for one either.”

“
‘Tis not like the Vikings to leave a lad behind. Perhaps they came back in the night to get him.”

“That be possible too.”

He should ask about the battle. Any other laddie who had not been there would, but Stefan could not stand to hear it. “Have ye any brothers and sisters?”

Diarmad grinned, “If ye
’ve a need for a sister, I would be happy to give over five or six. There are seven, all told, but I like the eldest. Her name be Andrina and ye will like her too. She has her wits about her.”

“No brothers?”

“Two, both older and set to take wives soon. I dread the day they are gone and I am alone with all those…lassies.”

“And yer parents?”

“Mother gave up the ghost two years hence and father has asked for Jirvel.”

He remembered Macoran saying two men had asked for her and Diarmad
’s father must be one of them. “She be married still.”

“Aye, but when the priest comes after the harvest to collect the tithe, father hopes to convince him to set her marriage aside.”

“He can do that? Yer father, I mean?”

“Our priest is not an unreasonable man. He knows
‘tis impossible for a lass to manage alone. Plus…”

“What?”

“Father will offer an extra tithe for it.”

“And if Jirvel refuses to marry him?”

Diarmad looked shocked, “Lasses are not allowed to refuse. Once Macoran agrees, she be betrothed.”

Stefan spotted a small round stone in the dirt, leaned over and picked it up. Long ago his father taught him how to play a game with round rocks and he was starting a collection for the son he would have some day. “I dinnae see how forcing a lass to marry be o
’ benefit to the husband. I want a wife who loves me.”

“I confess not all marriages are blissful, but father says a lass learns to love her husband later. He says most are grateful just to have a husband.”

“I dinnae want a grateful wife, I want one who will be happy to see me when I come home, will be proud to stand by my side and who wants my children. I will settle for nothing less.”

Diarmad scratched the side of his head. “Let a lass choose, ye mean?
‘Tis unheard of.”

“
‘Tis
not
unheard of. A lass wants to be truly in love just like most lads. I would want that kind of love for Jirvel and Kannak.” He quickly stood up and headed back to the cottage. Suddenly he did not like Diarmad’s father.

“Wait, are ye saying Jirvel would refuse to marry my father even if Macoran proclaimed it?”

Stefan slowed and let Diarmad catch up. “Would ye like seeing yer Andrina married to a lad she did not love just because yer laird proclaimed it?”

“She would learn to love him.”

“Ye cannae truly believe that. Suppose he be a drunkard like Eogan or slothful or even cruel to her. How then is she supposed to learn to love him?” He had said too much for the boy looked in complete misery. “Dinnae fret, when she be old enough to marry, we will find a way to prevent the wrong lad from taking her.”

“She be old enough now. She be fourteen.”

“Has a lad asked for her?”

“Not yet, but father says they will soon. What can we do?”

“I can do little, but ye have an advantage. Ye know the lads and can judge which will be good to her. Perhaps ye might arrange for the lad o’ yer choosing and yer sister to be together somehow. But see that he be not old for her sake.”

“I will think on it. Perhaps ye might want her.”

“I dinnae want a wife nor do I have anything to offer one.”

Diarmad was disappointed but it passed quickly. “Will ye help me? Perhaps tomorrow we could go to the village and have a look see at the lads.”

“I have much to do here, but I will ask Jirvel. Tell me, did ye come for a particular reason?”

“Oh, I near forgot. Father sent me to see if ye want the cow bred.
‘Tis our bull what does it normally.”

“Come to the cottage and we will ask Jirvel.”

“Ask a lass?”

“
‘Tis her cow.”

“Nay,
‘tis Macoran’s cow.” Diarmad suddenly grinned. ‘Tis a worthy cause to go to the village tomorrow and ask Macoran. Do ye agree?”

Stefan returned his smile. “A worthy cause indeed.”

*

Because of her husband
’s drunkenness, Jirvel and Kannak had little social life except for the occasional visit to the village, and Jirvel was surprised when a knock at the door produced the widower Ronan from the land next to hers and his seven daughters. He was not an unpleasant looking man, but he was much older and almost shorter than Jirvel.

The girls ranged in age from five to fourteen and all began to talk at once. “We have come to help,” said the eldest.” Andrina was a pretty girl whom often wished she and Kannak could be friends. She suspected Eagan forbid it in the past, but now that he was gone, she was hopeful.

“We are good at planting and we have finished ours,” another of the girls proudly announced. “And we noticed…could not help but notice, yer chickens need a pen to keep them safe. We can put up three walls, if’n we use the back o’ yer shed for the fourth. We make excellent walls and yer land has plenty o’ rocks.”

The smallest child pushed her way through the others, came in the door, raised her arms to Jirvel and waited for her to pick her up. “I am Suria. We seen three berry bad wolves. I are a feared o
’ ‘em, are ye?”

“Nay, we have Stefan to protect us.” She smiled at the child
’s father and since there were so many of them, decided to carry the little one outside to talk. Kannak was thrilled and quickly walked out to stand beside Andrina.

But Stefan was not so pleased. While they needed the help and badly, he did not like the way Ronan looked at Jirvel and he had not forgotten what Diarmad said the day before about bribing the priest so she would be free to marry. Nevertheless, he politely greeted the girls and then spotted Diarmad standing by a tree holding the reins of two horses. He preferred to ride their horse but the mare would not come to him. He needed Jirvel to whistle and she was busy talking.

Jirvel set the child down and curtsied to Ronan as a sign of respect even though it was not required for any man save their laird. “Ye are very kind to help us.” She meant it too. They only had two chickens left and with no pen, Jirvel had to rely on her nightly prayer to keep them safe.

“Ye may not be so happy once ye see what these can eat o
’ a noon meal. Just in case, I brought two loaves o’ bread.” He handed her a cloth sack. “If that be not enough, I can send the laddies for…”

“
‘Tis more than enough.”

Ronan nodded and went to his horse. “Best ye take our other horse for yer ride into the village, Stefan, and leave the mare incase the lassies need to come get us for some reason.” He mounted and then rode his horse out of the courtyard and turned down the path.

But the other horse Diarmad held the reins to had a saddle and Stefan much preferred to ride bare back. Before he even asked, Jirvel whistled and it wasn’t long until the mare came running. He bridled her, mounted and then turned to the woman he was beginning to think of more as a mother than just a good friend. “We will not tarry long.” When he looked, Kannak and Andrina were whispering, looking and him and giggling. Stefan rolled his eyes.

“Enjoy yer day, Stefan. Perhaps ye should see more o
’ our land and meet more o’ the people. We will be well.” She saw the look of worry in his eyes and sought to comfort him further. “Ye forget, we have weapons now and we know how to use them. Be gone with ye two.”

He still hesitated, but finally led the way up the same path Ronan took. After a time and when the path was wide enough, Diarmad moved his horse up beside Stefan
’s. “There be a certain lad we might consider for Andrina. His name be Blair and he has already had a wife, but she died six months ago with the birth o’ her first. A lass in the village cares for her bairn, but Blair visits often. To my way o’ thinking, only a good lad would do that.”

“I agree.” He let Diarmad take the lead and as they rode past farm after farm, Diarmad had this and that to say about each, mostly good things but occasionally he was critical of the man for his farming skills. It appeared farming skills were far more important to Diarmad than the man
’s care of his wife and children, but Stefan kept his thoughts to himself.

When they came to a place in the path that was flooded, Diarmad halted his horse. “Searc and Sionn have been here, I see.” He turned his horse off the path, found the creek and just as he thought, rocks and mud had been piled in the creek to force the water onto the path.”

“Why do ye suspect Macoran’s sons o’ this?” Stefan dismounted and began to move the rocks out of the creek.

“Who else would do it? They are a pest and blight on us all. The laddies particularly like to cause the widow Sarah
’s discomfort. She has a sharp voice when she be riled and they do all they can to get her so. Once they put eggs in her chair and she neglected to look before she sat. Her screeching was so loud, half the Limonds came to the river to see if they were needed.”

“And Macoran does nothing to stop his sons?”

“They are well trained to keep out o’ sight and not get caught.”

“Trained by whom?”

“Mistress Agnes, ‘Tis said, though none have the proof. If they did, they would tell Macoran. God help us all when those two are grown. We will no doubt be tempted to tell the Vikings where to find them.” Diarmad joined his laughter to Stefan’s, watched him get back on his horse and then led the way back to the path. “The twins particularly like fire and more than once a lad or lass has pulled them away from one just in time. At least we have one saving grace.”

“What might that be?”

“In the spring, Macoran sends them off with their mother to the Brodie’s. ‘Tis the most blessed time o’ the year for us all.”

CHAPTER IX

Kannak could not have been happier. Andrina was full of gossip and while the younger girls went off to gather heather to mix with the river clay her mother went to fetch, the older girls began to fill baskets with rocks.

“He be handsome enough, I suppose,” said Kannak. “But Stefan grows more awkward by the moment. Mother says he be growing and all boys become ungainly when they dinnae realize their size.”

“
‘Tis true, my brothers are the same.”

“When do they grow out o
’ it? I sometimes fear Stefan will trample me.”

“When they stop growing. Awkward or not,
Stefan be almost as handsome as…”

Kannak put a rock in her basket and then tested the weight to see if it was getting too heavy. “As who?”

“I best not say.”

“Why not? I would not tell even if I had other friends.”

“Do ye pledge it?”

“Of course.” She added two more rocks a
nd decided it was heavy enough.

Andrina leaned a little closer. “William be the most princely lad I have ever seen.”

“William? The William who lives just east o’ us?” She waited for Andrina to lift her basket and together they carried them back to where Jirvel was digging a hole in which to mix the clay with water. Already the younger girls had gathered a full basket of heather to mix in the mortar. They dumped the rocks in a pile and went back.

“Do ye know him, William I mean?” asked Andrina.

“Not well, but I have seen him often. He seems pleasant enough.”

“I think so too. I have not yet had occasion to talk with him much. Come to think o
’ it, I have not talked to him at all.”

“Why not?”

“I dinnae know precisely. It would help if he was our direct neighbor, but ye live between us, ye see. I did catch him looking at me during the festival, but he did not approach.” Andrina tossed several more rocks in her basket and then stood up to stretch her back.

“Is that how it be done? The lad approaches the lass he hopes to marry?”

“How else is he to know if she has a soft enough voice or if she smells. A lad does not like a lass who smells, ye know.”

Kannak had never thought of that reason to keep clean and decided she would take more care of her personal grooming in the future, just in case Jirvel ever let her marry, which she
doubted would be any time soon…if ever. “What do they talk about when a lad approaches.”

Andrina giggled. “I have only been approached once. It was Friseal and he asked if I was a good cook. I did not like him, so I shook my head and he went away. My father glared at me for the rest o
’ the day.”