Blackbirds Sing by Aiki Flinthart

Author:Aiki Flinthart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: england, london, fae, faery, medieval, henry vii, tudor, lancaster, tudor england, elizabeth york
Publisher: Aiki Flinthart

Outside the day’s worst heat had faded into a cool autumn sunset of golds and reds. The last bells died away as I ran toward the St Pancras church on St Pancresse Lane. Huffing and swearing I pushed through a crowd of pilgrims, still dressed in their sweat-stained travel clothes, heading for St Pauls on the hill. Then I ducked through a back alley to make up time. I paused a few steps from the chapel to pat vainly at my hair. The damp washroom air had turned it wild and I’d forgotten to put the coif on, so it stuck out all over like black sheep’s wool. I yanked a kerchief from my pocket and tied it quickly over my hair then rounded the corner.

‘You’re too late, Mama,’ Ella’s sharp voice brought me up short. She stood outside the chapel’s heavy oak doors, dressed in her finest surcoat of dark yellow broadcloth, arms folded across her bulging belly.

‘Oh, Lord, poppet,’ I said, sighing. ‘I tried, y’know. We’ve got urgent washing up to our ears to do for tomorrow. And Cecily Hayward needed—’

‘What about what Trea needed?’ Ella glared. ‘And her husband. And me, and Conrad, and Ava? When are we more important than dirty washing?’

‘Doan be daft, girl,’ I snapped. ‘I’m doing this for you all. Y’know that. So you can eat and feed that little boy of yours.’

‘Oh, no, Mama. You doan get to lay the blame on me and mine. I earn enough spinning and weaving for Olivia Grey’s dressmaking. You work so hard because you doan know how to stop.’

I pursed my lips and bit back a sharp answer. ‘Where’s Trea?’

Ella sniffed. ‘They all went back to our house for supper. I waited for you.’ She checked over my shoulder. ‘Is Edmund with you?’

‘No. I thought he’d gone straight to the chapel with you.’

She gathered her skirts and stepped onto the muddy street. ‘Happen he’ll be at home.’ She walked off with the waddle of the heavily pregnant.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.