[Dunskey Castle 07.0] Leif by Jane Stain

Author:Jane Stain [Stain, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781976977435
Google: w5UmtwEACAAJ
Amazon: B077GP54JK
Publisher: Independently published
Published: 2018-01-23T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

It pained Leif in his heart to let go of Jessica, but they were home now. She was safe. There was no longer any reason to hold her. No sensible reason. He chided himself for getting attached to a woman he hadn’t known a full day and who would be gone before summer, most likely, but nevertheless when the two of them touched, he felt a connection to her.

Senga had the breakfast laid out on Mother’s mahogany buffet, and everyone was leisurely eating around the hearth fire in front of the furs where the women had slept. All the wash they had hung up to dry was absent, including the featherbed.

“I see ye hae returned all the laundry tae my parents’ room."

Katherine nodded as she buttered one of Senga’s delicious oatcakes.

"Aye, 'tis all put away and tidy. The room has aired out now, and we hae agreed that once we finish eating, we will go up and each choose one outfit. Then we can return Alvin’s wife's things tae him sae that he can be on his way about his merry day."

Amena was jumping up and down with excitement in front of her empty breakfast plate.

"Lauren says ye are na longer airing the upstairs now, Leif. Will ye come up and hang the furs back ower my window for me?"

Taran jumped up.

"I wull go. Leif is just sitting down tae his breakfast."

The way Jessica watched Amena walk up the stairs took some of the joy out of the breakfast plate Leif had just dished up for himself.

"Surely her room is safe now?” he asked Jessica. “Ye scrubbed it and we aired it oot as ye said."

Jessica finished chewing her bite of scone.

"Aye, 'tis safe for whoever goes up there now. Howsoever, I still worry ower the brief time she spent in yer parents’ room before."

Leif looked over at Katherine in order to gauge if this was an extreme reaction on Jessica's part, and a heaviness overcame him. Katherine's eyes were downcast as she sipped daintily from her tankard of ale. She raised them to him, and he could see tears.

Next to her, Luag took his time and carefully dabbed the food off his mouth. He looked at Jessica kindly and with encouragement, smiling his winning smile.

"The wee lassie is hale and hearty. Nay harm has come tae her. Dinna borrow trouble, lass."

Puzzlingly, Jessica disliked what he said. Oh, just like the lady she was, she showed her disfavor subtly, so that even Luag the banterer didn’t realize she was reproving him. But Luag wasn’t watching her every expression.

Jessica dabbed the crumbs from her mouth daintily.

“How nice of you to decide that.”

And then Luag made one of his comments that Leif knew from talking with the man were supposed to be funny, but that mostly just made people uncomfortable.

"If we all dropped everything every time a child did some aught foolish, nay bairns would ever be born!"

Leif met Jessica's eyes and cringed, trying to tell her he was sorry for

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