“Nay, my lady, I will go with you and then I will go make peace with my da, for I will not leave him in anger.”
“A wise daughter,” Cree said and pointed to Dawn, “Beast goes with you and Dermid follows as well. I will see you shortly. I go to talk with Henry.”
Dawn nodded and leaned up as he brought his face down to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“You are a good obedient wife,” he said, then broke out into a fit of laughter that followed him out the door.
Dawn laughed along with him.
“You are lucky to have a husband who has such a strong love for you and treats you well,” Tavia said.
Dawn nodded and smiled, Beast already at her side and Dermid reaching for her cloak to drape it over her shoulders.
Tavia slipped on her own cloak and made her way outside with Dawn. Their steps were slow due to Tavia’s limp. It was never easy for her to walk when much snow-covered the ground. After only a few steps, Dawn curled her arm snug around the woman’s arm, worried she might fall.
“I miss running in the snow,” Tavia said. “I loved the snow when I was young. My da worried I spent too much time in it. My nose and cheeks would be a blistering red when I would finally relent and return to the keep. But he let me do as I pleased then.”
Dawn gestured with one hand, hoping she made herself clear enough to be understood.
Tavia had no trouble understanding. “Your twins enjoy the snow as well.” She returned the smile Dawn sent her, though it faded as she spoke. “I would like a large family so that my home is always filled with gleeful voices and laughter. Having been an only child I know how lonely it can be, though I am concerned at what kind of father my husband will make. I could not abide a cruel one.”
Dawn could understand her worry and hopefully Lord Bhric would turn out to be a man deserving of Tavia.
“So that you are aware, Lady Dawn, Flora told Auda that she recalled her mum using the nut in the heather to help when she had a sore throat one time. She feared if she told Auda the truth the healer might deny her the help.”
They continued walking, the air crisp and not a snowflake to be seen even though the sky was overcast.
“The people are happy,” Tavia said, seeing all the smiles and hearing all the well-wishes called out to her for a good and fruitful marriage. “They believe with the demon caught there is no longer any reason for worry. I still find it difficult to believe that Fia is a demon, but then what do I know of such creatures.”
Dawn placed a finger by the corner of her eye, then her ear, then patted her chest.
“Trust what I see, hear, and feel?” Tavia asked and shook her head. “That would mean I must trust myself and I fear I do not have the courage for that.”
Dawn swung her hand out as if she was grabbing something.
Unsure what Dawn meant, she asked, “Are you telling me to grab courage?”
Dawn nodded and placed her closed fist against her chest.
“And keep it close?” Tavia asked.
Dawn nodded again, seeing the courage in the young woman that she was unaware she possessed.
“I will try, and I will keep your words strong in my heart,” Tavia said.
Flora made sure to walk with Torin in a different direction than Lady Dawn and Tavia. She might refer to Torin as an idiot, but she did not believe he truly was one. Something she intended to keep in mind. She remained quiet waiting for him to speak, not because she was sure he expected her to but because she was curious of what he would say.
Torin was pleased Flora held her tongue, giving him the lead to speak. “I know this is not easy for you and I am surprised by it myself, since I never expected to find a wife here. But I can provide a fine home for you and see that you and our bairns are kept safe.” He saw her eyes go wide at the mention of bairns. “Are you adverse to having bairns?” he asked bluntly, a loving mother to his bairns important to him.
“It is not something I have given thought to lately,” she said, though it was not the thought of having bairns that startled her. It was how those bairns would be conceived that made her realize what marriage would bring that she was not sure she was prepared for… intimacy.
“I forget you just lost your parents, and such a thought would not occupy your mind. We can discuss it another time,” he said. “I simply wanted to reassure you that you have no worries in marrying me. Your quiet demeanor will make it easy for us to get along. And one other thing, Flora—”