“Why would you not?”
“Look at me, Reena, I am not much to look at, a tanner by trade, not good with a sword—”
“But excellent with a bow and arrow, a skillful tanner who could provide beautiful leather workings for her, and a man who would love her deeply from his heart. How could she resist you?”
“Your confidence is appreciated, but how do I make myself known to her? My tongue deserts me when I attempt to speak with her. That is why I thought of you.” He grew excited. “You have become acquainted with the women in the kitchen.”
“A wise choice for one who cannot cook.”
He smiled, hesitated, then asked, “I thought maybe you would introduce her to me and then—” He shrugged. “Well, then I am on my own.”
“I go to gather feathers for quills now, but when I return we will go to the kitchen and I will introduce you to her.”
“You will?” Justin could not keep the excitement from his voice, though doubt soon followed. “What if words fail me and I make a fool of myself?”
“Words will not fail you, and I will be there to help with the conversation. Then I will make myself scarce, and you will be on your own and do well.”
Justin threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. “Thank you, and please tell no one of this. I do not want to look the fool.”
Reena laughed and returned the hug. “Love often makes fools of us.”
“Reena!”
The booming voice snapped the two apart, and they turned to stare at Magnus, who stood outside the front door, his arms crossed over his chest.
“I have kept you too long,” Justin whispered. “Go, and I will see you when you return, and thank you again.”
Reena nodded and squeezed his hand. “Until later.” She hurried to Magnus.
“Is there a problem with Justin?”
“Nay.”
“What did he want?”
“A small favor, nothing of importance,” she said, wondering why he sounded irritated and thinking it wise to change the subject. After all, she had promised not to betray Justin’s trust. “It is time for me to go in search of feathers for new quills.”
For a moment she thought he intended to pursue his concern with Justin, then he asked, “Where will you hunt for feathers?”
She pointed past him. “Beyond Brigid’s cottage in the woods.”
“Your cider grows cold,” Brigid called out from the cottage.
“Warm yourself with hot cider and enjoy more of Brigid’s cinnamon cakes before you go to the woods,” Magnus said and stepped aside for her to enter.
“Nay, I think it is wiser for me to go now when the sun is strong.”
Magnus reached out to take her arm, but she hurried past him into the cottage, grabbed her cloak, gave Horace a pat on the head where he lay curled contentedly before the hearth, and was out the door.
“Wait,” Brigid said, rushing after her friend, basket in hand. “You forgot this.”
“I will not be long.” Reena took the basket, smiled at Magnus as she rushed past him, and waved to Thomas, who was repairing the front gate. She brushed her long dark hair away from her face and hurried around the side of the cottage, only to have a gust of wind slip beneath her cloak and send it billowing out behind her. She laughed like a child at play, spread her arms as if she intended to fly, and hurried off, disappearing into the woods.
Magnus watched her as he walked over to Thomas, who kept his laughter low.
“You find this amusing?”
“Aye,” Thomas said with a good nod of his head. “I have never known a woman who did not find you appealing and make her feelings known. Now I know not only one.” He held up two fingers. “But two.”
“I admire Brigid, for she loved her husband, but I do not interest her, nor does she interest me. While she is a good woman—”
“A very good woman,” Thomas said firmly.
“Aye, a very good woman,” Magnus agreed with a nod. “She is not what I look for, though”—with a purposeful pause he stared at his friend—“she would be good for you.”
Thomas grew flustered, shook his head, and dismissed Magnus’s words with a curt wave. “Nay, I am but a friend to her; she has no other interest in me.”
Magnus placed a hand on Thomas’s large shoulder. “You say yourself she is a very good woman.”
“And what of you and Reena?” Thomas asked. “I see how you look at her and want to know her whereabouts, and how you provided her with large quarters in the keep. I know that you have sent for special drawing and writing materials for her, and that you have ordered Mary the spinner to spin a fine cloth for garments specially to be made for Reena.”
“She is my mapmaker and therefore I provide for her.”
“Really? Then why do I find you so often in her company and in conversation with her? And why did you grow so annoyed when she went off to speak with Justin?”
Magnus bristled. “I do not need to explain myself to you.”
Thomas laughed and placed a hand on Magnus’s shoulder. “Nay, my friend, you do not, but some advice. I would suggest you not harm that young lad Justin, who you obviously feel is interested in Reena.”
“They hugged,” Magnus said, his own irritation surprising him.
Thomas kept a restraint on his chuckle.
“You find this humorous?” Magnus asked, not at all amused.
“I find it humorous that you have denied your attraction to Reena.”
Magnus shook his head. “I have been trying to understand why I found her interesting ever since I first saw her. She is too thin—”
“She has gained some weight,” Thomas said in her defense.
“Not much, and her features are plain, though her smile is pleasant and she has no interest in womanly matters. She maps, draws and helps many in the village, and she does what she pleases without thought of seeking my permission.”
“And still you find her attractive.”
“Why?” Magnus threw his hands to the heavens.
“Why not find out why?” Thomas asked.
“A simple solution, you would think,” Magnus said with a shake of his head. “I need to clear my thoughts.”
“A walk in the woods,” Thomas suggested with a smile.
Magnus ignored him, since a walk in the woods had been his intentions, and he entered the woods deep in thought.
He had much on his mind of late, securing land being the most important. Then he had to find a good woman to make his wife and see to a debt owed to him.
He had been granted lands for his allegiance and service to the king. He had learned early on that a king’s wealth was more in land than in coin, so he’d made certain to gain his own wealth in more than just land. He’d made his wealth on foreign soil, and it far exceeded those in power, though he’d let no one know, for it would make him vulnerable for attack from the monarchy.
The monarch wanted his hired warriors loyal to him alone, and granting them land and securing marriages for them was one way of making certain they remained loyal. Magnus had accepted the land granted him, but a marriage contract he would not accept.
The choice of the woman he married would be entirely left to his discretion. He would not be locked into a loveless marriage as his mother had been, and he would not wed a woman who cared nothing for him but served him only out of duty.
Even with his thoughts heavily occupied he remained alert to his surroundings, and he caught sight of Reena climbing over a fallen tree and bending down, a wide smile filling her face.
He froze and stared at her, for her smile reflected her innocence. She shoved her long black hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ears, and her bright blue eyes shined with the eagerness of a child who had just discovered a treasure. She stared in awe at the ground where she bent down, and he knew she had found a feather that excited her, a feather that would make a good quill.
She was an unusual woman in her pursuits and that, in part, was what intereste
d him. She was a woman of many talents. When he had conversed in French with Thomas at supper one night she’d joined in the conversation, her tongue fluid in the foreign language. She had shocked him even more when he’d discovered that she could speak Latin, a language he had never learned. It seemed as though she forever surprised him with her skills and knowledge.
He did not wish to startle her, but she was obviously more alert to her surroundings than he thought, for she realized he was near.
“Magnus, look what I have found.” Excitement filled her every word.
He joined her, bending down beside her.
She looked up at him. Then, without thought to her actions, she gently brushed behind his ear a long wisp of hair that had fallen across his cheek, and she continued on as if she had done nothing out of the ordinary. “Look, Magnus, it is perfect, simply a perfect feather.”
He glanced down as her hand tenderly brushed away the few leaves that covered the red-tipped brown feather.
“Turkey,” Magnus said.
“Aye, turkey.” She handled the feather with extreme care. “The tip needs further drying; the sun will do. It must dry slowly or the tip will turn brittle and not make a good quill.”
She placed the feather in a narrow basket on the ground.
“What other feathers make good quills?” Magnus asked, standing and holding his hand out to her.
She took it and noticed how warm and strong his touch was and she reluctantly released it once she stood. “Goose feathers make sturdy quills, swan feathers, though I have never personally owned one, and black crow feathers. I hope to find a few today, since not all will dry well.”
“I will help you,” he offered.
She seemed surprised. “It is not necessary, you are busy with the keep, and I am accustomed to foraging for feathers on my own.”
For a brief moment he grew annoyed that she did not want his help, for he felt it meant she also did not wish his company, and he grew more annoyed at himself for letting her rejection disturb him. Then he calmed, reminded himself of Reena’s independent nature, and was more direct.
“I would like to help you.”
“If you wish,” she said, delighted to have his company. Recently she had been finding his company more than merely pleasant: she had found herself looking forward to spending time with him, enjoying the time she spent with him and even finding excuses to be in his company.
“Why do you not just collect feathers from the birds used for our meals?”
“I do sometimes, but many are damaged and I find I enjoy searching the woods, for I feel the birds leave their feathers behind specially for me.”
She smiled, and for a moment it looked as though the bruise had returned to the side of her mouth. Then he realized it was the shadows of the tree branches playing tricks against her face.
The reminder of the blow stirred his anger, along with his fierce need to protect her.
He walked toward her, not realizing he looked more like a bird of prey in his dark garments and scowling expression.
Reena took a few hasty steps back, but not fast enough, for he reached out and grabbed her by the arms, pulling her up against him.
“You will not go into the woods alone ever again.”
Anyone mindful enough to know her place and wise enough to fear someone larger and more powerful would respond sensibly. Reena, however, had been feeling the loss of her freedom to the Legend, and for him to rob her of the joy of gathering feathers for quills annoyed her. How was she ever to map terrain if she was forbidden to enter the woods alone?
“That is not possible.”
His eyes widened, startled by her sharp tongue.
“It is necessary for me to traverse the woods, forests, hills, streams and more if I am your mapmaker, and it will not always be feasible for someone to accompany me. I am small and fast on my feet and I can cover much land in a short time, and I do not fear being alone.”
“I fear you being alone, and you obey me.”
“You are being stubborn, I am being sensible.”
He lowered his face close to hers. “You think so.”
“Nay, I know so.”
“I will not tolerate disobedience.”
“I will not be prevented from fulfilling my obligation to you, by you.”
“You are stubborn,” he said sharply.
“As are you.” She was grateful it was her legs that trembled and not her speech, and grateful that he held her firm, for if he released her, she doubted her legs would support her.
“What do I do with you, Reena?”
She was surprised that his voice softened, though his gentle response tempered her own. “Let me map as I know how, and”—she smiled slowly—“help me forage for feathers?”
Her need to pursue her mapping skills, her soft smile and her gentle request melted his heart and tormented his senses, and damned if he possessed a shield strong enough to defend himself.
He moved his mouth close to hers and she tensed: for a brief moment she thought he meant to kiss her. Instead he whispered, “I, and I alone, will help you forage for feathers.”
Chapter 11
Reena hurried to gather Horace, and with a few quick words to Brigid and Thomas, she went on her way. Magnus had gone on ahead of her and disappeared inside the keep. The moment between them when his lips had been so close to hers affected her much more than she wished to admit. She was actually disappointed that he had not kissed her, and the emptiness of that missed kiss startled and upset her.
“I am a fool,” she said quietly to the small puppy that bounced along beside her. “He has no interest in me; I am his mapmaker, and therefore he is concerned for my safety.”
Horace barked as if in response, though whether in agreement or not it was hard to say.
She approached Justin’s cottage, her mind active with the incident in the woods. It unsettled her and in so doing it refused to leave her thoughts. The idea that she thought he would kiss her haunted her, and that he had not kissed her troubled her more so. Had she not been the one to consider the Legend a perfect match for her friend Brigid? Her thoughts were near to traitorous, and she would not have it so. She would not allow herself to think of Magnus in any intimate way; it was unfair to her friend and also unfair to her. She knew that many women would favor a tryst with the lord they were in service to, but not her. Intimacy was something she did not take lightly. She intended a loving marriage to a trusting man before she allowed someone in her bed. The Legend and Brigid made a good match, and she would keep that well in her mind and chase all other foolish thoughts away.
Justin hurried over to her, filled with anticipation.
“Ready to meet Maura?” she asked.
“I . . . I . . . I” Justin stumbled to speak.
She hooked her arm in his and attempted to calm him. “I think Maura and you would work well together.”
“Truly?”
They walked toward the kitchen, Reena filling him with courage, Horace yapping loudly once he realized their direction.
Magnus stood on the steps of the keep watching them, Thomas coming up behind him.
“A storm brews.” Thomas studied the cloud-ridden sky. “Snow may fly before this night ends.”
Magnus turned to his friend.
Thomas raised a brow. “A storm brews elsewhere. You look ready to battle.”
“I grow annoyed that she speaks with a mere lad and looks happy in doing so.” He sounded as agitated as he felt, and that annoyed him all the more. “Listen to me, I sound like a jealous lover, and over what? A woman I have only just met, and who thinks of me as her lord and nothing more.”
Thomas laughed, though it barely could be heard, a mere chuckle of sorts beneath his breath.
“I heard that,” Magnus accused with frustration.
“Reena has her own way about her, and she is determined to see you and Brigid together.”
“That is not going to happen, and Reena is too stubborn to understan
d that.”
Thomas did not hide the next chuckle. “Is Reena too much of a challenge?”
Magnus scowled, his eyes on the kitchen area where a young lass had joined Reena and Justin. The three stood talking in what appeared to be an enjoyable conversation.
“Justin is but a friend to Reena.”
“He is a man,” Magnus said as if the few words explained it all.
Another chuckle from Thomas received another scowl from Magnus. “I am glad you find this situation so humorous.”
“I have never known you to be at a loss when faced with a challenge.”
“I am not at a loss,” Magnus said adamantly. “You know well enough that when I want something I go after it.”
“Do you want Reena?”
Magnus nodded, then shook his head. “I want to know what it is that attracts me to the skinny lass, for I find myself drawn to her like no other woman I have ever known.”
Laughter rang out from the trio several feet away from them.
Magnus grew more annoyed. “Reena ignores her work.”
“What work?”
“She should be tending to her feathers she collected for quill making, and I have mapping I wish from her before the first snow falls.”
“Then you best hurry her along, for I think this eve we will see a snowflake or two. What is it you wish her to map?”
It was Magnus’s turn to chuckle. “Me.”
Reena watched Maura and Justin as they all talked. At first Maura appeared shy, her gentle green eyes avoiding direct contact with Justin’s dark ones. After a hesitant start Justin grew more confident, and the conversation began to flow smoothly. Soon Maura was smiling and laughing. Justin even caused her to blush when he mentioned what a wonderful cook she was.
“Would you like to sample the apple tarts I made? There are more than enough,” Maura said, drawing her blue wool shawl more closely around her.
Justin was quick to answer. “I would love to, apple tarts are my favorite.”
Maura’s green eyes brightened. “Apple tarts are my favorite too.”
Reena rolled her eyes to the heaven. The two were getting along well, and her presence was no longer necessary. “The two of you go and enjoy. I have work I must—”
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