by Mia Pride
Chapter 7
Walking through the market and slowly examining the wares of the day, Clarice clutched her new blue dress in her fists and smiled at a group of women who were passing by. The day was a beautiful one and the snow had melted completely over the last few days. Plenty of clouds hovered lazily overhead, but more blue sky could be seen with each passing day. Imbolc was only two days away and she had much to do to help prepare for the festivities.
It was truly wonderful to finally belong to a tuath again…at least she tried to belong. Most of the members of her new tuath were quite friendly and helpful, welcoming her and Wee Jeoffrey into their world. Still, it felt as if several of the young lassies her age seemed to glare more than they smiled. She tried not to let them bring her down, but it was hard not to notice when they stood in a tight circle, pointing and snickering at her openly…just as they were doing now. No matter. She raised her head and continued to walk with a smile.
“If it is not the fair wee Clarice. You do look more and more lovely with each passing day.”
Without needing to turn around, she laughed and waved away the feigned admiration of her long-time companion. “Och, Alastar. It seems you have nay shame. You will truly flirt with anything in a skirt, will you not?” She smiled and looked over her shoulder with a mock scowl and then burst into laughter when she caught him making a rude face at her.
“I am wounded to hear you say such things against my character!” Alastar said as he covered his heart with his hand. “Can a man not compliment a beautiful woman as he pleases?”
“Not when that woman is set to wed your best mate in two days’ time,” she chided and turned abruptly to whop him on his arm. “Nay wonder the younger lassies in this tuath seem to detest me. They must want for your attention and believe you to be in love with me, with all your feigned interest. Look at them over there all lined up waiting for your favors.” She shifted her gaze over to the four lassies who seemed to send her death wishes with their eyes.
He scoffed and waved her away. “Och, nay. Tis not me those lassies line up for. Tis Jeoffrey they want. And you are the one who is standing in their way.”
She stopped and looked at him quizzically. “Truly?”
He nodded and laughed. “Truly. I do believe you have crushed their souls with your announcement of marriage.”
She frowned and contemplated his words. Jeoffrey was indeed a handsome man and it was quite likely that he had many lassies wishing to catch his interest. It was also quite likely that some of them had, in fact, caught his interest and shared his bed before she arrived. They must view her as some new strange woman who had shown up out of nowhere and hoisted herself and her child into the arms of the most sought-after man in their tuath.
“Well…I always did know how to make quick friends,” she said with a smirk to Alastar as she kept on walking. His surprise at her remark was evident by his booming laughter just before he doubled over to hold his stomach. “Still, I would prefer to not be hated by all the lassies. Mayhap you can introduce us?”
He snorted and stood up straight. “You wish to meet the lassies who have bedded your husband?”
Awe. So, she had surmised correctly. With a shrug, she looked at him and pursed her lips. “Why not? It matters not to me what he did with himself before we agreed to marry. I trust him now, and that’s what matters.”
Alastar stared at her as if she were a mad woman. “Clarice, you have never had a hard time leaving me in shock in the past. I suppose some things never change. Come,” he nodded his head in the direction of the four glaring lassies. “I will introduce you.”
She smiled and followed in Alastar’s wake, feeling a bit nervous to meet these women, hoping they would accept her instead of deciding to shun her. She only wished for a peaceful existence in this new place.
“Good morn to you, beautiful lassies,” Alastar bowed dramatically and the four women giggled and covered their mouths. Clarice could not help but laugh. These women were quick to warm up to any handsome face and compliment. “May I have the pleasure of introducing you to a very old companion of mine, Clarice Ó Cairre. Soon to be Clarice Mac Conrach.”
Clarice wanted to elbow him in the ribs. She wanted them to like her, not hate her. Introducing her as Jeoffrey’s future wife would surely not help. She smiled and licked her lips nervously. The four lassies stared at her with blank expressions, neither friendly nor hostile. “Tis very nice to meet you all. Tis not easy to be new in a village and have nay companions of my own.”
“You latched on to Jeoffrey quite quickly,” a lass with long straight red hair said as she placed her hand on her hip and did her best to look intimidating.
Fortunately, it was much harder than that to intimate Clarice. She had lived through much worse that the ire of a wee red-haired lassie. “Och, aye. I’m afraid I did. I was just a lass of five summers when I first met him. By ten summers I was most certainly in love with him. By four and ten...well…my mama would have shaved my head and sent me away if she knew what Jeoffrey was doing to me in woods behind our tent!” She felt Alastar shaking next to her and looked up to find him covering his mouth as he stifled laughter until tears streamed down his face.
The red-head did not look amused at all as her jaw went slack and her face turned red. A blonde next to her burst out into laughter and stepped forward to greet Clarice. “Never mind her. She never could understand what Jeoffrey meant when he told her he was not interested. Mayhap his accent from Ériu is too hard for her simple mind to comprehend. My name is Agnes.”
“I can understand Jeoffrey quite well, Agnes!” the red-head barked back. Then she sent Clarice a scathing look and continued, “We weren’t doing much talking when were together.” She raised a quirked brow to drive her point home.
“Have you nay manners, Ealasaid? Speaking that way to the man’s bride?” Agnes scoffed and Ealasaid pouted shamefully.
Clarice did not want to be the cause of any quarreling between the four lassies, so she decided to keep on talking. “Tis alright. Believe me, I do understand. I have been in love with him my entire life. We were separated a few years back and by the grace of the gods, we were recently reunited. I did not mean to come here and create enemies. I simply wish to marry the man I love and raise our child together.”
“You are with child?” another blonde asked. She looked similar to Agnes, only her long hair had waves. Sisters? Leave it to Jeoffrey to attract sisters.
“I speak of our son, Jeoffrey. He is three summers old.”
“So, he is the sweet wee lad who has been following Jeoffrey about for the past fortnight?” the final woman asked with a kind smile. Her hair was almost the same shade of brown as Clarice’s, except she had big beautiful brown eyes. There was a twinkle in their dark depths and Clarice felt hopeful they could be companions someday. “My name is Lili. Tis nice to meet you, Clarice.”
Sighing with relief, Clarice nodded. “You as well, Lili.” Then she looked at the rest of the lassies and smiled “Tis nice to meet all of you. I truly only wish to have companions here. It has been a rough few years for me, Jeoffrey, and our son. All we want is happiness.”
To her utmost surprise, all the lassies smiled at her warmly and nodded…except for Ealasaid, but with a swift nudge in the side by Agnes, her grimace switched to a hesitant smile. Well, Clarice would have to work a wee bit harder on Ealasaid, but having the other three accept her so willingly truly was a balm to her nerves. She had not realized until right that moment how important it had been for her to feel accepted by these lassies. Life would be much easier if she did not have women bearing her ill-will.
“We are very happy for you,” the wavy blonde haired lass said with a smile. “My name is Floraidh. And don’t you worry, none of us have truly lain with Jeoffrey,” she smirked. “He prefers the serving lassies…or at least he did before you arrived.” Floraidh crinkled her brow and pouted her pretty pink lips. “My apologies. Mayhap that sounded as if it were meant to be cruel. I only m
eant that many women have tried to capture his heart, but he was only ever interested in unromantic relationships. Until you.”
A lightness filled her body. She truly had not been jealous of the lassies when she believed they had bedded Jeoffrey, for she learned long ago not to dwell on things she could not control. But the knowledge that no other woman in this village had had more with Jeoffrey than casual meetings soothed a fear she had not known she still harbored.
Letting out a slow breath, she covered her heart with her hand. “My thanks. It means more to me than you can ever know.” And it really did. This place was truly feeling like home. “I must finish my trip to the market, but I do hope to see you all at the Imbolc festival when Jeoffrey and I say our vows.”
“We would not miss it!” Agnes said with honest emotion.
As Clarice said her farewells and walked away with Alastar trailing at her side, she sent him a mock glare of consternation. “You told me he had lain with those lassies.”
He laughed and shrugged. “Aye, so I did. He is my best mate, after all. I had to make sure that the lassie he marries is not going to be jealous of every woman who gives him the eye, for he is a handsome man with many admirers and I cannot have him with a mistrusting wife. He has been through quite enough.”
“So I see,” Clarice murmured and kept walking. “You are fortunate I have known you so many years, Alastar. Otherwise, I would box your ears.”
“That never stopped you before, lass,” he chuckled and dodged as she attempted to follow through with her threat. “Never could catch me!” he leaned in to kiss her cheek and began to strut away. “You have made my mate the happiest he has been in many years, Clarice,” he shouted over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner, no doubt to join the rest of the warriors for their training in the fields. Jeoffrey and Wee Jeoffrey had headed there not long ago, themselves.
With her heart feeling lighter than it had in longer than she could remember, she looked up to the cerulean sky, felt the breeze of the day run across her face, and sighed. Though happiness flooded her heart, she could not deny the emptiness she felt whenever she thought of Harrold. “Och, Harrold. It does not feel right for me to be so content when you are not here with us.” The breeze increased suddenly, wrapping a gust of wind around her body and sending her blue skirts fluttering behind her. A sense of calm came over her and she let out a deep breath. She knew Harrold was watching over her and Wee Jeoff, and that thought at least brightened her spirits. Still, the man had given up his entire life to protect her and her son. It seemed so cruel for him to have died when he had so badly wished to reunite with Jeoffrey.
A small tear ran down her cheek and before she could brush it away, the breeze returned, chilling her skin where the tear had tracked down, helping to dry her face. She let out an exasperated sigh and smiled. “Och, Harrold. Even now, you help to dry my tears. How we miss you.”
That thought made her pause. How would Wee Jeoff take the news in two days’ time when she and Jeoffrey told him that Harrold had not been his true papa? Would he be hurt or sad? Mayhap he was young enough to not truly understand the impact of recent events. She could only hope.
Nay, she would not be sad for the loss of Harrold today, nor would she worry about her son’s reaction. In two days, she would marry the man she had always loved, and she had managed to make friends among a few lassies of her new village today. Today was a day to prepare for the Imbolc festivities and ready herself for her marriage ceremony.
Finishing her trip to market and trading four eggs from their chickens for an equal amount of fish, she walked back to their farm to finish the final touches on her wedding dress.
***
“Clarice!” Agnes shrieked as she walked into the farmhouse and saw Clarice in her wedding dress for the first time. Agnes plopped her arms on her curvy hips and smiled widely. “Tis nay wonder you stole Jeoffrey’s heart so many years ago. You are simply beautiful. That dress! Och, tis something else. You made this yourself?”
Clarice nodded and ran her hands over the soft yellow linen of the dress hugging every curve of her body to perfection. The neckline was high, yet hung loosely off her shoulders and long billowing sleeves came just passed her wrists. The bottom hem in the front was just the right length so her new leather slippers just barely peeked out the bottom, yet the back of the dress hung a bit longer, leaving a length of fabric to trail behind her as she walked. The fabric fit snugly across her breasts, waist, and hips, flaring at the thighs in elegant folds. An ornate belt of bronze hung loosely on her hips, and a matching bronze thread had been woven along every hemline to create an intricate swirling pattern that seemed to glitter in the light of the hearth fire flickering beside her.
“How ever did you manage to create such a thing? Where did you get that thread? And that belt?” Clarice laughed and Agnes’s eyes bulged out of her head as she took in every detail of Clarice’s form. The other three lassies tittered happily behind Agnes, nodding their approval and clapping their hands excitedly. Even Ealasaid had a genuine smile on her face, which warmed Clarice’s heart. In just two days’ time, these lassies had taken her in, helped her with the final preparations for her ceremony, and showed her nothing but kindness. It was more than she could have ever asked for or expected.
“Jeoffrey gave it all for me,” Clarice said with a smile and a slight blush. “He knows a man who does trade with many different places. I simply put it all together,” she shrugged.
“Simply put it all together?” Lili scoffed. “Tis the finest dress any of us have ever seen in this wee village! Had I known you owned such skill, I would have traded you all my family’s cattle for a similar dress!”
That made Clarice laugh in earnest. “I will gladly make any of you a dress and I promise I will not require all of your cattle,” she jested, then grew serious. “I am nay more than the daughter of a poor serf. I grew up with naught but what we could provide for ourselves. I spent my days working as a servant in our campsite for Jeoffrey and his father. But at night, I spent my time creating garments, pushing myself to find new, creative ways to turn ordinary linen into a dress I could be proud to have made.”
“Tis not the only way you spent your nights, from what you said a few days ago,” Floraidh said with a waggle of her brows.
“Aye, well…” Clarice could feel herself turning bright red as she remembered telling the lassies about her younger self’s clandestine meetings with Jeoffrey in the woods.
“Are you all determined to turn Wee Clarice as red as a berry on her own wedding day?” Agnes chided as she waved off her friends, then turned back to Clarice with a mischievous grin. “We made you something.”
Clarice raised her brow questioningly, wondering what the lassies could have possibly made for her in just two days of knowing her. Lili, whose hands had been hidden behind her back the entire time, extended one hand out with a smile, showing Clarice the most beautiful wreath of flowers she had ever seen. A mix of purple, red, yellow and white flowers were all arranged in a perfect circlet to adorn her head. Placing a hand on her head, Clarice gasped as she gently accepted the gift. “Tis so lovely!” she whispered. “How can I thank you all?”
“Thanks is not needed,” Lili said as she stepped forward and clasped Clarice’s free hand. “We were all rather nasty to you before we met you. We envied you, and envy is an ugly emotion. You are so brave to have come up to us even after we intentionally tried to scare you away with scathing looks. I am not proud of our behavior. Think of this as our peace offering. We wish you and Jeoffrey happiness and fertility in your marriage.”
The sincerity in her voice and the smiling nods of the other lassies was enough to have Clarice choking back tears. “Still, I thank you,” was all she could mutter. With a quick glance up through her thick veil of dark lashes, she took in the faces of her new friends. Why did she get the feeling that Ealasaid was putting on a very forced smile? When Clarice looked directly at her, the lass tittered nervously and glanced
away. Well, Clarice had known from the very beginning that Ealasaid would take more time to warm to her. Mayhap the lass cared more for Jeoffrey than she let on.
“I still have a few things to do before the festival starts tonight,” Clarice said as she placed the lovely wreath of flowers in her hair and smiled. “Why do you all not go on now and enjoy yourselves? I will see you shortly.” She tried to sound calm, but inside she was bubbling over with joy. In just a few hours, she would become Jeoffrey’s wife finally, after all these years. Nothing could ruin her special night. Jeoffrey had taken Wee Jeoff off to the gathering hall to hear stories from a local druid who had traveled to the village to perform the Imbolc ceremonies, and then their wedding.
Turning on her heels, she saw Ealasaid still standing in the doorway hesitantly, looking down and twisting her hands in her blue skirts nervously. Agnes, Lili, and Floraidh had already gone off. An anxious energy seemed to be permeating the air around Ealasaid as if she wished to speak but was unsure of what to say. Walking up to her slowly, Clarice put a hand on her arm and furrowed her brow when Ealasaid jumped at her touch. “What is amiss, Ealasaid?” Clarice asked gently. “Do you wish to say something?”
The lass nodded, her red curtain of hair half covering her face and her green eyes pointing down at her leather slippers. She really was a bonny lass, if only she had more of a sense of her self-worth. Clarice felt herself warm up to Ealasaid even more. She was innocent enough.
“Is this about me marrying Jeoffrey, Ealasaid? I am sorry if I have hurt you.”
Ealasaid looked up to Clarice and widened her eyes, shaking her head. “Nay! Och, nay, I am happy for you both, truly. I was hoping to give you a peace offering of my own.”