think Grandmother and I are clever enough to keep Dewi safe from Rhys's greed. And if we are not, I still have not the luxury of a choice; but oh, if I did! I should refuse Rhys of St. Bride's! I would!"
"Caw!" the raven replied, and then he flew off, circling the house o nce before heading into the nearby hills.
"Farewell, Dhu!" Wynne called after him, and feeling a bit sad that he had forsaken her company, she entered the house, handing her basket to a house serf as she did.
"Where have you been?" demanded Caidin, her pale cheeks flushed with her irritation. "You have been gone the whole day long!" She glared at Wynne from her place near the fire pit, even as she combed her long dark brown hair with an ivory comb.
"Did you have need of me then?" was Wynne's reply. "I was in the forest. Grandmother knew."
"How can you bear to wander about those dank and dreadful woods?" Caitlin shuddered delicately and, putting her comb aside, braided her hair in two neat plaits.
"Someone must gather the herbs for the poultices, the tonics, and the medicines needed here," Wynne told her sister. "You will be expected to do such things in your husband's house, Caitlin. I have tried to teach you, but you show no interest. A good chatelaine knows how to care for her people."
"My husband will be rich," Caitlin replied. "I will have serfs to gather the herbs and serfs to make these concoctions you are always babbling about."
"I will too!" Dilys piped up.
Wynne sighed. There was no arguing with either of her sisters. Their thoughts did not extend beyond their own needs.
"Have you made up your mind then to accept Rhys's generous offer and cease behaving like a fool?" Caitlin asked. "Not that he will not have you if he wishes it; but if you fight with him, he may not give us our husbands."
"I will accept the lord of St. Bride's with as good a grace as possible, Caitlin, though if I had another choice, I should take it," Wynne told her sister bluntly. Caitlin's preoccupation with herself was particularly irritating today.
"Then perhaps, my child, that is the answer you sought for," said Enid, overhearing Wynne as she entered the hall.
"There seems to be no other," Wynne agreed, "but I had hoped to marry for love, Grandmother."
"You are incorrigible," Caitlin told her elder sister, and her tone was decidedly unsympathetic. "You do have, however, a saving grace in that you are sensible to a fault in the end. Now that you have finally come to terms with yourself, having given us all a most difficult time, be certain that you gain the marriage contracts for Dilys and for me from Rhys before you wed him, lest he try to cheat us out of our due."
"Yes, Wynne," Dilys added. "You must not sell yourself cheaply, but gain the best price for us all from Rhys."
"I will do better than you desire," Wynne told her sisters. "I will insist you are both wed first and well-established in your husbands' households before I marry Rhys. Does that not please you?" she said, and her tone was slightly mocking, but Caitlin and Dilys did not notice it.
"Aye!" Caitlin smiled broadly at her eldest sibling. "That is most practical of you, sister!"
"Aye!" Dilys echoed.
"Will I have a husband one day, sister?" little Mair, who had been listening to their exchange unnoticed, asked.
"Aye!" Wynne smiled at the youngest of them all. "You shall have a fine young lordling who will ride into Gwernach and sweep you away to be his bonny bride."
"What nonsense!" muttered Caitlin.
"I want lots and lots of babies," Mair announced.
"And you shall have them, my lambkin, if that is your desire." Wynne laughed, ruffling Mair's light brown hair with its pretty golden lights.
"See!" Mair stuck her tongue out at Caitlin, who was in too good a mood now to be bothered by the child.
"You have come to your decision just in time," she told Wynne. "Rhys will certainly be here tomorrow."
"Nay," Wynne answered. "He will not come until the full moon."
"Tomorrow," Caitlin replied. "You
"Caw!" the raven replied, and then he flew off, circling the house o nce before heading into the nearby hills.
"Farewell, Dhu!" Wynne called after him, and feeling a bit sad that he had forsaken her company, she entered the house, handing her basket to a house serf as she did.
"Where have you been?" demanded Caidin, her pale cheeks flushed with her irritation. "You have been gone the whole day long!" She glared at Wynne from her place near the fire pit, even as she combed her long dark brown hair with an ivory comb.
"Did you have need of me then?" was Wynne's reply. "I was in the forest. Grandmother knew."
"How can you bear to wander about those dank and dreadful woods?" Caitlin shuddered delicately and, putting her comb aside, braided her hair in two neat plaits.
"Someone must gather the herbs for the poultices, the tonics, and the medicines needed here," Wynne told her sister. "You will be expected to do such things in your husband's house, Caitlin. I have tried to teach you, but you show no interest. A good chatelaine knows how to care for her people."
"My husband will be rich," Caitlin replied. "I will have serfs to gather the herbs and serfs to make these concoctions you are always babbling about."
"I will too!" Dilys piped up.
Wynne sighed. There was no arguing with either of her sisters. Their thoughts did not extend beyond their own needs.
"Have you made up your mind then to accept Rhys's generous offer and cease behaving like a fool?" Caitlin asked. "Not that he will not have you if he wishes it; but if you fight with him, he may not give us our husbands."
"I will accept the lord of St. Bride's with as good a grace as possible, Caitlin, though if I had another choice, I should take it," Wynne told her sister bluntly. Caitlin's preoccupation with herself was particularly irritating today.
"Then perhaps, my child, that is the answer you sought for," said Enid, overhearing Wynne as she entered the hall.
"There seems to be no other," Wynne agreed, "but I had hoped to marry for love, Grandmother."
"You are incorrigible," Caitlin told her elder sister, and her tone was decidedly unsympathetic. "You do have, however, a saving grace in that you are sensible to a fault in the end. Now that you have finally come to terms with yourself, having given us all a most difficult time, be certain that you gain the marriage contracts for Dilys and for me from Rhys before you wed him, lest he try to cheat us out of our due."
"Yes, Wynne," Dilys added. "You must not sell yourself cheaply, but gain the best price for us all from Rhys."
"I will do better than you desire," Wynne told her sisters. "I will insist you are both wed first and well-established in your husbands' households before I marry Rhys. Does that not please you?" she said, and her tone was slightly mocking, but Caitlin and Dilys did not notice it.
"Aye!" Caitlin smiled broadly at her eldest sibling. "That is most practical of you, sister!"
"Aye!" Dilys echoed.
"Will I have a husband one day, sister?" little Mair, who had been listening to their exchange unnoticed, asked.
"Aye!" Wynne smiled at the youngest of them all. "You shall have a fine young lordling who will ride into Gwernach and sweep you away to be his bonny bride."
"What nonsense!" muttered Caitlin.
"I want lots and lots of babies," Mair announced.
"And you shall have them, my lambkin, if that is your desire." Wynne laughed, ruffling Mair's light brown hair with its pretty golden lights.
"See!" Mair stuck her tongue out at Caitlin, who was in too good a mood now to be bothered by the child.
"You have come to your decision just in time," she told Wynne. "Rhys will certainly be here tomorrow."
"Nay," Wynne answered. "He will not come until the full moon."
"Tomorrow," Caitlin replied. "You
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