Chapter 9
Deryn brushed straw from his plaid then, leaving the latest newborn lamb to its mother’s attentions, rose wearily to his feet. Lord help him, he was tired. Every bit of him ached and his eyes felt like they were full of sand. He’d forgotten how exhausting lambing time could be. He didn’t think he’d gotten more than a couple of hours of sleep for four days straight.
He had worked tirelessly for almost a week, all through the day and then all through the night to ensure the spring lambs arrived safely.
We’veworked tirelessly,he amended.You haven’t done it alone.
He felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. No, he hadn’t done it alone. Madeleine had proven to be a godsend. She had labored right beside him, even when another storm had blown in and torn off half the barn roof and they’d both ended up freezing cold and soaking wet, even when one of the ewes had wandered off onto the moors and they’d had to go out in the middle of the night to find her, even when Surly had been his usual pleasant self and knocked her flying, Madeleine had made no complaint and just worked diligently, lending him her calm strength and no-nonsense attitude.
He shook his head in wonderment. There seemed to be nothing that Madeleine couldn’t do or wasn’t willing to learn. Hehad never met a noblewoman quite like her. In fact, he’d never metanyonequite like her.
Behind him, the ewe bleated loudly, wanting to be let out of the barn. Her lamb was strong and feeding well so he opened the door and allowed them both to go trotting into the sunshine. As usual at this time of year, the weather had been changeable with sunny, brilliant days like today interspersed with storms so fierce it seemed the sky might collapse on top of them.
Deryn walked outside and placed his hands on his hips, watching his flock as they grazed a hillside nearby, guarded as always by Surly, with Mara and Rory keeping an eye too. Since helping out with the lambs, Rory had taken it upon himself to be their guardian and he watched over them diligently, even if he did keep trying to bring them into the house.
“Well, Lizzie,” he said aloud. “It’s going to be quite the flock this year. We’ve had more twins than ever. Must be the mild autumn and the lush grass the ewes got to feast on. I hope ye are pleased, lass. Springtime was always yer favorite time of year.”
“Who are you talking to?”
Deryn spun. Madeleine was standing behind him, holding a pottery beaker in each hand and watching him quizzically.
“Er, nobody,” he said quickly.
There was a slight frown pinching the skin along the bridge of Madeleine’s nose and one eyebrow was raised. Warmth pooled in his stomach at the sight of her but hot on the heels of that warmth came guilt. It was heavy and dark, feeling like an iron ball had settled in his stomach.
She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I get it. I talk to myself all the time. Having a four-year-old will do that to you. Talking to myself is sometimes the only way I can guarantee I’ll get intelligent conversation.” She smiled wryly. “Although come to think about it, it’s notthatintelligent most of the time.” She heldout her hand. “Here, I’ve made us a drink. I think you’ve earned a break.”
He took the mug and sniffed it. It smelled like nothing he’d ever encountered. “What is it?”
A wide grin split her face, making her eyes sparkle. “Coffee! Ha! Didn’t I tell you I could do it?”
It was Deryn’s turn to raise a skeptical eyebrow. How many times during the last few days had he heard her grumbling about not having any coffee? He’d never heard of the substance but apparently it was a hot drink common where she came from. He examined the contents of the mug. It was filled with brown liquid that looked wholly unappetising.
“It looks like swamp water. Ye want me to drink this stuff?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes! Trust me, you’ll love it!”
Deryn raised the mug to his lips and took a sip. To his surprise, it didn’t taste half bad. It had an earthy kind of taste and she’d added honey to sweeten it. “All right, I take it back. It might look like swamp water but it’s not too bad. I thought ye said ye didnae have the correct ingredients to make this ‘coffee’ of yers?”
“I don’t, technically. This isn’t coffee in the usual sense. For that you need beans that grow in South America or Africa, but I remembered reading of an alternative that you can use: dandelion roots! You pull them up, roast them, pour boiling water over the top and voila! You have coffee. Or as near as we are likely to get.”
“So that’s what ye’ve been doing all morning? And why ye and Rory have been pulling up all my dandelions?”
“Yep. Spring is the best time to do it. I’m now confident that I have enough dandelion roots to keep me in coffee until I go home. Result!” She grinned, looking immensely pleased with herself.
Deryn found himself laughing. Madeleine’s enthusiasm was infectious. She and Rory had brought a light into his life that he’d thought long extinguished. “That lad of yers will make an excellent shepherd,” he said, nodding at Rory.
She turned to watch her son. The lad, with Mara in tow, was busy herding the sheep away from the ditch on the far side of the paddock which was full of water from the recent storm.
Maddy smiled. “He can be whatever he wants to be as long as he’s happy. Did you know that back home he’s normally so shy he struggles to look anyone in the face. But since we came here, he’s different. He seems...at home here somehow.”
“I’m glad of that.” Deryn looked sidelong at Maddy. “Ye did well to raise him alone. He’s a fine boy.”
“Thanks.” Maddy glanced at him shrewdly. “You’re wondering about why I did bring him up alone aren’t you? You’re wondering how I got involved with Rodric MacKay.”
“Nay, lass,” he replied quickly. “I dinna wish to pry.”
“It’s all right. I met Rodric at an evening soiree for local businesses. He was charming, attentive. You could say he swept me off my feet.” She shook her head, an ironic smile on her face. “But he disappeared when he found out I was pregnant. Walked out and never came back and I had no idea where he’d gone. Then he turned up out of the blue four years later and started throwing his weight around.”
