Deryn held up his hands in surrender. “Whoa! I heard the words and I’m pretty sure ye are speaking my language, but most of what ye just said makes not the slightest sense to me.”
She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.
He cocked his head at her design, narrowing his eyes in thought.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I’m thinking that while ye are here I would be a fool not to take advantage of yer talents. The barn roof got torn off again in the storms and I’m heartily sick of replacing it. The damned thing seems to catch the wind no matter what I do. Do ye reckon ye could come up with a better design? One that can stand up to more than a tickle from the wind?”
Madeleine grinned. “I’ll get right on it!”
THE MORNING OF THESpring Festival dawned bright and sunny. As always, even though Maddy dragged herself out of bed before dawn, Deryn was up before her, seeing to the animals. As she pulled the bedroom curtain closed behind her, she scanned the living room but found it empty. Deryn’s bedroll was neatly rolled by the fireplace. She winced. She still felt guilty that he slept on the floor whilst she and Rory had the house’s only bed.Hmm. Maybe she could draw up some plans to build an extra bedroom.
Dawn was breaking over the lip of the valley in a glorious riot of red and gold as she stepped outside. She paused for a second, breathing in the fresh, clean air. The chickens were busy pecking in the farmyard and she could hear the sheep bleating out in the fields. Turning left, she skirted the house and approached the small brick building that Deryn used as his cold room.
She slipped inside to check on the dough and pastry she’d prepared yesterday. All looked well. The balls of pastry were safely wrapped in the muslin in which she’d put them, ready to be taken over to Craig and Darla later.
“Good morning, lass.” Deryn’s step was so soft that she hadn’t heard him approach but his voice washed over her like a warm wind.
He was standing in the doorway, one hand resting on the lintel above his head. His hair gleamed in the early morning light and the dusting of stubble across his chin only made him look even more gorgeous. She couldn’t help how her heart lifted at the sight of him, nor the stupid grin that spread across her face.
“Good morning. Are the animals okay?”
“Aye. Surly didn’t even try to bite me this morning. I’m going to take that as a good omen for the day.”
She laughed softly. “I’m sure it is.”
“Is everything ready here?”
She nodded. “I just need to pack all this into the basket, get Rory up, and then we’re good to go. After a mug of coffee, of course.”
“Of course,” he said with a mock-serious expression on his face. “Well, what are we waiting for?”
They were ready to leave in short order. It was even easy to get Rory ready today as he was as excited about the Spring Festival as any of them. In no time at all, they were packed andready to go, Maddy carrying the basket of dough and pastry over one arm whilst Deryn carried a giggling Rory on his shoulders. Mara ranged ahead, exploring from side to side of the path with her tail wagging.
Like we’re a family,Maddy thought as they set out along the valley bottom towards Craig and Darla’s croft. The thought took her by surprise and she stumbled.
“Are ye all right, lass?” Deryn asked.
“Fine,” she lied. “Just wasn’t looking where I was going.”
It took around half an hour of walking alongside the small river that ran along the valley bottom before they reached Craig and Darla’s croft. It was larger than Deryn’s, with several fields marked by dry-stone walls and two large, thatched barns in addition to their cottage. It was also flatter, having been built at the eastern end of the valley where the gradient was less severe.
The area in front of Craig and Darla’s cottage had been transformed. Logs had been rolled into place in a broad circle to act as seats around a central area where wood for a campfire had been piled. Rough plank tables had been set up around the perimeter of these and tall poles holding flags and bunting circled the lot. People were already here, even at this early hour, helping to get everything set up. Men were rolling barrels of ale over to the plank benches, women were weaving garlands of flowers and hanging them from the poles, and children zoomed around all over the place, getting under everyone’s feet.
Deryn put Rory down and turned to Maddy with a broad smile on his face. “Looks like it’s going to be a good turn out this year.”
Maddy could only nod dumbly. She hadn’t seen so many people in one place since she’d arrived in this century and it filled her with excitement and nervousness in equal measure. Deryn had reassured her that all of these people could be trusted. Like everyone in the valley and those surrounding it,these people were wary of authority. As a result, a tight-knit community had developed and nobody would betray one of their own. Rodric would not learn of Maddy and Rory’s location from anyone here, Deryn had reassured her.
Lily and Sean came running over, holding a big ball of ribbon that was trailing along the ground behind them.
“Rory!” Lily cried. “Wanna help us with the decorations?”
Rory looked up at Maddy. “Can I, Mama?”
“Of course, sweetie. Just make sure you stay in sight of the house, okay?”
With excited squeals, the three of them sped off.
