“There ye are!” cried a voice.
Maddy turned to see Darla walking towards them. The portly woman was wearing an apron over her dress and had her hair tucked into a cap. Flour dusted her face and hands.
She kissed Maddy on both cheeks, leaving a smear of flour behind her, and grinned delightedly at her and Deryn. “What a day for it, eh? I swear the Good Lord is smiling on us! It’s going to be a grand affair this year, I can feel it in my water!” Eyeing the basket over Maddy’s arm, she continued, “Ah! Ye brought it! Excellent. Well, we’d best get to it, my dear. It willnae be long before everyone starts getting hungry.”
“I hope we have enough,” Maddy replied. “I didn’t realize there would be so many people.”
“I’ll go and help Craig with the ale,” Deryn said. “I’ll see ye two ladies, later.”
As he walked off, Darla called after him, “And tell that husband of mine that the ale is strictly for the festival, not for a quiet tipple while he thinks I’m not looking!”
Deryn glanced over his shoulder and put his hand to his ear. “What was that? Sorry, I cannna hear ye!”
Darla frowned but Maddy could see the amusement dancing in her dark eyes. “Men. If those two aren’t roaring drunk by midday, I’ll eat my cap.”
Maddy laughed and walked with Darla round the back of her cottage to the bakehouse. Here, Darla had a stone-built oven with a fire already crackling merrily beneath it. Maddy set down her basket and Darla handed her an apron and cap. A bench in the far corner of the bakehouse held several mixing bowls as well as a large vat of flour, a pile of eggs, and a pitcher of milk. A bowl full of berries sat off to one side.
Maddy donned the apron and the cap, opened her basket, and laid out the pastry she’d prepared yesterday.
“Right,” she said, clapping her hands together. “How about we start with croissants?”
She and Darla set to work, chatting and laughing as they baked fresh bread, griddle cakes and bannocks. Around mid-morning Darla stood back and announced she thought they had enough.
“Our work here is done. Come, it’s time we joined the fun!”
She led Maddy back around to the front of the house, each of them carrying several trays of their freshly baked treats, and Maddy tried not to goggle as they approached the festival area.
A huge crowd of people had descended on the circle of log-seats, laughing and joking, catching up with friends and greeting each other warmly. They all looked like farmers, wearing simple homespun clothes like Darla and her family but it seemed they’d all come out in their Sunday best for the festival, the clothes freshly laundered, the children’s faces scrubbed, their hair neatly combed.
Darla guided Maddy into this riot so they could lay out their baked wares on plank tables and Maddy found herself mobbed by an enthusiastic crowd of people eager to greet her. A myriad of names were fired at her, along with hand-shakes, hugs andkisses on the cheek. Maddy returned it all in kind, touched by the warmth of these people’s greeting, even if it was a little overwhelming.
“If ye can even remember a tenth of the names ye’ve just learned ye’ll be doing better than me,” said a deep voice.
She turned to find Deryn standing behind her, his eyes sparkling.
“Oh ye of little faith,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “By the end of the day, I’ll know every one, you’ll see. Where’s Rory?”
“Oh, ye needn’t worry about him.” Deryn hiked a thumb over his shoulder and Maddy craned her neck to see Rory zooming around engaged in a ferocious game of tag with Craig and a gaggle of youngsters, laughing uproariously.
“He’s going to end up filthy and exhausted.”
“Aye, exactly how a lad of his age should be. Here, get this down ye and relax.”
She accepted the beaker he offered her and took a sip, pleasantly surprised to find that it was neither ale nor whisky, but a sweet wine.
“That’s good!”
“Aye, Wilma and Madoc traded it,” he said, nodding to a couple talking with Darla. “And they’ve been good enough to bring several bottles.”
A man with a big bushy beard whose name Maddy had already forgotten, held his arms in the air and bellowed, “The contests are about to begin! Everyone to their places!”
Deryn had explained about the games that formed part of the festival. There would be wrestling, boulder-throwing, rings, and various other things that tested strength, agility and skill.
“You want to watch the contests?” she asked Deryn.
“Watch them?” he said, raising an eyebrow and grinning. “I’m in them.”
Perhaps it was the wine, or perhaps it was the company, but as the festival unwound, Maddy began to enjoy herself more than she’d ever thought she would. The sun shone all day and the festival turned into a party the like of which Maddy could hardly remember. There was eating, drinking, dancing, singing, contests for the adults, games for the children, story-telling and hide-and-seek, and as the sun began to finally set, Maddy’s voice turned hoarse from all the talking and laughing she’d been doing all day.
