“No, I understand. But so often she seems… she seems sad. She’s been kind to me, and I wish I could do something to help her.”
The older woman drew in a slow breath, shaking her head. “Ye want to heal everybody, fix everybody’s problems. That is an admirable goal, lassie, but not a practical one. Some things simply cannot be controlled. Not by ye, at least. And that includes the reason behind Senga’s sadness. If she wishes to tell ye, she’ll do so. In the meantime, ye can support her by being a good friend and not asking questions that will make her sadder. Aye?”
“Aye,” Freya repeated, ducking her head. The Abbess chuckled, hand flashing out to briefly pinch her chin.
“It’s a pleasure to have ye here, Freya. We’ll miss ye when ye move on. Now, I must go. Tell Kyla to come to me, aye?”
Freya nodded, and the Abbess disappeared into her study, closing the door behind her.
About an hour had passedbefore Kyla returned from the Abbess’ study. She was humming to herself.
“How’d it go?” Freya asked, still on her knees scrubbing the floor. She was about halfway done.
“Oh, not too bad,” Kyla responded cheerfully, kneeling down and picking up her scrubbing brush. “I’m not in disgrace anymore.”
“Then why are ye scrubbing? I thought she would let ye do something else.”
“Oh, she said I could go join Astrid in the kitchen or Senga in the gardens,” Kyla responded, “but I’d rather stay here with ye. Besides, we’ll get the floor done quicker with the two of us.”
Freya swallowed thickly. “That’s kind of ye.”
Kyla shrugged. “What are friends for? Ye would do the same for me.”
Freya privately thought that she would not have done the same. Not before, anyway. Now was a different matter.
Friends, she thought, biting back a smile.I’ve got friends.
“What did ye want to speak to the Abbess about, anyway?” Kyla asked, dunking her brush in the water.
Freya hesitated. “I was concerned about Brendan. I’m afraid something bad has happened to him.”
Kyla winced. “It’s dangerous out there, to be sure. But he’s a strong man, and a clever one. Surely, he’ll be alright?”
“I hope so.” Freya hesitated, then dropped her brush into the bucket, crossing the room to kneel beside Kyla. “But I intend to find out.”
Kyla glanced up at her, eyes wide. “Freya? What are ye planning?”
“I’m going to sneak out of the convent tonight. I know where he lives, and I’ll just pop by. I won’t be gone long—an hour or two, at most—and I’ll make sure he’s safe. I have a bad feeling, ye know?”
Kyla looked terrified. “Do ye have permission to go out?”
“I didn’t ask.”
“Ye didn’task?”
“Of course I didn’t ask,” Freya whispered. “What if I’d asked, and the Abbess had said no? I’d have to go anyway…”
“Nay, ye wouldn’t!”
“And then I would be punished for disobeying her. If ye don’t ask, ye can’t disobey. It’s a loophole.”
“It absolutely is not.”
Freya sat back on her heels. “I’m going to need yer help, Kyla.”
The other girl moaned. “Oh, Freya, ye are going to be the death of me.”
“Nothing serious. I don’t want to leave the convent with an unlocked door or window, but I need to get in and out before anyone knows what I’ve done. So, I want ye to lock one of the kitchen doors after me, and wait until I come back to let me in. Can ye do that?”
