Page 24 of The Silent Songbird

She picked at the grass, then lay on her side, propping her head on her arm. She picked a tiny flower and twirled it between her fingers, smiling.

“I wish you could talk.”

She shrugged and shook her head, almost as if the subject embarrassed her.

“Did your injury happen before or after the Peasants’ Uprising?”

She seemed to think for a moment, then pushed her hand outward.

“After?”

She nodded.

“I’m sorry that happened to you. I think cruelties by masters like that are what caused the people to become violent. My friend John Underhill’s father was killed during the uprising.”

She gave him a sympathetic look and touched her hand to her heart again.

“John was grieved and angry. He is the lord of the land south of here, adjacent to my father’s, the village of Caversdown. He hasn’t been the same since.”

She stared at him with those pretty green eyes.

“Ever since the uprising, my father has tried to give his servants a fair wage for their work and has given them more time off to tendto their own fields. But John doesn’t understand this. He was furious with me for not talking my father out of the changes in their wages and work hours.”

He wanted her to know that he felt bad for what she had been through, for the abuse she had suffered. And perhaps he was motivated by the way her sympathetic eyes shone, as if they saw past the outside and into his thoughts, discerning his feelings.

Eva made him think of the girl he had heard singing at Berkhamsted Castle, probably because they both had red hair. His heart quickened at the thought of the mysterious woman and her singing. He thought of her often, wishing he could hear her again, wishing he knew who she was. He’d even dreamed about her.

If only Eva could speak. He imagined she had a beautiful voice as well. But mostly he wanted to know what she was thinking.

“Why do you let them send you to feed the pigs? Why don’t you show Golda and Mistress Alice your skills and talents? I’m sure you are good at many things.”

She smiled, a genuine smile. Then she shook her head.

“Why are you shaking your head?”

She looked up at the sky and sighed. Then she shrugged.

“I wish you could tell me.”

Eva’s face suddenly lit up. She held up a finger. She stood and looked all around. Then she motioned with her hand for him to follow her. She walked several feet, back toward the pigpen. When she was in front of the gate, she bent over and started doing something in the bare ground where the grass had been worn away.

He drew closer, then squatted.

She was drawing in the dirt with her finger. No, those were letters.

“I can read and write.”

He stared at the words in the dirt. This meant they couldcommunicate. Just as he suspected, there was much more to this peasant girl than anyone knew.

Evangeline nearly laughed with joy at the look of surprise and the smile that spread over Westley’s face.

“Where did you learn to read?”

She brushed the dirt with her hand to erase the words and wrote,“Hard to explain.”

“I’ve been wanting to ask you, how did you cut Reeve Folsham? Did he get too close? He was so upset he wouldn’t tell us.”

Evangeline winced.“No. I lost my grip.”She waited for him to read the words, then erased them and wrote,“It flew out of my hand.”