Page 33 of The Refuge

Chapter 7

Catrìona watched Giric stuff a hunk of bread into his mouth and race from the hall, the small gray wiry-haired creature with an uncanny resemblance to the king’s hounds following on the boy’s heels.

Catrìona rose with the other ladies but decided to get some air before settling into her needlework.

In front of the tower, Steinar stood, talking with one of the king’s men. Her heart sped in her chest at the sight of him.

Giric tugged on Steinar’s sleeve. “Have ye met my dog?” he asked.

The man talking with Steinar laughed and waved goodbye as he walked away.

Steinar greeted Catrìona with a smile before looking down at the dog. One ear of the small hound was cocked up and one folded down as if the animal was uncertain if he should be alert. But his small dark eyes bespoke intelligence. “If you are referring to that bit of gray fluff that follows you about,” he said, “yea, I have seen him, most recently under the table when we broke our fast.”

“He is ever so clever,” said Giric, beaming at the dog. “He stays out of sight when we eat.”

Steinar crossed his arms over his chest and brought one hand up to cup his chin as he studied the boy’s new acquisition.

Catrìona took that moment to ask Giric, “Where did you find him?”

Giric scratched the dog affectionately behind one ear. “He followed me to my pallet one night.” In response, the small beast wagged his tail and licked the boy’s hand.

“I imagine,” said Steinar, with a wink to Catrìona, “he has followed you ever since.”

Giric nodded enthusiastically.

Catrìona had seen the dog on the boy’s heels as he entered the hall that morning to lay curled up at Giric’s feet while he ate. “Like a shadow.”

“That’s it!” exclaimed Giric, his dark hair falling over his forehead as he inclined his head to look at the dog. “’Tis what I will call ye.”

The dog wagged his tail as if in approval.

“A good name,” said Steinar. “He follows you about like your own.”

The dog scurried off, picked up a large stick in his mouth and carried it back to Giric. Taking the stick from the dog, the boy tossed it some distance away. The dog ran to the stick and stood over it looking at the boy.

“Shadow!” Giric called. The dog snatched the stick in his mouth and sauntered over to the boy, dropping it at his feet.

“He seems to know his name already,” Catrìona said.

Giric ran off then, the dog following, just as a group of riders crested the rise and reined in their horses in front of the tower.

Standing next to the scribe, Catrìona shaded her eyes from the sun to gaze up at the arriving party. Four men, one richly attired, and two women. The younger woman wearing a cloak over a dark green gown, dismounted.

Steinar bid Catrìona good day, saying he had some work to do for the king. He walked toward the door to the tower, his limp barely perceptible. Her eyes took in his lithe movement, his broad shoulders and his long legs. As he reached the door, it opened and he stepped aside to allow Margaret, followed by Fia and the other ladies, to pass through.

Fia hurried to Catrìona. “We are to meet the new lady, Isla of Blackwell.”

Catrìona turned her attention to the new arrivals and particularly the younger women, as she and Fia joined the welcoming party.

The king strode through the tower door and went to stand by the queen.

Malcolm greeted the men while Margaret and her ladies welcomed the women. The older one must have been the mother of the young woman who would join Margaret’s ladies. “Greetings,” said the queen.

The women curtsied and said together, “My Lady.”

Catrìona studied the younger one, curious to learn more about her. Isla had brown hair she wore long. As she drew closer, Catrìona saw her eyes were hazel. She was not pretty like Fia or the queen but she had an attractive face and her fine clothes bespoke great wealth.

The king suggested the travelers join him for some refreshments and they readily agreed. The men walked ahead and the queen followed with Isla and her mother, strolling toward the tower door. The other ladies trailed behind, Catrìona and Fia alone at the end.