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“You will not scrub down the tables after every meal. It is a waste of time.”
“Speak of the devil,” Nettle mumbled and watched as Fasta entered the Great Hall with Maude following behind her.
“I am in charge here and you will follow my orders or else,” Fasta threatened.
Nettle cringed, seeing Maude do the same, and she kept her voice low as she said, “There is fear on Maude’s face, m’lady.”
Snow was glad Nettle made her aware of that, though she sensed it herself, Fasta’s tone far too threatening.
“You have not been given orders to return here yet, Fasta,” Snow called out.
Fasta approached Snow. “I am well, my lady, and will see to my duties.”
“Your duties have changed, Fasta,” Snow said. “You will no longer be working in the keep.”
“You can’t do that. Only Lord Tarass can order me gone from the keep,” Fasta said, her chin going up.
“You question my authority?” Snow snapped.
“Who dares to do that?” Tarass shouted, standing in the doorway.
Snow made out her husband’s shape and that of Thaw’s. The pup had gone and fetched him of his own accord. Thaw definitely didn’t like Fasta.
“Lady Snow has informed me that I am no longer in charge of the keep’s servants, nor am I to work in the keep, my lord,” Fasta said with a tearful sniffle. “I did nothing to deserve this dismissal.”
“Lady Snow owes you no explanation for her decision. You will do whatever chore she appoints you without comment,” Tarass ordered.
Fasta’s eyes shot wide and she appeared ready to protest, though thought better of it and bowed her head. “Aye, my lord.”
Tarass turned and left the room, Thaw plopping himself down to lean against Snow’s leg.
“You will return to your cottage and rest, Fasta,” Snow ordered. “I will advise you of your new position in due time.”
“Aye, m’lady,” Fasta said and turned and walked off mumbling beneath her breath.
After informing a thrilled Maude that she now had Fasta’s position permanently, Snow finally got outside to walk through the village. Those out and about called out greetings and blessings to her. The dwarf had yet to return and many gave credit to Lady Snow for it.
“Take me to Runa’s cottage, Nettle,” Snow said. “I wish to talk to her about Fasta.”
“There is talk that Fasta bled as she did because she lost a bairn,” Nettle whispered as she led Snow along a cleared path. “Many also believe she took something to bring on the loss of the bairn.”
“A good question to ask Runa,” Snow said, but she was unable to since the healer was busy delivering a bairn.
She stopped and talked and laughed with several people and was walking around the corner of a cottage toward Twilla’s place when she was struck in a chest with a snowball.
“I’m sorry, m’lady, so sorry. I didn’t see you,” said the small lad. “Please, please forgive me.”
“He’s a young one,” Nettle whispered as Snow dusted the snow off herself.
“There’s only one way I’ll forgive you, lad,” Snow warned.
“What is that, m’lady?” the young lad asked, his limbs quaking.
Snow smiled. “I get to join in the snowball fight.”
Tarass sat by the hearth in his solar talking with Rannock. They had daily matters to go over and some issues that had yet to be resolved.
“You’ve found no source of the last pool of blood?” Tarass asked after they had finished discussing the daily dealings.
Rannock shook his head. “Nothing. It’s frustrating and confounding. No animals were slaughtered around that time and no one is missing from the clan, a blessing for sure.”
“Cleric Norman?”
“There was little time to see if he made it back to the monastery unharmed before the storm hit, but from what area we were able to cover we found no sign of him. I assume his faith saw him home safely.”
Tarass hoped it was so, since he didn’t need any more issues the Abbot could fault him with and strengthen his claim that his barbarian ancestry voided his marriage to Snow.
“No word yet from the warriors you sent on that mission? Though, no doubt the snowstorm has delayed any response. I wonder if they will be able to find out what Finn had learned. He was trusted among the many friends he had and people talked easily to him. Our warriors won’t be as trusted as Finn had been.”
“Coins encourage the most unwilling man to speak,” Tarass said. “Though Finn was well liked, he was also liked for the generous coins he offered in exchange for information. I am more than curious to find out what news he had discovered. It had to have been of great value to me for him to want to meet me while he was escorting Snow home, and even of greater importance if he braved the snow to do so. All Highlanders know that a few snowflakes can turn into a blizzard in little time. So why did he take the chance?”
