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Bryn brought the lantern over and stood behind Elwyn’s shoulder as Elwyn ran her hands over the cow, making a show of having to look for the problem. She was sure the others knew what a healer could do, but she wasn’t entirely comfortable with being too obvious about it. Her examination was far too cursory if she hadn’t already known where the problem was. It wasn’t all just for show, though. Her touch on areas that didn’t hurt helped her build trust with the cow so she’d have a better chance at examining the area that did hurt.
She reached the affected leg and ran her hands down it. The flesh was warm, but unbroken. The cow fidgeted under her touch, but she sent more calm to her and examined the leg more thoroughly, giving it another scan. “It’s the leg,” she said. “Looks like a strain or sprain. She must have twisted it, but the bone appears to be intact.”
“What do you need?” Bryn asked.
“The liniment.”
He set down the basket of supplies and held the lantern over it so he could search through the bottles. He handed her one, then held the lantern so she could see to work as she rubbed the liniment into the injured leg. It contained herbs that would help heal the strained muscles and ease the pain. The cow relaxed visibly as Elwyn worked. “Now I’ll need some hot water to make a poultice.”
“There’s a kettle on the fire,” Mair said.
“I’ll go,” Bryn said, handing Mair the lantern. Mair pointed him toward the house.
“He seems to be useful in a crisis,” Mair said as soon as he was gone. Elwyn knew Mair was feeling better if she was teasing her.
“He’s useful in a lot of ways,” Elwyn replied, then hurried to add, “But not like that.” She didn’t have to look at Mair to know she was grinning. Elwyn couldn’t help but remember the way he’d leaned toward her the night before, but shoved the feeling aside. “He’s a good cook and a better scribe than I am.”
“So you’ve decided to keep him.”
“That’s not my decision. It’s up to him. And there may be someone waiting for him.”
“But you want him to stay.”
“I don’t know.”
He returned with the kettle, cutting off their conversation, much to Elwyn’s relief. He held the lantern while she mixed herbs, added hot water to make a paste, smeared it on a strip of linen, and wound it around the affected leg. She placed her hand on the cow and did another scan to check for any other injuries, but she felt no pain outside the leg, and even that had eased. “She should be fine in a few days,” she said. “You might not want to let her out in the pasture so she can rest that leg. I’ll refresh the poultice later.”
“Thank you so much,” Mair said. She released the cow’s collar, and the animal remained still and quiet. “She’s my best milker—the mother of that problem child calf—but she does seem to be prone to stepping in holes and tripping over things. I’m afraid she was bred for producing milk, not for brains.” She walked with them out of the barn, then said, “Wait one moment.” She ran off to the dairy, returning with a jug and a small bundle. “Some milk, cheese, and butter for your troubles. And now I need to get on with the milking. Of all days for this to happen, when I needed an early start. You’ll be over to help with the festival later?”
“Of course,” Bryn said. “You may be getting a late start, but we’re up bright and early.”
“There’s no market today because of the festival, so as soon as you want to get to the square, we’ll have work for you.”
The sun was truly starting to rise as they made their way back to the cottage. “I didn’t realize you worked on animals, too,” Bryn remarked.
“It’s not my specialty, but it comes up. Some of the larger farming communities may have animal healers. Otherwise, healers make do. I did my initial training in the country, so I’ve done a bit. It’s been a long time, though.”
“You were good with that cow. Me, I wouldn’t have gone that close to her. You notice I kept you between me and her.”
“I think even that chicken would know to keep clear of a distressed animal with hooves.” She was relieved that they’d fallen into their usual friendly banter. She couldn’t tell if he felt any awkwardness after what he’d said the night before. For her, there was a constant awareness of him, as though she could feel his presence, wherever he was, and that awareness made her skin sing and her breath catch in her throat. She didn’t know if she could go on like this, but she also didn’t want it to end.
Gladys had porridge ready for them when they reached the cottage. It was about the time they usually rose, so the day progressed like it normally would have, only with less sleep—and even less than that for Elwyn, since her night had been so unsettled. The shadows under Bryn’s eyes suggested he’d had a similarly sleepless night—over her, or was it his worries about his true identity?
They didn’t talk about what had happened the night before. Not that there was much they could say. There was no real resolution to the dilemma. Until he knew who he was, they couldn’t move forward. He finished eating and said, “I’d better get down to the marketplace and help set up.”
“Don’t overdo it,” she warned. “You may not be back to full strength for heavy lifting.”
“I don’t know what my full strength is, but I will be careful, don’t worry.”
“I’ll go after lunch. I need to cut some flowers this morning.”
“I’ll be back for lunch. I’ll see you then.” He paused awkwardly, as though pondering whether he should make some sort of farewell gesture, then settled for giving her a faint smile before leaving.
She sighed once he was gone. She would be lonely when he left for good. If he left. At the moment, there was nowhere for him to go, but if he ever regained his memories, he likely would leave. Selfishly, she wanted to tell him he should just forget his past and stay. She liked him the way he was and didn’t care who or what he’d been. At the same time, he deserved to know who he was and what he’d left behind. What if he had a family waiting for him at home, wondering where he was and why he’d abandoned them? She could only imagine what they might be going through.
No, he’d been right to avoid the kiss and whatever else might have followed it. It wouldn’t have been right, and it could have led to a lot of pain.
That meant she had to find a way to help him recover his identity. “Do you have any ideas about how to restore his memories?” she asked Gladys. “I don’t think any of your essences will help if it’s magic, and my potion didn’t do any good. Maybe he doesn’t want to remember, deep down inside, and his own mind is protecting him from something. In that case, we probably shouldn’t force the issue. Still, I think he needs to know or he’ll never be able to move on.”
