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“Tongues do spread news fast and one can only hope the clucking tongues are not doing more harm than good,” Willow said.
“There’s always that chance, but Tarass would never let an innocent suffer. If Fasta had nothing to hide, Tarass would have seen her vindicated.”
“Let’s take a brief reprieve from worrisome thoughts, tell me about Nettle and Rannock,” Willow said, squeezing her sister’s arm. “Nettle’s eyes lit and went straight to Rannock when you told her you wouldn’t be needing her for a while.” She chuckled. “Then Rannock’s cheeks heated when Nettle turned a generous smile on him, and I think I caught a wink as well.”
Snow laughed along with her sister. “Rannock doesn’t find it easy talking with women he’s interested in and being he wasn’t interested in Nettle, he talked easily with her.”
“And found love where he least expected,” Willow said. “Just like Slatter and me.”
“I wouldn’t say being lowered down into a pit where a naked man waited was conducive to finding love,” Snow said with a grin.
Willow hugged her sister’s arm and laughed. “No, it was terrifying, but I’m sure glad it was Slatter I found down there.”
“Lady Snow, how nice to see you and this must be your sister Willow who I’ve been so eager to meet,” Runa said, standing in her open doorway. “I was so pleased to receive word that you and your sister were coming to visit. Please come in. I have a hot brew ready for us.”
Willow guided her sister into the cottage and settled her at the table before she took a seat herself and dropped her cloak off her shoulders to rest on the back of her chair as Snow had done.
“I have sweet cakes as well, sent from the keep,” Runa said, filling the tankards on the table with a hot brew from the pitcher that sat near the hearth. “Would it be all right to give Thaw one?”
“I’m sure he’d enjoy it,” Snow said, giving her permission.
Runa gave the pup one of the small cakes and turned to Willow as Thaw eagerly accepted the treat. “I have so much to ask you, Willow.”
“I look forward to talking with you, but first Snow and I have some questions.”
“Aye, of course, how can I be of help?” Runa asked eagerly, joining them at the table.
Snow saw clear enough to see Willow reach out for her hand to give the sweet cake to her and she almost reached for it, but stopped herself. She let Willow take her hand and place the sweet cake in it. She didn’t like keeping the news about her sight from her sister, but she had to tell her husband first. And she planned to do that before the end of Willow’s visit.
“Do you know for sure if Fasta suffered a miscarriage?” Willow asked, breaking a small piece of cake off to taste, not feeling hungry.
“I feared that might be so since she asked if there was something a woman could take to rid herself of an unwanted bairn. I told her there was but it was very dangerous, too little would do nothing and too much the woman could bleed to death. It was why I was so concerned with the amount of blood loss she suffered. I feared she had taken too much rue and would bleed to death. I never expected her to recover as quickly as she did.”
“You gave her the rue?” Willow asked.
Runa shook her head vigorously. “No, I didn’t, but I feared she may have stolen some and when I checked I realized some was missing.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Snow asked and raised her hand to cover her yawn before finishing a second sweet cake.
“What was there to say. The deed was done,” Runa said.
Willow was glad to see Snow eating since she had had little breakfast this morning. “How would she know which of your plant leaves was the rue?”
“I wondered the same,” Runa said.
Snow shook her head, a fogginess taking hold.
“Something wrong?” Willow asked.
“I don’t know,” Snow said, and shook her head again and as she did, she saw Thaw laying on his side as if lifeless.
She turned to her sister. “Something is wrong. My head grows foggy and…” she couldn’t get the words out and her head had grown too heavy to hold up so she laid it on the table.
“Snow!” Willow hurried to her feet to see to her sister when the door burst open.
Tarass and Slatter entered the Great Hall and sat at a table by the hearth to enjoy some ale.
“Fasta couldn’t have gotten far. The ground is too heavily covered with snow,” Slatter said. “It took double the time it would normally take for Willow and me to get here. And now that you’ve picked up her tracks, it won’t be long before you find her and have your answers.”
