Page 80 of Luthias

I shouldnae trifle with her, and yet ’tis all I desire.

Luthias wrote replies to the messages that required them, and handed off his scrolls to a clerk to be sent. Although he was due to meet with Darach in the garrison’s map room, he then went down to the armory, where he found Emery in a leather apron seated beside Camdyn, who was showing her one of his shaping anvils. They sat so close together the sides of their legs and arms touched, making Luthias scowl.

“’Tis a century since ’twas forged,” the armorer was telling her. “’Twill last another five, I reckon.”

“Really? That is so cool. What if I could find it when I get back to my time? I could arrange a demo and show everyone how you actually used it.” Emery looked up and gave Luthias one of her cheerful grins. “Hey, my lord. We’re having anvil lessons today.” She held up a tiny hammer. “Want me to shape something for you?”

“Do you mean to make Mistress Parker a smith?” he asked Camdyn.

“Do you reckon me addled?” The armorer made a contemptuous sound. “The lass can hardly dent copper using both hands, the poor puny thing.”

“Puny?” Emery made as if to kick him, and then laughed as he flinched. “I have toes of steel, pal.”

“What need you, my lord?” the armorer asked, rising from his bench.

“Naught with you.” Luthias didn’t like how easy she seemed with Camdyn. “I need speak with the lady.”

“Uh-oh.” She groaned. “Okay, besides this guy, who complained about me today? Cook was probably first in line. She has a real problem with food safety, but she’s fine with baking gravel in the bread. You do know you’re eating rocks at every meal, right?”

He nodded. “If we may go and speak on such matters, my lady?”

After they left the forge Luthias escorted Emery to the kitchen gardens, where he noted the lads at work stopping to smile at her and touch their brows for him. She greeted all of them, and even stopped to offer a suggestion to one gardener picking slugs from an herb plant. By the time they reached the end of the beds Luthias wondered if all the women of her time were as friendly, and asked her the same.

“I guess it seems weird that I talk to everyone, huh?” She smiled. “Being here is like jumping into a history book and living every page. I can see things I’ve only read about, so I have a million questions. Also, your people are really nice. Your cook may be grouchy, and kind of a tyrant about menus and food preparation, but she makes sure all the kids who work in the kitchens get plenty to eat.”

“Cook ran away from a cruel master in the lowlands,” Luthias said. “When she came to us she’d been starved, so at first she hardly had the strength to turn a spit. I reckon she shall always look after our sculleries well, and see to it they never go hungry.”

“She’s not a bad chef, either, considering she has to cook over a hearth and boil or bake everything. If I can just get her to stop turning all your vegetables into sludge, I’ll consider it a major victory.” Emery rolled her eyes. “Anyway, if I’m being a problem or upsetting anyone, I’m sorry. In my time people are much more health conscious, and, well, we won’t even talk about bacteria. You’ll have nightmares.”

He thought of how happy she had been in the forge. “What of you and Camdyn?”

“Cam? He’s like the blacksmith version of Cook, only grouchier,” she admitted. “The man does nothing but complain about the heat, the quality of the ore, the lack of ventilation, the need for this hammer or that, etc. etc. But he’s also taught me more about medieval forging in the past week than I learned during eight years at the university. Plus he’s really funny.”

“Do we speak of the same lad?” he asked, surprised by that.

“Uh-huh. He has hilarious nicknames for everyone in the clan. I’d tell you yours, but you’d probably kill him.” She chuckled. “He’s also got some great ideas about defending the stronghold and patrolling your lands and farms. I think he spends more time thinking about how to protect the clan than you do. You should try talking to him instead of yelling once in a while.”

Another surge of jealousy made him take hold of her hand. “What more do you with him, that he should confide in you?”

“You mean, besides poke around the forge, ask him a million questions and watch while he works?” She glanced down at his hold on her. “Uh, nothing.”

“Forgive me.” Luthias eased his grip, and rubbed his thumb against the inside of her wrist. “’Twouldnae be wise for you to become attached to any of the men.”

“Too late. Camdyn can be a real grump, but he’s an awesome teacher. Darach is like the big brother I’ve always wanted. Even Taveon is warming up to me. Kind of,” she added, rolling her eyes. “He caught me poking around the stables, and only yelled at me a little about how easy it would be for me to get trampled. That reminds me––he said you’ll start shearing the clan’s sheep in a few weeks, and then drive them and the cows down to a market in the valley. Why do you sell them?”

“’Tis best to reduce the herds before the snows come. More coin, fewer mouths to feed, and more space for breeding in the barns.” He liked that she wasn’t trying to pull away from him, and moved his hand down to take hold of hers. “If you wish to ride with me, I may show you more of our lands on the morrow. ’Tis time for me to visit our stockmen and arrange provisions for the wood cutters soon to arrive from the lowlands. They fell the dead or diseased trees to keep our forests sound and provide the farms with firewood for the winter.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to bother you.”

“You bother everyone else, why no’ me?” he countered.

“You’re the laird.” She tilted her head to peer up at him. “The guys have told me how much work you have to do to keep the castle and the vassals and the farms going while you deal with all the allied clans and make trades with them. Everyone depends on the decisions you make. Plus I still haven’t figured out why the Fire Sword brought me here, so I don’t want to waste any of your time.”

So she had been trying to avoid him, but not for the reasons he’d assumed. He took a step closer. “I shall ever have time for you, Mistress Parker.”

“That’s the other problem.” Emery ducked her head as she blew out a breath. “You and I are, well, we’re like magnets for each other, aren’t we?”

Luthias felt amused by her bluntness. “’Tis what you call the pull between us, then?”