They walked for a long time, if she’d done this straight after arriving from town, Eleanor wasn’t sure she would have made it halfway without misery and blisters. Finally, the path began to run beside a gully, containing a stream that Cadan said was the same one running past the village. He found a suitable …
The next morning began in the bath house as usual. When she heard about the planned outing, Martha scoffed. “Typical, taking holidays while the rest of us work.” Eleanor raised a brow. “Like you work on the afternoons I’m with Sarah?” That earned her a hair toss. Martha had irritatingly pretty hair, all black and …
This is a free novella for subscribers to my monthly newsletter, I'd love you to join, and find out what happens... My name is Arianna Goldbest, or possibly FitzMichael. I'm a stain on the family, a dishonour to the name, for I had the temerity to be born out of wedlock. One might presume my …
A week passed, with Martha appearing in Maggie’s workroom on the days Eleanor was there, Tilly said she stayed at the forge or roamed about the village on the other ones. On healing days, she chopped and ground and mixed and stirred and strained. It was tedious work, and for all Sarah claimed to experiment …
The following afternoon, she presented herself at Maggie’s front door, and was handed the spindle. “Best get this out of the way before the horde arrive. You can do your carding while you’re weaving tales.” She’d lost the knack in the short time she’d been away. It took several false starts before she managed to …
Eleanor placed a tentative hand on the cover of the book. “Are these your recipes?” Sarah nodded. “I don’t let on to many that I can read and write. Some in this village made life hard enough that I came from Away, let alone had education. Well, you know a little about that. ‘Twas worse …
They knocked and found Samuel did indeed have time to spare, and more, was delighted to meet the village’s new storyteller. “The younglings were full to bursting with your stories of the last couple of days. And my Tilly, o’course, she’s been parading about the place with her new town braids like the fanciest little …
Eleanor set her shoulders. She could do this, she was good at learning, very good, much better than some smug village girl who was only here to try and beat her, if Eleanor left, Maggie would probably lose two helpers, not just one. Maggie’s eyes looked through her again, but all she said was. “And …
When Cadan announced, during dinner, that he would be staying in the village the following day, Matthew looked worried. “Not that I’m quibbling, lad, your wife is important, but someone needs to get word to the castle about fixing their road before this rain washes a new river straight through it. Ingrid’s already said you …
Sarah was knitting by the fire when Eleanor let herself in. “No wool?” Eleanor’s explanation ended up as a full recitation of the afternoon’s events and Sarah chuckled. “She’s a wily one, is Maggie, and I’ll do you a trade. Make up that pillowcase of yours into an apron for me, and I’ll give you …
The DNA of Stories 