Liadan wins
English euphemisms notwithstanding, Flann had never “slept with” a man. Flann had never “gone to bed with” a man. She knew no more of the practices and protocols than little motherless Eithne on her wedding night—perhaps less.
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Flann says the word
It had been a day out of the ordinary: the day of Lili’s funeral.
Liadan was still too young to travel and too young to be left behind, but even at home Flann had tried to keep her mind on sober matters. She had thought of Lili and of poor Cousin Egelric and his children; of her own father, whose death was still a raw wound; and even of little Eithne, whose fragile spirit seemed in still greater danger now that Flann could not watch over it.
Gils finds someone who cares
Gils shuffled back and forth before the fire, but no one heard his scuffing feet. No one heard his sniffles and his muffled sobs. Gils himself heard everyone, however: talking loudly in the dining hall, laughing often.
Hetty's dream is dispersed
Hetty had loved few enough people in her cloistered life to have had little experience with losing them. Her mother had died when she was quite small, she had scarcely known her father, and she had mourned her first husband out of duty only. It seemed hard that she should be called to learn the language of lifelong grief over the body of her best-beloved.
Leofric sees the daughter
Saturday evenings when the Duke was away were undeniably uninteresting, but Lady Gwynn thought her sister could have hidden her boredom better. Margaret did not even bother to hide her gaping mouth when she yawned.
Gunnilda sees the son
It would likely mean unraveling and redoing the half-row of stitches she had abandoned on her needle, but Gunnilda had to find out what her daughter was up to.
If it was a peddler at the door, Gytha should have sent him on his way; a beggar should have been sent to the kitchen; and anyone else should have been invited inside for a cup of cider and a piece of cake. A young gentle lady did not stand around gossiping in doorways, and especially not if, as it seemed, she was gossiping with a young man.
Alred is meddlesome
“I wonder,” the Duke said with studied carelessness, “whether you truly believe that I am so tedious a man as to invite ladies to visit the flax barns with me.”
The unspoken is said
The windows were tightly closed against the cold, and the low fire ventured only the occasional crackle. In the silence of the room, Paul could hear Catan coming long before she opened the door.
Condal finds a clearing
The chapel door seemed to weigh more than little Condal herself, but once she had given it enough of a push to let it know what she wanted of it, it kindly opened and stood patiently waiting for her to step through.
Eithne says the words
“My father is dead.”
Eithne’s voice cracked like a burning log, but at least she was speaking. At last she was speaking. Dantalion was so relieved that he scarcely minded she had just said the dreaded words.
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“He was the sleeping snake, and Maire poked him with her finger.”
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