Page 88 of Ironling
After a terribly long moment, a smile broke across Fia’s face. Insufferable and smug, she waggled her brows before handing Aislinn a bundle of things.
She took them numbly, waiting for Fia to say something.
“Brenna has the maids searching the castle top to bottom for you,” said Fia, “but I had a feeling I’d find you here.”
Aislinn cleared her throat, although she didn’t know what tosay.
Nodding at the bundle in Aislinn’s arms, Fia said, “I brought one of your work kirtles, a book, and your notebook. I figured you’d be bored by now.”
Deflating with relief, Aislinn finally looked at the items in her arms. Just as Fia said, one of her worn kirtles sat atop the book she’d been reading on the bridges and other maritime structures of the seaside city of Adrigoll, as well as her notebook with a portable pen stuck in the spine.
“Thank you, Fia.”
Throwing her a wink, the maid said, “I know you aren’t one for laying about.”
Aislinn nodded absently, teeth chewing at her lower lip. “Fia…”
“I won’t tell anyone,” her maid assured her. “Besides, you deserve this. The laying about and the handsome blacksmith.”
Aislinn looked up in surprise. “I do?”
“Of course.” Fia patted her arm. “He makes you happy.”
So happy.Hearing that put into words, the acknowledgement of it, touched something deep inside Aislinn. She was happy. Despite the added responsibilities and worries.
The happiness he gave her outweighed the despair that always lurked on the fringes of her spirit.
“Look at you, eyes twinkling.” Smiling, Fia pulled a small bottle from her kirtle pocket. “One last thing.”
Her blush only worsened to see the bottle of silphium powder.
“I thought you’d want to be safe. Unless you wanted a little green heir.”
Aislinn stuck her tongue out, and Fia matched it. Soon, they devolved into making faces at each other, which was what Hakon walked into when he entered with luncheon.
Fia snorted with laughter seeing his crestfallen face as helooked sheepishly between them.
“Your secret is safe with me,” she said, patting Hakon’s arm as she practically skipped out the door. “I’ll tell Brenna I saw you leave for town. That ought to keep her occupied.” Fia pulled the door behind her, but before it closed, she leveled Hakon with a serious look. “And blacksmith? You make her happy or I’ll chop you up and feed you to the pigs. There won’t be anything left to find of you.”
The door shut behind her in a deafening silence.
Hakon turned back to Aislinn slowly, face slack with shock.
Aislinn could only shrug. “Unfortunately, she’s not exaggerating.”
Hakon grinned ruefully, setting her tray of luncheon on the bed. “Oh, I agree with her. A male who doesn’t please his woman should be fed to the beasts.”
With her book and a little work, Aislinn spent the afternoon in a pleasant frenzy of ideas. She drafted more of the bridge, and for the first time, she didn’t worry about not being prepared for her meeting with the guild-masters in a few days.
She was actuallyexcitedfor it.
At least her temporary authority had a few benefits. She looked forward to breaking ground and at least getting scaffolding up before winter, to show the people of Dundúran that the Darrows were committed to improvements and the higher dues hadn’t been for nothing.
The afternoon passed by quicker than she thought possible. Left alone with her book, she let her mind wander and play, and the drafts flowed freely across the pages of her notebook. By the time night fell, her heart was full, her spirit satisfied. It hadn’t been a waste of a day as she’d feared, and taking the time to sit still and do something she enjoyed nourished her in a way that she unfortunately often took for granted.
Still, by the time night followed Hakon in with their dinner, she was more than ready to set aside her book.
They shared the tray of food Hakon brought from the kitchen. Prepared to eat whatever he didn’t want, Aislinn was surprised to find everything was one of her preferred foods.
