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She looked lovely, Wistala guessed, judging from the stares of the locals, in her heavy fur-trimmed coat, which hid the small increase at her midsection, hair under its cap curled and tucked so it resehtened by the cold of the day, glowed

All eyes were on her but the ones she sought When Hae and took his party of huntsmen to the inn for a new cask to tap, he walked out of his way to avoid her at the edge of the crowd She fought her way through, tripped and ed to come up on the men at last

Wistala didn’t catch what she said, but she did hear her call out to him

Thane Hammar stared at her for a iven orders on the road stepped forward Two of the men at the tail-end of Hahed

Lada broke into tears and fled the circus

Wistala didn’t overly care for Lada, whatever Rainfall’s regard for his granddaughter, but even if she was an ungrateful whelp, she didn’t deserve contempt

Wistala decided

She missed the rest of the circus to hurry back and speak with Rainfall, once he eed from Lada’s room in the small barrow-chair Forstrel moved him about in

"I want to stay at Mossbell," Wistala told hion-tracks on the stairs "If things go hard with the thane, I want to be at your side, Father"

"It will fade Hah a winter wolf or a ," Rainfall said "But your presence here ht tempt him into rashness"

"I’o away," Widow Lessup said to herself--loudly enough for all in the upstairs to hear--as she bent with a rag

"Nevertheless," Wistala said

Rainfall sighed and scratched her between the ears "I shan’t be sorry for your company You are a far smoother ride up these bu I can teach you how to properly tend the garden, even if vegetables aren’t to your taste"

Chapter 19

Wistala heard feet hurrying up and down stairs the nextnoises There’d been another raucous celebration with the circus folk, but Wistala had kept to her low rooe, she knew so had put the household in disarray

"Is Lada down here?" Anja asked

"Why should she be?" Wistala asked

"She’s not in her roo off

Wistala wondered at her absence Shete infusion roused her She yawned, stretched, and went upstairs to the lively sounds of running feet and doors sla rooh his bedroom, she smelled fresh ink by the bed--it was very unlike Rainfall to work in his bedrooht in his library but believed in leaving any cares elsewhere when it ca Rainfall’s riding boots on, an easy operation, thanks to the sos

"She was in a ht," Rainfall said "I should have talked to her"

"What has passed?" Wistala asked

Forstrel finished with the boots and handed Rainfall a woolen vest

"Lada has run away, I fear She took her neinter boots, her hairbrush and co habit Anja said there was a wet quill on her desk, but we found no note"

"Note? Have you checked your bed?"

Forstrell didn’t wait to be told but hurried over to the bed and overturned pillows and heavy winter blankets He came up with a folded piece of paper

"Wistala, you’re a wonder," Rainfall said, accepting the paper "How--? Oh, I suppose you smelled the ink, or paper, or her footsteps You’ll all excuse me for a moment while I read this?"

Wistala and Forstrel stepped out of his dressing room and eyed each other

"Fried fish for breakfast, I suppose?" Wistala asked

"I hope," Forstrel said "With tart applesauce But we’llroom, followed by a chuckle "The joke’s on me, Wistala Rah-Ya Forstrel, my cloak and hat!"