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"Sit," Selia said again, this time it was less an offer than a coe in tone "All of you," Selia added, as Beni and Jeph caught up

"Town council meets tomorrow," Selia said when the tea was served "Early,by then, and I don’t’spect she will be, Raddock’s going to deainst her and nothing for, reckon he’ll have his way I’ll try and delay till she’s better, but that will be up to the council"

"What’ll they rule, you reckon?" Jeph asked

Selia blew out a breath "Can’t say for sure This ent ever happened before But the Fishers are in arms, and it’s onetheir young’uns away from Town Square and its teirl, but there’s no telling what the rest will do Expect she’ll be strung froave a little cry

"This ent no sot two ue in moot until I’m blue-faced, but the law is the law Once the council votes, there ent no choice but to hold peace and abide"

She looked at Beni and Ilain "So if there’s anything--anything--you can tell irl, I need to hear it now"

The sisters both glanced at Jeph, but neither said a word

Selia huffed "Jeph, Mack Pasture speaks for the faret an idea how he’ll vote Make sure he’s got the story straight, and not whatever ta way," Jeph said "It’ll take the rest of the day just to get there"

"Then succor there, and use the ti to her voice She nodded to the door "Now, dear I’ll see Ilain and Beni get holanced nervously at Ilain, then nodded "Yes’m," he said, and headed out the door

Selia turned back to the sisters but kept her eyes down "Alondered about your da," she said, selecting a butter cookie from the crock on the table "Learned to watch a s take his wife So irrational I asked folk to watch Harl, but your da liked to keep to himself, and all seemed well those first years" She dipped the cookie in her tea, eyes still on her hands

"But then, Ilain, when you ran off with Jeph, though his lost asn’t even burned yet, I wondered again What were you running from? And the Harl I kneould have fetched so I had half a mind to do it myself" She ate the moist cookie with quick, neat bites, and wiped her mouth delicately with a napkin Ilain just stared at her,down the napkin andIlain’s eyes "Why?" Ilain recoiled froaze, but she dropped her eyes and shook her head

"Dunno," she said

Selia frowned, selecting another cookie "And there was all the suitors that went to court Renna" She dropped her eyes again "She’s a pretty enough girl, fit as a horse, with two elder sisters shown to give strong sons Harl could’ve ood match for her after Arlen Bales ran off Could’ve had another man to help about the farain, he didn’t He drove theain, sometimes at the end of a pitchfork, till your sister’s best breeding years were all but gone By then, Cobie Fisher was as good a match as she could hope for, and the far back, but still he refused"

Selia looked up at both of them "I wonder ould uesses, but what do I kno your da maybe once or twice a year You two lived with hi to add to the slate?"

Ilain and Beni looked at her, and then at each other, and then at their hands "No," they ether

"Ent no one seen either of you shed a tear over your da," Selia pressed "That ent natural, when a girl’s father takes a knife in the back" Ilain and Beni didn’t even lift their eyes