Taft was waiting for her by the door of the house as she approached. He scowled at her and spat in contempt. Eira was accustomed to his displays of contempt and his frequent tantrums. She sighed deeply before greeting him.
"And where are you coming from?" he asked coldly.
"I was fetching herbs."
"Herbs, eh?" His eyes bored into her. "Did you not know it was getting late or you decided to stay at your own peril? If something happened to you then you would cause hardship to the entire village."
"I'm sorry. It did not occur to me..."
"Nothing ever occurs to you, you stupid wench! Nothing at all."
Eira had been expecting the outburst. He had taken his anger out on her many times in the previous weeks.
"As I said, I am sorry." Her own anger was beginning to rise as well.
"Sorry for yourself! Not anybody else!" With that, he stomped into the house.
Eira dropped her pouch and sat on the ground outside the house. She understood being abused for her abilities or being called an evil witch by others. People felt threatened by things they didn’t understand. But what she couldn’t fathom was Taft’s hatred towards her. Surely, there was no justification for the way he was treating her. She was family, after all.
She thought about the day he had first met her at the edge of the village. She had asked him why he’d tried to turn her away, but he’d refused to tell her. Instead, he’d become angry, telling her that he didn’t have time for nonsense talk
Someone touched her shoulder, making her start. She looked up at Kaarina who hugged her as she got to her feet.
"Why does he hate me that much? What have I done to him?" Eira asked through her tears.
"I don’t know," Kaarina replied. “He doesn’t like me much, either.”
“He doesn’t treat you like he hates you,” Eira sniffed. “At least he treats you like family.”
“He has always had a bad temper,” Kaarina said. “But ever since Mother died, it has been much worse.”
“You must miss her,” Eira said. “I miss my mother.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Why are you not married yet?” Eira asked. “That would get you away from him.”
“Father has been unable to find a husband that he considers suitable. By that, he means wealthy and a clan leader with whom to form an alliance.”
“But he is not a clan leader himself!”
“That is the problem. Clan leaders prefer their sons to marry the daughters of other clan leaders or a girl from an important family.”
“Any man would be glad to have you,” asserted Eira.
“Me? I am not so sure,” Kaarina replied doubtfully. “I am plump and my hair is too dark.”
“Nonsense! Buxom is the word. You have curves where they are meant to be. Your hair is a pretty shade of dark red; auburn, I’d call it. And you have beautiful eyes. Any man would be happy to take you as his wife.” Eira was staunch in her friend’s defence. “Anyway, it is not only about looks. You’re funny and smart and capable of managing a household. What more could a man want?”
Halvar couldn't sleep that night. He’d struggled to get a good night’s sleep ever since Eira had arrived in the village. He imagined what it would be like to snuggle up to her warm body on cold nights. He thought about stroking her hair and singing her a lullaby. And there would be babies, of course. He found himself wanting a family very much. But only if it could be with Eira; there was no one else who held any interest for him. If only he could turn his imagination into reality.
"I can swing an axe but I can’t find the words to woo a woman,” he muttered under his breath. He’d always known that he wanted to love the woman that he married but he had no idea how to make it happen. Most of the time, marriages were arranged and men didn’t need to know how to court a woman.
Still, today he’d had a small victory. He’d managed to spend some time alone with Eira, and he had even made her laugh. It was a small thing but he felt that he’d made progress. He finally drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.
While Halvar was dreaming of a future with Eira, Taft told Eira to take the leftover food out to the dogs. She trudged out into the darkness to fulfill his request. Taft seized his chance to talk to Kaarina alone. She was already in bed and was almost asleep.
“Eira collects herbs in the forest every day, doesn’t she?” Taft asked.
“Yes,” Kaarina answered in a sleepy voice.
“I’ve been getting headaches lately. Does she collect herbs for that?”
“Yes, she collects birch leaf buds.”
“Do you know where she gets them?”
“They grow right near the boundary stones on the path that goes over the mountains,” Kaarina replied.
CHAPTER 6
E ira woke with a start. She tried to figure out what had woken her so suddenly, her heart pounding. Had she had a bad dream? A moment later, footsteps approached the corner where she slept and she looked up to see Taft. He smiled at her and she grew wary. Why was he smiling?
"Good morning, Eira,” he greeted her warmly.
"Good morning,” she answered. She tried to read his feelings but the barrier was firmly in place and she could sense nothing.
"I am sorry for the way I've treated you since you arrived,” he said. “I know I have been hard on you but I can see
