Her thoughts strayed to Landwulf. Since the visit to the markets, she hadn’t seen much of him; whenever she went to visit Eira, he had stayed out of the way, only appearing briefly to say hello before disappearing again. She wondered if he was avoiding her; had she done something to offend him?
She reached Leyna’s house and exchanged the eggs for the soft cheese. She was looking forward to eating it; Leyna made delicious cheese.
“Thank you, Leyna,” she said, tucking the basket under her arm. “Emiline will be pleased. She likes your cheese.”
Leyna’s good-natured face broke into a broad smile. “Tell her thank you for the eggs,” she said. “My hens have not laid many lately. Maybe ‘tis the weather.”
“Tell them they are slow. Emiline’s hens have been laying lots lately,” Kaarina giggled.
Leyna chuckled. “I’ll tell them that slow hens get turned into hen soup,” she said. “Maybe that will frighten the eggs out of them.”
They both laughed and Kaarina thought how good it was to share a joke with a neighbor in a village that was welcoming and safe.
“You’re a kind neighbor,” she told Leyna impulsively.
“Emiline is my friend,” she replied. “Besides, kindness makes our village a better place.”
“It does,” Kaarina agreed. “Well, I shall be on my way now.”
She turned and walked back towards the house. The seashore caught her eye and she suddenly wondered if she dared to walk along the sand alone. The more she thought about it, the more she thought she could do it. She needed a change of scenery and if she stayed away from the water’s edge, surely the waves would stay in the ocean. Landwulf had taught her how to dodge any that came too close so she could take care of herself now. She knew Emiline wouldn’t mind; she always said it did a person good to go for a walk in the fresh air.
Feeling brave, she ventured onto the sand. It crunched under her feet, a strange sensation after walking up and down the often-muddy paths of the village. The waves rolled lazily onto the beach, their grey-green faces much smaller today. Kaarina relaxed; perhaps the beach would even be a nice place to walk on days when the waves were small. There was something refreshing about a brisk walk with the tang of salt air in her nostrils and the rhythmic sound of the waves breaking onto the sand.
Suddenly, she spotted a familiar figure walking onto the beach with a rope in his hand.
“Landwulf!” she called impulsively. “Landwulf!”
He looked in her direction and hesitated. Then raising a hand in greeting, he turned and quickly walked away towards the village.
Kaarina was hurt and disappointed. Why would Landwulf refuse to even say hello? Now she was sure he was avoiding her. What had she done wrong?
She walked slowly back home, head down, feeling hurt and disappointed. She hardly paid any attention to the water that had frightened her so many times in the past. Now, it just reminded her of Landwulf and how things had changed between them since the day that he had helped her to overcome her fear. How was it possible that she could go from feeling on top of the world to feeling rejected so quickly?
When she arrived back home, she quickly handed the cheese to Emiline and made an excuse to use the outhouse. She didn’t want anyone to see that she was near tears.
That afternoon, she went to visit Eira, hoping for a chance to speak to her alone. She was lucky; the other girls were working in the vegetable garden while Eira prepared food for the evening meal. Kaarina decided to help her peel the vegetables for the stew while they chatted.
“I am glad you are alone,” Kaarina said. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“Why, do you have man troubles?” Eira teased.
“Not exactly,” Kaarina said.
“Oh come on, I’ve seen the way Gerfrid looks at you.”
“Gerfrid?” Kaarina asked in surprise.
“Haven’t you noticed?”
“No. He says little to me.”
“He looks at you whenever you come here. I can sense his interest in you.”
“Oh yes, of course. I’d forgotten about your abilities that get you into so much trouble!”
“Well, do you have any interest in him?”
“To be truthful, I think Landwulf is nicer.”
“He watches you, too. I am not surprised; the brothers do everything together,” said Eira, piling vegetable peels into a bowl.
“I was beginning to think that Landwulf liked me but I’m not sure now,” Kaarina confessed.
“Why?”
“Because he seems to avoid me. I was walking along the beach today and I saw him. I called his name but he waved to me and then walked away. Have I done something to offend him?”
“I know not. He has not said anything. But I can try to find out for you if you want me to.”
“Yes, please,” replied Kaarina. “I hate not knowing what is wrong or how to fix it.”
“I guess that he’s shy,” said Eira. “Or perhaps there’s rivalry between himself and Gerfrid for your attention and he knows not what to do about it.”
“I would like to know why he is avoiding me,” said Kaarina. “If I’ve done something wrong, I want to make up for it somehow.”
“I will talk to him,” promised Eira.
Minna shook the soil from the bunch of carrots she’d just pulled from the garden. The early warm weather meant that they’d been able to sow their vegetable crops earlier than usual. These were only baby carrots but they would go
