Smiling widely, I took the package, liking the mystery of it. He often gave me small things to take home, and I never knew what they might be. I thanked him and, after checking the road, went on my merry way, happy with the day’s trades.
When I walked through the cottage door, Bryn was consoling a sobbing Blye.
“What’s happened?” I asked. Blye should have been at work; the day had just started.
“The seamstress can’t afford to pay me this month. There are too few orders.”
Though Blye didn’t earn much, what she did earn, helped. With that disheartening news, I pulled the bread from my bag and set it on the table.
“It’s still warm,” I said quietly to Bryn. I handed her the package, too, having already peeked at its contents. A dollop of pig fat glistened within.
Meanwhile, Blye continued to sniffle and sob. Though I considered the loss of her coin sad news, I didn’t understand why Blye would choose to wail in self-pity rather than look for a solution. It was a waste of time to carry on as she was. At the very least, she should have faith our father would not let us fall into destitution.
“Blye, we’ll pull through,” I said. “We always do. Please stop crying. You don’t want Father to come home and see you like this.” Her gaze flashed with displeasure, but she wiped at her eyes. I took that as a good sign and continued trying to cheer her.
“You are clever with a needle and thread. And, you still have bits of the materials she’s given you. You’ll find something clever to do with those. I know you will. I’ll probably see someone wearing a bit of it in their hair or on their breast next week.”
Her eyes widened, and for a moment, I thought I’d offended her. But, she popped from her chair, a slow smile creeping onto her tear-stained face.
“You are the brilliant one, Benella. Their hair,” she said excitedly. “I can make pieces to exactly match the existing dresses.”
I had no idea what she meant but nodded my agreement. She dashed back to our room, saying she needed to start right away and that I should bring her anything pretty I found on my wanderings, like feathers and such.
“You always seem to find the right side and turn it up.” Bryn shook her head then cut me a slice of the bread and spread a thin layer of our fresh butter on it. “Here. Take this with you. I know you’ll want to walk around and find something for Blye right away.”
I reached for the bread as she expected, even though I didn’t really want to walk the estate so soon. Blye would appreciate anything I found, especially if I found it quickly. If I stayed, she would probably start crying again. Taking a bite of the bread, I grabbed my bag and left.
The dark woods surrounded me with a sense of peace. Many of the village folk didn’t like foraging so close to the estate, and that made my foraging much quieter and easier. Before I reached the shadowy mists, I heard the cry of a large bird above me. I followed it with my eyes and watched it land on a forked branch of the largest tree in the area. Not far from its perch, I spotted a twig nest that was wedged in the crotch of the two branches. The bird ruffled its white and grey feathers and hopped forward to begin feeding its squawking young.
Wrinkling my nose, I eyed the bird’s feathers then adjusted my bag and set to climbing the enormous tree. The bark bit into my hands and scraped the skin of my legs through my woolen trousers as I scrambled from branch to branch. The bird noticed my ascent and shrieked at me before taking flight.
Minutes later, I pulled myself onto the branch that held the nest and glanced at the tangle of twigs. Slowly, I inched forward, clinging to the branch so the wind didn’t catch me unaware. The large chicks, blind to what approached them, chirped at me hopefully and opened their mouths wide. Soft down feathers the size of my hand lined the nest and cushioned the chicks. Those beautiful white feathers would be a prize in any lady’s hair.
I removed several from the nest, careful not to touch anything else. I didn’t want to scare the mother off or rob the babies of their warmth.
The climb down took much longer than the climb up, and my legs began to shake with the strain before I reached the ground. In the distance, I heard voices and worried they might be Tennen and Splane’s. Despite the tiredness I felt, I hurriedly dropped the last few feet, managed to land softly, and quickly disappeared into the mists.
I traversed around the wall, finding more treasures. The place where the primrose had grown now had several more delicate flowers. Carefully, I plucked the buds, leaving the roots to grow. Bryn hadn’t been able to make anything with the single flower, and I doubted she’d be able to do much with the six I’d just found, but the candle maker might.