Page 24 of Dragon Heir

“They wanted to see your wonderful barn,” Will told her as he admired the cookies. “May I?”

“Oh, of course! Help yourself!”

Will snatched a treat from the plate and inhaled the whole thing in two bites. He licked his lips and winked down at Sarah. “As perfect as I remember. Maybe even better.”

I plucked one from the plate and tasted it. The cookie melted in my mouth and I couldn’t help but gobble mine up, too. “Wow. These are really, really good.” I took another one and held it up to Sarah who I winked at. “You’ll have to show me how you cook these so well.”

Emily smiled and nodded. “You both are too kind.”

Allard stepped out of the open swinging door of the barn and caught Will’s eye. “Lord Thorn, there’s a question I had about a breed of cattle in here.”

Will lifted an eyebrow. “Very well.” He turned to our hostess and nodded at the platter. “Would you mind if I had my friends try Sarah’s cookies?”

“Oh no,” Emily assured him as she handed him the plate. “Please eat all you want.”

Will nodded. “Thank you so much.” His eyes rolled over to me. “Why don’t you stay here for a moment? We should be out soon.”

His gaze flickered to the woman and her frightened daughter. They already looked ready to bolt out of fear. I smiled and nodded. “I’ll be glad to talk with them for a while.”

Chapter Fifteen

Truth be told I desperately wanted to go with him but I couldn’t balk in front of Will’s people. It would have made the precarious situation worse, especially when encouragements of rebellion filled the air.

Will slipped away, leaving me alone with mother and child. The late afternoon shadows stretched over us and my ears strained to hear any conversation from the barn, but alas, we stood too far away. I heard a faint curious sigh from my smaller companions and glanced down at the little girl.

An idea struck me and I turned to Emily and her daughter. I offered them a friendly smile which the mother reluctantly returned. The little girl hid behind her mother’s dress. “Hello, there. My name’s Rose.”

Steven’s wife bowed her head and curtsied. “We know who you are, Lady Thorn. It’s a pleasure to be making your acquaintance.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Please just call me Rose. I wouldn’t know what to do if everyone started calling me ‘Lady’ all the time.”

The woman relaxed a little at my request. “My name is Mrs. Emily Drut and this is my daughter, Sarah.”

I stooped and held out my hand to the little Sarah. “Glad to meet you, Sarah.”

Her eyes darted up to her mother who nodded. Sarah inched her way out from behind her parent and stretched out her shaking hand. Her quivering fingers brushed against mine and she gave a tiny yelp of surprise before dashing back behind her mother.

Emily frowned down at her child. “Is that any way to treat a guest?”

I laughed and shook my head. “It’s alright. I was that way when I was her age. Speaking of her age-” I looked around us and beheld another half dozen farms within a mile of where we stood, “-are there any other girls about Sarah’s age around here? Or maybe a little younger? Like six or so?”

Emily folded her arms and furrowed her brow. “About eight? There are some youngsters of that age in the village but I can’t recall any out here. Why do you ask?”

“I just thought I heard crying in the forest earlier today and was worried it might be a child,” I explained.

“It could be the kinderbird,” Emily suggested as she nodded at a nearby tree filled with little birds waiting to steal the crumbs from around the chicken coop. “It’s a kind of bird that sounds just like a child. It’s fooled me more than once into believing Sarah was outside.”

Sarah puffed her lips into a pout and nodded. “And I got yelled at.”

Emily smiled and stroked the top of her hair. “And then had a cookie for your trouble and a day without chores so I would know where you were.”

Sarah’s big eyes fell on me. “Do you have a little girl?”

I shook my head. “Not yet.”

“Are you going to have a little girl?”

“Sarah!” her mother scolded her.

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