Read Ravenwood for Free Online

later.”
    Amber and William glanced at each other and Amber sighed. “Well, let me show you Mother Alderton’s cottage, Tanyth. Anything you can do to help would be appreciated.”
    They all drained their cups and stood.
    William gave his wife a hug and nodded politely to Tanyth. “I’ve gotta get Bester movin’ or he’ll think we’re goin’ soft.” He walked off toward the barn.
    Amber bustled about putting the cups and pot on a tray and Tanyth helped her take the precious china indoors.
    “That’s a lovely service, Amber. Was it a gift?”
    Amber smiled. “From William when we moved out here. He said I should have something to remind me of the finer things.”
    “How thoughtful!”
    “How pessimistic, but how right he was. There are days when the crud and the mud and the bugs all make me a little crazy.”
    Tanyth grinned. “I understand completely. Twenty winters I’ve been on the road. Some days, it’s glorious. Others, it’s somethin’ considerably less.”
    Amber stashed the tea service solidly on the hearth and led Tanyth out the front door and around the edge of the hamlet to a small hut, no different from any of the others. Tanyth noted that with some minor variations they might all have been stamped from the same mold. Simple post and beam construction with a rather pronounced peak to the roof. The roof was planked like the side of a boat and the walls were chinked logs, probably cleared from this very lot to make room for the hamlet. Like all the others, this one had a low door with steps down to a tidy room. A very businesslike hearth held pride of place on the east end and a matching door led out the far side of the hut, giving access on both sides of the building. Even though there were no windows, the doors on both sides gave day light during summer and the low buildings were protected from winter’s cold by the earthwork.
    As the two women entered the hut, a flock of children pelted by outside. Tanyth watched them run past the open door.
    “One of those is yours?” She asked. “The ringleader? Riley was it?”
    Amber smiled proudly. “Yes, Riley and his sister, Gillian. This will be his ninth winter. Gillian’s seventh.”
    “You had them before you came out here?”
    Amber nodded. “We’re crazy but we’re not that crazy.” She smiled cheerfully. “William and I eloped almost ten winters ago. We tried to make it on our own in town.” She shook her head and shrugged. “It was impossible. Everybody knew our families and that they didn’t approve of us. The children came and we needed more for them than we could do for them in town.”
    “How did you happen on this place? It’s a trifle out of the way.”
    Amber laughed. “That’s a bit of an understatement, mum. It was a place that William knew from huntin’ out here as a boy. About six winters ago, he came out and found it again. Then we set about recruitin’ our friends and fellow castoffs to move out here to start a new town. It took a couple of winters but we finally managed it and here we are.”
    While Amber talked, Tanyth took in the hut and its contents. She stood near the foot of the steps and Amber crossed to open the far door to let out the chilly, stale air. A thin patina of dust coated the table and there was a pair of chairs along with what looked like an oil lamp, complete with glass chimney and reflector. Along one wall, a neat collection of shelves held bundles and bags, boxes and crocks. Tanyth turned her gaze upward and realized that more bundles of dried flowers and grasses hung in long hanks from the rafters.
    Amber followed her gaze upward and gasped. “My goodness! What are all those?”
    “It looks like a particularly well stocked supply of herbs and medicinal plants that has overstayed its time.” Tanyth grimaced. “What a lot of work to go to waste.”
    “How do you know it’s gone to waste, mum?”
    “There may be a few things we can salvage here, but most things lose their strength if