“If you love a man enough, you will do anything for him,” another woman said, breaking into Aisling's thoughts.
Gormelia scoffed. “Too bad he had to have you fight his battles.”
“I’ve seen you practicing with your Viking bow. Can you teach me how to shoot?” Nelly ate the rest of her bread.
“Aye, when we’re free I can.” Though Aisling wanted to see Coinneach further. She suspected loitering on the wall walk wasn’t acceptable. Like sleeping with him in the barracks wasn’t either.
She was so glad Coinneach was better this morning and hoped he would continue to be all right. And she loved that he gave her a good morning kiss after they broke their fast. After they finished eating, she and the other assistant cooks began cleaning the pots for the next meal.
“You left the chamber last night,” Gormelia said, splashing water on Aisling as she cleaned a pot.
Aisling wouldn’t engage her. Instead, she finished her pot and moved off to clean up their table. Nelly came to assist her. She whispered, “Gormelia watches you all the time. She told everyone that you hadna slept on your pallet last eve.”
“Doesna she have anything else to worry about?”
“Nay. She’s angry that you are serving Aodhan’s table.” Nelly sighed. “So where were you? You couldna have slipped away to see Coinneach. He was in the…barracks.” Her green eyes widened. “You were in the barracks with all the men?”
Aisling smiled. “Only with Coinneach, making sure he wasna feverish.”
“Oh.”
“If he had been, I would have run back to the keep to get my mother to check on him.”
“Oh.” Then Nelly smiled. “So what did the other men think when they saw you?”
“They were asleep. And thankfully no one said I couldna do it.”
“He appeared to be just fine,” Nelly said.
“Aye, I’m hoping he doesna engage in any more fighting before he is fully healed.”
Gormelia left the kitchen with her friends, and Aisling was glad for it.
“Can you show me some archery skills now?” Nelly asked.
Cook shook her head. “If you and Aisling become expert archers, they’ll want you to work for Drustan instead of me.”
Aisling knew Cook was jesting. Drustan would never have the women fighting with the men.
“Nay, I will never be able to do what Aisling did, but I just want to learn,” Nelly said.
“You’re free to go,” Cook said.
Aisling grabbed Nelly’s hand, and they headed to the women’s chamber. From there, Aisling retrieved her bow and quiver of arrows. Then the two women left the castle for where the targets were set up. They both glanced up to see where Coinneach was up on the wall walk and saw him and Aodhan several feet away. But the men were doing their duty and watching for danger.
“I sure wish I could catch someone like Coinneach for my own. He’s so braw, but then you are too so you suit each other.”
“You’ll find just the wolf for you when the time comes.”
Nelly was shy around the men, which gave Aisling an idea. Tamhas was such a nice man, but he didn’t have many opportunities to meet women. But if Nelly and he really liked each other, would she be able to manage living on the farm? And Nelly was the only ally Aisling had in the kitchen.
“What do you think about farming?” Aisling readied an arrow and aimed it at the target. “See my stance?”
“Uh, yes. What about farming?”
“Would you like to live in a croft instead of the castle, cooking?” Aisling released the arrow, and it hit the target.
“I’ve never lived in a croft, so I dinna know anything about it.”
