'That's what all that squealing was!'

“That’s what all that squealing was!” Mouse said. “I thought someone was tickling piglets down here.”

Her little brother was racing around the empty hall at Sir Sigefrith’s manor, in the company of Haakon and Lord Cynewulf. Haakon and Heafoc only looked up at her and oinked, but Cynewulf stopped and solemnly bowed.

“Good morning, Mouse.”

“Good morning, my lord,” she curtseyed.

“I hope we weren’t disturbing you ladies,” he said.

'I hope we weren't disturbing you ladies.'

“Oh, no. We were only laughing over it, and I wanted to come down to see just what you were up to. But I didn’t know you were here.”

“My father abandoned me here on his way to see Father Aelfden.”

“Abandoned you!”

'Abandoned you!'

“That’s what he said,” Cynewulf giggled. “He said he’ll probably miss me in a while, though.”

“I’m sure he will!”

“How are you today?” he asked, suddenly sober again. “We have not met in some time.”

'How are you today?'

“I am very well, thank you,” she said with a gravity matching his own. “And how are you and your family?”

“We are tolerably well, thank you, though my sister Bruni has a little cold. She’s not truly my sister, you know, but I like to say she is.”

“That’s very sweet of you.”

Cynewulf squinted up at her. “My father said it was gallant of me.”

'Oh, gallant, I meant.'

“Oh, gallant, I meant,” Mouse giggled. “Of course it’s very gentlemanly and not sweet at all.”

“That’s all right, then.”

“But—my lord,” Mouse blurted. “There’s something I told myself I would ask you when next I saw you… now what was it?”

Cynewulf bowed. “Anything I can do for you, I shall gladly do.”

'Anything I can do for you, I shall gladly do.'

“I remember what it was! I was wondering… could you tell me, does Sir Egelric have a new steward?”

“A new one?” he asked. “I don’t think so. I think he has the same old Wyn he always had.”

“His name is Wyn?”

“Ahhh… Ethelwyn I think. But everyone calls him Wyn. Say, that’s funny! Just like your sister!”

“That’s funny,” she smiled. “Though I wouldn’t call him Wynsome,” she added under her breath.

'That's funny.'

“I hope Egelric didn’t get a new one!” Cynewulf said. “I liked the old one. He taught me how to write my M’s as he does. But that was when I was just little,” he assured her, in case his current writing skills were in any doubt.

“Oh…”

“Did you see him? What does he look like?”

“Oh, well… he has a… a neck, and a… face,” she stammered. Why, if she had not forgotten his face, could she not think of a single feature that she could describe? “And hair! Curly hair!” she gasped. “Brown!”

“Well, Wyn has curly brown hair. But—say! You’re not starting to like curly hair are you?” he asked suspiciously.

'You're not starting to like curly hair are you?'

“Oh, no! Not at all. Curly hair is a perfectly respectable sort of hair. But it’s not cute at all.”

“At least not if it’s black.”

“That’s true. Black curly hair is the least cute of all the colors. It is only very handsome and respectable.”

“That’s all right, then. Well, I shall ask Egelric the next time I see him whether—”

'Oh, no! That's not necessary.'

“Oh, no! That’s not necessary. I only wondered where that man came from, if he said he was Sir Egelric’s steward. I never saw him before.”

“Is he here?”

“No, I saw him weeks ago.”

“He never comes out here. Egelric always likes to come himself so he can see Iylaine.”

“Oh! Never?”

'Sometimes, obviously.'

“Sometimes, obviously, since you saw him,” he said, rolling his eyes at her stupidity. “But I hardly see him unless I go with my father to visit Egelric. He’s nice. Sometimes he plays with me while my father is talking and talking and talking to Egelric.”

“Oh, really?” she sniffed. “He didn’t seem so very nice to me.”

“Perhaps he is only nice to boys and men. But—say! He wasn’t rude to you, was he? I shall have a talk with him.”

“No, no!” she gasped. “That is, I think we simply misunderstood one another.”

'No, no!'

“Oh, that’s all right, then. I shall tell him to speak more clearly next time.”

“No! No!” she laughed desperately. “Don’t tell him anything, please.”

“Why not? Don’t you like him?”

“No, it’s—I mean, I don’t like him or not like him. He probably doesn’t even remember me. I only saw him once, and since he almost never comes, I’m not likely to see him again. Am I?”

“That’s so,” he agreed. “You probably won’t. But I hope Egelric keeps him anyway. If Egelric doesn’t want him any more, then I shall take him on to be my steward for when I’m a man. My father says good men like that are hard to find.”

'My father says good men like that are hard to find.'