Eithne is guarded

No one had yet sent for Eithne; and they had been speaking softly enough that without Lasrua’s ears, she would not have known anyone had come at all.

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Sigefrith makes up for lost laughter

“That is not Leofric,” Malcolm said gravely after a moment’s consideration. “If he took the stairs that quickly, you would have heard him coming from farther off than that.”

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Eithne begins to warm

They had not been alone together until now, but the gaze of Condal’s dim eyes had scarcely left Eithne’s face since she had arrived. Eithne knew it, for she could not bear to be looked upon. The black mark on Cian’s cheek was an elegant adornment beside the stain she wore. And her sister sometimes saw things others did not.

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Dantalion is afraid

Before Dantalion had closed the door behind him — almost before he had opened and stepped through it — Eithne cried, “No! I don’t want you!”

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Eithne says the words

“My father is dead.”

Eithne’s voice cracked like a burning log, but at least she was speaking. At last she was speaking. Dantalion was so relieved that he scarcely minded she had just said the dreaded words.

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Condal finds a clearing

The chapel door seemed to weigh more than little Condal herself, but once she had given it enough of a push to let it know what she wanted of it, it kindly opened and stood patiently waiting for her to step through.

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The unspoken is said

The windows were tightly closed against the cold, and the low fire ventured only the occasional crackle. In the silence of the room, Paul could hear Catan coming long before she opened the door.

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Alred is meddlesome

“I wonder,” the Duke said with studied carelessness, “whether you truly believe that I am so tedious a man as to invite ladies to visit the flax barns with me.”

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Gunnilda sees the son

It would likely mean unraveling and redoing the half-​row of stitches she had abandoned on her needle, but Gunnilda had to find out what her daughter was up to.

If it was a peddler at the door, Gytha should have sent him on his way; a beggar should have been sent to the kitchen; and anyone else should have been invited inside for a cup of cider and a piece of cake. A young gentle lady did not stand around gossiping in doorways, and especially not if, as it seemed, she was gossiping with a young man.

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Leofric sees the daughter

Saturday evenings when the Duke was away were undeniably uninteresting, but Lady Gwynn thought her sister could have hidden her boredom better. Margaret did not even bother to hide her gaping mouth when she yawned.

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