Gunnilda runs after Egelric

Gunnilda trotted up the path through the woods. She thought she had seen the shadows of Egelric and Iylaine go by, but by the time she had laid Bedwig down and tied up her bodice they were already lost in the trees.

But near the top of the hill she found them.

“Gunnie!” Baby squealed, throwing herself at Gunnilda.

“My Baby!” Gunnilda cried.

Egelric only turned around and smiled.

“Egelric, why don’t you bring this Baby round no more?”

“Gunnilda, you don’t need this young pagan nipping at your heels all the day. You have Bertie and Wynnie running around ‘like my savage Scots’ as you say, and now young Egelric is walking too: that makes three. And you have little Bedwig so you can’t even sit down and rest a moment without a child in your lap. You don’t need this Baby too.”

“Oh, pish! You don’t know what I need. You’re saying I have so much rain I don’t need the sun.”

“You like playing with Kyneburga and Colburga, don’t you, Baby?” Egelric asked the girl.

“Aye, but I like playing with Bertie and Wynn, too,” she pouted. “And my Gunnie!” She hugged Gunnilda’s skirts again.

“We don’t see you no more, neither, Egelric,” Gunnilda said softly.

He turned his face away, and Gunnilda was sorry she had spoken. She hadn’t meant to hurt him.

“Well, I guess you’re real busy now,” she said. “Never mind. But I wish you would bring this Baby around sometimes. I don’t see Lady Gwynn no more and now I don’t see this Baby neither.” Her voice broke, and she was again sorry she had said so much.

“I shall bring her sometimes, if you like,” Egelric said quietly. “But if you’re too tired, please say so. Githa’s girls are so well-​​behaved that she can handle a third.”

“I hope you do bring her! My kids aren’t so bad. Besides, Bertie is always less wild when Baby is around. He don’t mind pounding on his sister, but he’s real gentle with that Baby,” she smiled.

“That’s because I asked him to be,” Egelric said tenderly, stroking his girl’s hair.

“Then I wish you would ask him to stop bringing bugs into the house, Egelric,” she laughed.