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" I know a few now - the girls are Mayonette and her friend Cordelia - though they seen to be in disagreement, the sandy haired b..young man" Elfride corrected herself guessing that Leoflic might be the junior " I think is named Thomas, but I haven't seen him for quite while. The older man is General Haukrsonn. The others - I cannot place - at least not yet. We should go over I think. "
Elfride rose and in her bearing now were few signs of her own sorrow. She stood tall and straight and walked with a purpose that perhaps prevented her movements from appearing graceful. Nevertheless the young widow cut a quietly elegant figure as she made her way across the busy Mead Hall with Leoflic following.
" General Haukrsson, this is an unexpected pleasure" , Elfride curtsied, but a trace of a smile played about her lips for General Hama might have outranked her husband and be her brother's senior, but 20 years ago he had been a rider in her father's eored. Though his promise was already evident and he had soon gained promotion, the memory of the cadet meant that she was not as awestruck of the general as she might have been when their paths crossed from time to time. She wondered if he still saw the harum scarum, seven year old tomboy, striving in all things to keep up with her elder brother, not the prosperous and dignified widow.
"Mayonnette, Cordelia - I came over to check that you were alright but ..... " Elfride stopped herself from saying that with Hama present there was surely little assistance she could offer, but she saw from the girls' faces that something was clearly very wrong. Her voice took a more serious tone - "what has happened?".
Elfride, had been away from the village for a couple of days, staying at her brother's house and so absorbed with her son that the news had not reached her. Now on hearing it, her face grew even paler as the implication of murder and kidnap so close to home sank in. She was too shocked to speak for the moment let alone introduce her new acquaintance.
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