Bethberry said good-bye to Aldhelm and ducked under the low beam of the door as she left the mill. The sunbeams caught on the dust particles in the air, making the entire place shimmer. It looked fascinating, but the heavy dust always made her sneeze. After one particularly strong sneeze, she wondered if millers were likely prone to chest ailments.
Walking Cailleach with the reigns in her hands, she trod the well-worn dirt path up to the small stone house. She could hear Deol scolding the cows in the barn and then, as she neared the house, she caught sight of Lathyn picking flowers.
"Ho, hello Lathyn," she called out and waved. The girl looked up, surprised and happy, and ran to meet her mother's friend.
"I've picked a nice posy for you Miss Bethberry," the girl burst out happily.
"So you have, so you have. They are beautiful."
Bethberry sniffed at bouquet of foxgloves and fleeceflower, primrose and lupins. They were fresh and sweet, but the scent of the honeysuckle vine covering the house overpowered them. She sneezed once, twice, and had to return the bouquet to Lathyn or she would have dropped them.
"I'm sorry," she said to the crestfallen girl. "I stopped by the mill to see your da and the dust there made me sneeze. I don't know how he can stand it in there. Let's see how lovely these look on your table, shall we?" She smiled cheerfully at the girl, a smile which brought happiness once again to Lathyn's face.
"How's your ma? Is she well? She's had a hard confinement. I've missed her and am so looking forward to this visit."
The girl nodded. "She's tired often and doesn't like being so bed or chair ridden. I think she's getting pains and cramps now, more often. She's waiting for you in the kitchen. Come."
The two left Cailleach with Deol in the barn and then walked up to house.
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I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.
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