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"If you have any questions about anything in or of the house, Modtryth, please feel free to come to me."
Saeryn turned to leave before a thought crossed her mind. The harsh scent of hard soap was burning her throat; she would bring Modtryth honey-sweetened tea before she left her entirely.
But Marenil... as steward of Eodwine's house, he should surely be involved? And certainly, with Linduial and Farahil gone, he would look forward to a diversion...
"Modtryth, when you have finished, and it should not take long... Kara helped me to do most of what was needed only a few days past... please find Marenil. You may not remember him from yesterday; he is the kindly old man that you may have seen by the fire. He is Eodwine's steward and he can tell you more about shopping and the like. And, if you don't mind, when you are done, can you ask him to meet with Eodwine, Garstan, Stigend, and I in the Hall? Please tell him that we are discussing business and that he might wish to be in attendance. If you cannot find him, Kara in the kitchens usually knows where members of the household are lurking."
Saeryn left Modtryth now, hoping that her hastiness had not been taken for curtness. She liked Modtryth; the woman struck her as kind, patient, hard-working, and down to earth; all qualities that Saeryn respected.
What next? Saeryn counted off chores on her hands, using her fingers more to keep from fidgeting than for need of them. She toyed with her fingers, marking off duties quickly. See off Linduial; check. Feed Trystan, find him work; check. Find Modtryth, give her duties; check and check. Find Degas and smack him upside the head for not telling me that he was courting Lin; ooh, how I wish I could check that... She sighed heavily, finding herself in the kitchen again.
Making small talk with Kara, she prepared sweetened tea and brought that and cold water to Modtryth, depositing it with a preoccupied smile.
"Laundry is thirsty work, I've learned."
What am I forgetting? Eodwine wants me... he can wait. But I cannot, in good conscience, make him wait unless I have reason for it... Seeing to Linduial and Modtryth was fine; it needed doing. But I cannot find hidden corners to secretly clean to spite him. But why must he be so disagreeable? Ugh! He is never this way. Such a welcome to give a guest of his hall, no matter how unclean or travelworn. It was nothing more than unkind. I will have a word with him later, that is for sure. What must he be thinking, to greet the poor boy, trickster though he may be, with such hostility? Ugh!
She shook her head at her own folly as much as Eodwine's and found her way to the table at which he sat. She slipped onto a seat across from him, crossing her legs beneath her skirts. She clasped her hands gently on top of the table and when the men looked at her, she spoke quietly.
"Kara will come soon with breakfast; she was just finishing it. What have I missed?"
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