Taniel (The Taverner's Daughter I)

64: Hanrey

"Hanrey?" Rita said from the other side of the kitchen table.

"Huh?" Hanrey lifted his gaze from lumpy oatmeal, dragging his thoughts from fetching Cissie's letter.

"You haven't heard a word," his sister said. "How much time do we have before Eighalh sends for Taniel?"

Hanrey glanced at Jimbo and Katie, both busy with breakfast preparations. Pans sizzled on the iron stove.

"None. If she had told us, sooner, we'd be long gone from Skerby." He tried not to dwell on his share of the blame. "You best stay here. The wizards have no cause to bother you."

"Are you sure?" Rita sighed. "I have three confinements next week. I cannot just up and leave. Maybe it is time for me to get that little cottage I keep talking about."

"Have you enough coin?" Hanrey lowered his voice, nodding towards the floor. "There's plenty stashed in the hole, just take what you need."

"I'm quite well off, you know. It hardly costs me anything to live here, and my herbs do well."

"One less worry for me, then." He summoned a weak smile. "There will be very little tavern profit when we've gone. Peter will have to hire help, in our stead." He shoved his breakfast from him, finding his appetite ruined by the grog before bed, among other things.

Dragontalk, he thought, sighing and shaking his head. He expected it during his lifetime, of course, just not from his daughter. It was no good blaming Cissie, be she dead or alive though she would never be dead to him until he saw her corpse. He hoped she explained things properly to Taniel in the letter.

"Where is Taniel, anyway? I thought she would be here, hustling me along."

"She was keen, wasn't she?" Rita's smile leaked milk down her chin. She swiped it away with the edge of her sleeve. "I haven't seen her."

"Let her sleep." He pulled the bowl back, knowing he needed to get himself fit for the journey ahead. Hiding Taniel was not going to be easy. If only they could find the blasted missing bracelet, they would both be safer.

A scream startled him. A knife clattered on the floor tiles.

By the time Hanrey crossed to Katie, Jimbo had her hand wrapped in a clean dishcloth. Her eyes brimmed. They helped her to a chair. She clutched her hand to her stomach, wailing.

"Here, let me look?" Rita stepped between the hovering men. "Shush, girl."

"I'm sorry," Katie whispered. "I'll be right. It's only a little cut."

Gently unwrapping the cloth, Rita revealed a small nick in the forefinger. The kitchen maid paled at the sight of more of her blood.

"No missing fingers, good," his sister said.

Katie giggled. Her cheeks coloured.

"I'll take you home," Rita said. She looked up at Hanrey. "Alright?"

Katie rushed to her feet. "Oh no, I can still work." She wobbled and fell back to the chair

"No, no." Hanrey shook his head. "You eat something, then off you go. I'll still pay you for the whole day."

Her worried eyes brightened. "Thank you, sir."

"Enough of that sir business," Hanrey replied. "Taniel will do your tasks for today." He returned to his seat at the table while Rita fussed over Katie.

He hoped Taniel had time to cover the extra work, for now he recalled her mentioning a dragonrider, and another matter.

"What's wrong?" Rita asked.

"I don't know, this business with ..." Hanrey rolled his eyes, remembering not to speak of dragontalk in front of Katie. "Taniel said something happened, upstairs." He swallowed a mouthful of gruel, grimacing. "Can't be too important, else she would've told us then."

Rita took her bowl to the sink where she deliberated a moment, pursing her lips. "She did say it was odd, whatever happened last night."

"My night was odd, too, thanks very much," growled Hanrey. "I wouldn't want to go through that again."

"I second that." Rita took away Katie's bowl before checking the girl's finger again.

Hanrey chewed thoughtfully, finally deciding to put Taniel's hints aside. There was little point worrying about things he knew nothing about.

"Jimbo, are you right for now? I'm off down the street for a bit. I'll rouse Taniel when I get back."

The cook nodded.

Hanrey dumped his dish in the sudsy water. Wetting one hand, he wiped over his mouth and smoothed his beard. Pleased to see Katie looking better, he winked at her and left for the Notary office.

Stepping out on the quiet street, his gut filled with trepidation. Soon, he would hold Cissie's words in his hand, without any right to read them. Perhaps she gave a truer reason why she had forsaken them, and explained how her leaving protected them all. Pain ached in his chest, as it always did when he remembered how Cissie had never trusted him with her secrets. He supposed he had acted no better.

His own secrets ran deep.

Did he deserve Taniel's trust?

***

31 March 2017 - replaced with revised scene

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