Aloisia opened one eye to find Brighde, her sister-in-law, entering from the smithy. And she was pointing at her feet resting on the table.
“You’re not my ma.”
“No,” Ma said, “but she has a point.” She pushed her feet off with a ladle. “Your father made this table, Divines rest his soul.”
“Fynn finished the gift you ordered, Lis,” Brighde said, perching on the seat beside her. “I think Tristan is going to love it.”
“He’d better,” Aloisia said. “Even with my family discount, I paid a small fortune.”
“Twenty-one years is a significant Name Day. It’ll be worth every copper, I’m sure.”
“I’ll go see Fynn. We need more beads.” Aloisia heaved herself up from the table and headed into the smithy.
The heat intensified tenfold when she stepped through the door. Aloisia didn’t know how Fynn could stand it. He was at the anvil, the sound of metal against metal clanging within the room. As she entered, he looked up, swiping his dark hair away from his charcoal eyes.
“It’s over there.” He pointed to the table to his right with the hammer. “Some of my best work, I think.”
“You are welcome for the idea, brother.”
He shook his head with a sigh, returning the metal to the flames.
Aloisia had to admit he was right. Running her fingers over the delicately folded metal, she examined the ornament in the shape of a water lily. A metal disc formed the base, the lily pad. Fine slivers of iron curved upwards, a bloom of petals rising from the base. He had even included narrow rods at its centre to form the stamens. Each detail solidified the illusion of a water lily sprayed silver.
Aloisia lifted the delicate ornament, turning it between her fingers. It was far better than she’d imagined. As children, she and Tristan would spend hours playing by the lily ponds at the edge of town. Plus, she had wanted to gift him something with which to decorate his drab old room in the Temple.
“It’s perfect.” She grinned at her brother.
“You’re welcome.”
She glanced around the room. “Where’s the box I left here?”
“Third shelf down.” Fynn pointed to the cabinet behind her.
Aloisia gently placed the iron water lily back on the table and went to the cabinet, finding the wooden gift box exactly where Fynn had said. Iron filigree swirled in a border across the lid. She brought it back to the bench, where she carefully nestled the lily inside.
“We need more beads, Fynn.”
“Put it in the book. I’ve quite a few orders. I’ll try to get them done as quickly as I can.”
“Excellent.” She found the leather-bound orders book and scribbled it in there. From the length of the list within its pages, his gifts had really taken off. “I’ll let the lead huntresses know.”
“When you see Tristan, tell him I’m sorry I couldn’t attend the sermon. I’m too busy here. But Brighde and Ma are going.”
“You know, if your apprentice was allowed to make stuff, you might get through the orders quicker.”
“Don’t tell me how to run my business, Lis.”
Aloisia imitated stitching her lips shut.
“Tell him I’ll be at the tavern tonight, though.”
“He doesn’t know about the tavern tonight, so I shan’t.”
Fynn tilted his head. “He’s going to think I don’t care for his big day.”
“Sounds like your problem.”
He tutted. “At least tell him I’m sorry about the sermon!”
