“Thank ye. I will leave ye to yer work. Hopefully Papa will let me go to the loch tomorrow.”
Mrs. Logan hugged Elayne to her. “Thank ye for coming to visit me, Elayne. I enjoyed the lovely surprise and the pretty flowers. It has been a long time since anyone brought me flowers.”
Elayne left Mrs. Logan’s cozy home and walked through the village, greeting the people she knew. Before crossing through the gate, Elayne took a deep breath, feeling like she would be imprisoned and smothered again, now that she had something so important to look forward to. Later, she changed into her work clothes and resumed work.
Her father was not there. Most likely at the farrier’s, seeing about selling him more nails for the horseshoes. Elayne made most of the nails from spare iron.
With many horses for the laird’s warriors, short nails were always in demand. Her father would see her hard at work when he returned. A warm afternoon, the men discussed business over cups of ale, so he could be there as well.
Elayne checked their supply of short nails and found it low, so she pounded out the length of iron needed to make as many as she could. She would need to pick up buckets of spare iron at the farrier’s. Her father rarely had the foresight to pick them up since she was the one who made the nails.
Soon, between the afternoon sun, the heat of the forge, and the exertion of pounding and beating the metal into submission, Elayne was drenched in sweat. Few people noticed her in the forge working, especially since they normally spoke to her father to get what they needed. When Elayne provided the villagers what they needed, they were impressed with her knowledge and courtesy.
Her prices were fair, and she often bartered with them, which gained her many useful items. Through shrewd bartering, Elayne had secured the chickens that provided abundant eggs for her father and the occasional dinner in a pot over the hearth.
When her father returned, he greeted her. “Thank ye for seeing we were running low on short nails. I took most of what we had to Duncan, the farrier, as he was in short supply. The farrier will send one of his apprentices to get more. Especially since it is spring and the horses are ridden frequently and for longer.”
“I will go there now and pick up more iron to make more nails.” It would allow her to experience the sights and sounds of the market. Elaine dropped nails into her pocket to barter for oil; one of the vendors typically saved a bottle for her when available.
With longer days of sunshine, the market closed later. As Elayne walked by, the vendor greeted her. “Good afternoon, lass,” he said. “I hoped to see ye. I have lavender oil I saved for ye.”
“That is wonderful. Ye ken I needed more. Will four short nails satisfy ye so I may purchase it from ye today?”
“Aye, that will be fine, lass. Here ye are,” he said as he handed her the lavender oil vial in a cloth tied with twine.
Elayne admired the pretty wrappings as she carefully laid the nails on the table for him. “Ye always tie yer oils in the prettiest fabric.”
“I save the best for ye, lass!”
“Thank ye,” she said, and pocketed the oil. Elayne bid the merchant goodbye and walked to the farrier’s. She greeted Duncan and his apprentices, who were all busy shoeing horses.
“Elayne, it is good to see ye, lass.” The farrier called her by her given name, having seen her when she arrived at the castle, lost and barefoot. “Yer father brought me a bucket of nails for the horses, but I will need another bucket soon. Help yerself to the iron over there. I would send an apprentice to help ye carry it, but as ye can see, they are all busy now.”
“Do nae fash. I can carry it. Even though I need to make extra trips, I will get the job done.”
“I have no fear of that, lass. Every time yer father visits me, I ask him when he will loan ye to me again.”
“This is a busy time of year. And I need extra coin to purchase fabric to sew a dress. I will ask my papa if I can work for ye after dinner, if that will help ye.”
“Lass, that would be great. Please persuade him to lend me yer skills for a few weeks. The warriors dislike being kept waiting for their mounts, and if they wait too long, the laird may have something to say about it.”
“I will do my best for ye. I will load my bucket now.”
Elayne used leather gloves and hoisted the heavy iron pieces into the sturdy bucket. She tested the weight and was satisfied when the bucket was filled just enough so she could manage it. Leaving the farrier’s, she carried the bucket home. At the forge, she emptied the bucket into a large barrel, then made several more trips between the forge and farrier’s.
Elayne’s father spied her carrying the buckets as he pummeled a sword on the anvil. The end of the sword glowed with the heat from the forge as he pounded it. The farrier noted how many trips she made carrying the heavy load of iron, and she never complained.
It grieved William that he couldn’t give her more. He had protected, fed, clothed, sheltered, and loved her as his daughter, but Elayne deserved a better life. She had been born into a better life, but this forge had become her home and reality.
After returning to the forge with a full bucket for the last time, she filled the barrel to the brim. Elayne said to her father, “The farrier has requested my help after dinner each night for the next few weeks. He fears the laird’s wrath if the warriors are waiting too long for their mounts. At the farrier’s, they are working dawn to dusk shoeing the horses.
“I can make more horseshoes for him, which will help him greatly right now. Will it be okay with ye, Papa, if I aid him?” William’s daughter was a marvel. She thought of others and hada kind heart, so how could he refuse her? The cunning farrier, his friend, knew he couldn’t stop her if she asked.
“Of course, ye may help him. I ken he’s desperate for yer help. I may lend him a hand as well for more iron. Besides the warriors, the farmers are undoubtedly clamoring for his help.”
“Thank ye, Papa. I will work here after dinner to make us more short nails. Then tomorrow, I will help the farrier after dinner.”
After a while, Elayne took a break from working to join her father and Mrs. Logan for dinner. The widow happily shared with her father that Elayne had visited her at her cottage and partook in a cup of tea.
