The boar thrashed in its crate, pulling the women’s attention. The harness Astin had made was now tangled around its neck and belly.
Should I get my bow in case this all goes terribly wrong?Eda signed.
They had hoped the youngest Suttone sister would have resumed speaking by her seventeenth birthday, but it had arrived and gone, and she continued to sign in place of speech—despite rather strong encouragement.
‘We can handle one boar between four of us,’ Lyndal said, pushing up the sleeves of her dress and staring down at the boar.
‘Three of you,’ Candace said. ‘I am too old to wrestle wild animals.’
Blake approached the crate. ‘Keep your eyes on those tusks.’ She slid the door open enough for Eda to get her hand through and take hold of the rope. ‘I’ll open on three.’
Lyndal positioned herself next to Blake, ready to catch the animal if it tried to flee.
The family’s duck chose that moment to join the fun, coming at a run from the house.
‘Not now, Garlic! Go back inside.’
Garlic ran straight up to Lyndal’s feet instead.
‘Ready?’ Blake asked, looking between them. ‘One, two, three.’ She tugged the crate open, and the boar flew out.
While Eda had some muscle on her, thanks to her obsession with weapons and sparring, she was no match for the pregnant boar. Her arms were almost pulled from their sockets as she hit the ground. She was dragged six feet before Blake leapt after her, catching hold of the rope. The boar came to a stop, squealing in protest.
‘Goodness,’ Candace said, hand pressed to her chest. ‘I thought you said the animal is domesticated.’
Lyndal ran over to help her sisters. ‘She is. That’s why she’s running away instead of trying to kill us.’
A horse approaching at a canter made them all look in the direction of the front path. And there was Lord Thomas, seated upon his tall chestnut gelding, face clean-shaven and hair neat despite the speed at which he travelled. He pulled up his horse in front of them, eyes immediately going to the boar.
‘Uncle,’ Lyndal said, her voice a few pitches too high.
Eda tried to brush some of the fresh mud off her dress but only managed to smear it more.
‘For heaven’s sake,’ Thomas said, shaking his head. ‘You have been living in the nobility borough for more than a year now, and still you present yourselves as the lowest form of peasant.’
Candace stepped into his line of sight, as if that might somehow erase the scene before him. ‘My lord, we had no idea you were paying us a visit.’
‘I see that.’ He dismounted and walked over to his sister-in-law. ‘The king and queen mother are coming to dine with us tomorrow, and the queen has asked that Lyndal attend.’
Lyndal glanced at Blake, whose surprised expression mirrored her own. ‘Queen Fayre? I’ve never even met her.’
Thomas waved a dismissive hand. ‘That is what happens when one makes a nuisance of themselves. They suddenly become visible.’
Eda crossed her arms and glared at her uncle.
‘Nuisance?’ Blake said, taking a step in his direction. ‘The merchants sing my sister’s praises. She spends more time helping people over that wall than here with her own family.’
Thomas looked down his straight nose at her. ‘You say that like it is admirable to abandon one’s responsibilities at home.’ He turned his attention back to Candace. ‘Regardless of the reason behind the invitation, Lyndal must attend. We wish to keep the queen mother happy.’
Candace looked back at Lyndal. ‘I suppose she can attend if Queen Fayre has requested her presence.’
Thomas gave a curt nod. Then, turning back to his horse, he mounted, flicking his cloak out behind him. ‘If rumour is to be believed, the match between the young king and the Toryn princess is no longer. The food situation in Toryn is worse than here in Chadora. Better His Majesty find a well-bred wife here in his own kingdom, where we have enough mouths to feed already.’
Candace and Lyndal exchanged a knowing look. It was no secret that Thomas wished to see a crown on his daughter’s head. The Suttone sisters had no objections. They adored their spoiled cousin and wished her nothing but the best.
‘I think we can all agree that Lady Kendra would be an exceptional match,’ Thomas continued. ‘She comes from a long line of nobility, is well-spoken, educated—but not so educated as to make the king appear a fool.’
The king did not need any help with that. His everyday actions spoke volumes about his intellect.
