To Love Again - Bertrice Small [29]
Cailin learned to work in Ceara’s vegetable garden. This was a type of labor her family had left to their slaves, but although she was distressed by the condition of her hands after several days’ labor, Cailin learned from her cousin Nuala, Corio’s little sister, that a cream of rendered sheep fat and Mary’s gold would cure rough hands, or any part of her skin needing attention.
Nuala, who was almost fourteen, took Cailin with her when she watched over the sheep. Cailin enjoyed those hours out upon the green hillsides. Nuala told her all she needed to know about her Dobunni family, and Cailin in turn shared her life before her family’s murders with Nuala. She was the first real friend Cailin had ever had. She was far kinder than the Romano-Briton girls Cailin had grown up with, and a great deal more fun-loving. Taller than Cailin, she had wonderful long dark hair, and bright blue eyes.
Cailin rarely saw her grandfather, and counted it a blessing. He spent his nights with his young wife Brigit, in her house. Brigit, however, did not cook to suit the old man, so he took his meals in his own hall. Cailin avoided Berikos for Brenna’s sake, but he had not forgotten her.
“Is she useless as all Roman women?” he asked Ceara one day.
“Kyna taught her to cook, weave, and sew,” Ceara answered him. “She does them well. That joint you are gnawing on with such satisfaction was cooked by Cailin.”
“Hmmmmm,” the old man replied.
“And she tends my vegetable garden for me, Berikos. My bones are almost as old as yours are. I do not like getting up and down, weeding, hoeing, transplanting. Cailin does it all for me now. She learns quickly. Nuala has been taking her out to help tend the sheep. Cailin nurses Brenna, too. Kyna raised her well. She is a good girl, but we must find a husband for her. Brenna will not live much longer, and after her death, Cailin will feel that she has no one.”
“She has us,” Berikos said harshly.
“It will not be enough,” Ceara told him.
“Well,” the Dobunni chieftain said, “at least she is earning her keep, if you are to be believed, Ceara.”
“I am not the wife who is prone to lying to you, Berikos,” Ceara said sharply. “You must look to your Catuvellauni for lies.”
“Why can you not get on with Brigit?” he grumbled at her.
“Because she has no respect for me, or for Maeve. She takes advantage of you, Berikos, and you let her. She calls to your dark side, and encourages it so that you do things you would have never done before you married her. She is wicked, and far too ambitious for a hill Dobunni chieftain’s wife. But why do I waste words on you? You do not want to hear them. I have never lied to you, Berikos. Cailin is a good girl,” Ceara finished quietly.
In mid-June the spelt, a species of early wheat, was harvested. In late July the einkorn, a single-grained variety of wheat, was harvested along with barley, rye, and millet. The grain to be kept for seed or barter was put in stone subterranean silos, closed with clay seals. The grain for everyday use was stored in the barns. The hay was cut and set out to dry upon wooden racks.
Nuala and Cailin collected leaves of woad, carefully filling their rush baskets with the greenery; when processed, it made a marvelous blue dye for which the Celts were famous. They also dug madder root, which yielded an excellent red dye. When the two were mixed together, a royal-purple resulted, which was very much in demand. The colors would eventually be used on garments made from the flax and hemp that were also being harvested.
August first was the feast of the great Celtic sun god Lugh. It was marked all over Britain by a general military truce between the tribes. The main harvest done, there would be a great gathering of all the hill Dobunni, with games, races, music, and poetry recitals. Cailin was familiar with the festival. In Corinium there had been