Taniel (The Taverner's Daughter I)

14: Taniel

My heart pounded in my throat. My whole body strummed with excitement as I leaped over the narrowest part of the creek and rushed across the cow paddock to the tavern yard. Panting, I leaned against the gate, trying to gather some decorum. Soon my breathing slowed. The thumping in my ears subsided.

So much had changed since I had gone out this same gate, not all that long ago!

I could talk to dragons.

I would fly.

A contented sigh shuddered through me. I felt my cheeks, pleased they were dry. Though my tears had been real, this time, crying on demand was something I had mastered in early childhood. It always guaranteed me attention from someone, usually Father or Aunt Rita.

Everyone felt sorry for a girl without a mother.

Since crying would not work on Father tonight, I hoped I wasn't too late for the dining room tasks. My eyes raced over the two rows of curtained windows in the back wall, coming to rest on Father's window by the open back door. No curtains twitched.

"Taniel, there you are." Erin appeared in the back doorway. "You aren't even changed yet. Dinner will be starting soon. Get a move on."

I rushed across the garden, deflecting Erin's disapproval with a hard look of my own.

"Don't forget, you're filling in for your aunt tonight," she said.

I had forgotten. 

In turmoil, I pushed past her and raced down the hall, around the corner, and on to my room at the far end. I hoped the dragonrider would wait for me. I was in Father's bad books. I must not disappoint either of them.

My plan of feigning a headache, directly after dinner, and pretending to go to bed had to be abandoned. Now I would have to clean up after the diners, just as Aunt Rita would have done if she were not off delivering some woman's babe.

After splashing water on my face at the washstand in the corner of my bedroom, I scrabbled in my closet for a skirt and a pretty blouse to keep my promise to Father to dress more womanly.

"Damn," I said to my reflection as I brushed my hair. I hoped that a high moon would not doom my dragon ride.

Finally satisfied with my appearance, I was turning to leave when I saw my sleeve sported a red spatter on the shoulder. I must have grazed the scrape as I dressed.

I cursed again, the blouse being my last clean top. I shrugged it off and wrapped a handkerchief around the scrape, tightening the knot with my teeth. I grabbed another blouse from the floor. I sniffed the armpits. It would have to do.

Dressed, at last, I donned an apron. On my way out the door, I tried to remember the dragonrider's name, not that it mattered.

He would do me, whatever his name.

***

Thanks for reading!

7 July 2021 - synchronising between Kindle, BookFunnel and Wattpad versions — a few small changes to the wording. 

During the 2017 update, I lost the "Angels don't get anywhere in this world" mentioned in comments My rationale, during the revision, was that Taniel didn't have a valid reason for such a belief. 

9 March 2017 - replaced with revised scene.

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