Shaman of Stonewylde (49 page)

‘I’m not sure as I want the hare, thank you,’ said Maizie, pushing the creature away and patting Shadow reluctantly. Traditionally Stonewylders didn’t keep animals as pets and she felt awkward.

Clip sat in his chair and watched Leveret making tea for them all, understanding her need for busyness. Her face was closed and she was deep in thought, ignoring them both. Maizie sat in silence, her face miserable with shame, unsure how to begin. Then Leveret brought their cups over and sat down, regarding her mother steadily.

‘Mother, this is a complete shock and I had no idea. But I’ve heard such dreadful things of Alwyn that it’s a relief to know he’s not my father. I’d rather have Magus’ blood than the tanner’s.’

Maizie nodded, her cheeks still rosy and her eyes a little too bright. Clip lent across and clasped her trembling hands in his.

‘That was a terribly cruel way for Buzz to announce it to the world but nobody will think any the less of you, Maizie. As long as Leveret’s alright, then don’t feel upset. Sometimes secrets are better out.’

Maizie looked up at him gratefully and a glimmer of the pretty young girl who’d so captivated the young magus of Stonewylde was evident for a moment. Then she turned to her daughter, her lips quivering, and took a deep breath.

‘Leveret, my dear . . . you were always so special to me and now you know why – you were the living proof that Magus still loved me. May I tell you how it came about? You must never think you were conceived from lust or duty or by mistake. ’Twere out of love.’

‘Would you rather I left you both?’ asked Clip. ‘This is very personal.’

‘There’s not a great deal to tell,’ said Maizie, ‘so unless Leveret minds you listening in, I don’t.’

‘Clip is the father I’ve never had,’ said Leveret, ‘and I love him dearly. So I don’t mind him hearing anything.’

‘Well, ’twere the Hare Moon,’ said Maizie. ‘Sweyn were a weanling, and Gefrin a toddler. I’d had them two as well as Rosie, Geoffrey and Gregory with Alwyn, and was well and truly fastened to the man. He knew o’ course that Yul weren’t his, but that were part of the arrangement – he’d treat the boy as his, and tell the world so. Magus wouldn’t – couldn’t – take Yul as his son on account o’ that stupid prophecy of Old Heggy’s.’

‘It must have been difficult,’ said Clip.

‘Aye. I never loved Alwyn – never even liked him. He were a bully and a cruel man, and try as I may, I never could please him. But I loved my five little ‘uns from him, especially my Rosie who were always such a sweet maid. What I couldn’t take was
Yul’s
suffering and the way Magus turned a blind eye, but there were nought I could do other than try and keep Alwyn sweet. He were a greedy man, so I fed ‘un well and were as good a wife as I could be, always hoping that if he were content, he’d leave my Yul alone.’

‘Poor Mother,’ said Leveret, stroking her hand.

‘Well, everyone in the Village thought I’d got above myself that time when Magus were so enchanted with me. There were so many jealous girls and they all thought I’d got my comeuppance, being saddled with a brute such as Alwyn. Anyway, that May we’d had Beltane and o’ course Magus were the Green Man and he had a young and pretty May Queen by his side. As ever I watched ’em with a smile on my face and a stone in my heart. Try as I might, I could never forget when he’d loved me so much that he’d ride down to the Village every night for me. I never forgot the promises he’d made, to be handfasted to me even though I were just a simple Village maid. I’d never healed from the wound that he’d cut deep inside when he abandoned me the night o’ Yul’s birth in the Stone Circle, as that old crone made her prophecy. My life were hard on account o’ him, yet I still loved him.’

Maizie paused and Leveret edged closer to her on the sofa and laid her head on her mother’s soft shoulder. Shadow looked up mournfully and laid his head on her knee, and Maizie sighed.

‘Beltane had passed and then ’twas the night o’ the Hare Moon. Magus came down to the Village to pick his girl. Alwyn were in the Jack, where he always were of an evening, and would be there for a long time yet. The woman in the cottage next door, Clarysage she were called, Goddess rest her soul, had offered to come in and sit with the little ‘uns for me. I wanted to go to the woods and dig some ramson bulbs to make a new batch o’ gripe water for Sweyn. He had terrible colic and were always grizzling. Any goodwife knows ’tis best picked at the Moon Fullness, so off I went with my basket and trowel. Well, ’twere a beautiful evening, still light, with the birds in full song, balmy and warm, all the buds bursting out. I were walking up the track leading
into
the woods and my heart were heavy. Alwyn were a swine at times and handy with his fists if I weren’t careful. I seem to recall I were actually weeping as I walked along, looking at the bluebells and feeling the magic and wishing that my life weren’t so hard. And suddenly, there were Magus riding towards me on Nightwing. The moon had yet to rise and ’twere twilight, and we were all alone on the path.’

She paused again, lost in her memories.

‘And he got off that great beast, and scooped me up like I were a maid again and put me up on the saddle, and got on hisself behind me and off we went just like in the old days when I were a young girl without a care in the whole world. There was me, a handfasted woman with six –
six
– babes, and yet at that moment I felt like I were a maid again, all a-quiver. We rode up through the woods and up the hill to the top, to the great stone there. And we got off Nightwing and Magus laid me down on the grass, gentle and tender like it were my first time, and he kissed me. He kissed me as if all those years hadn’t happened, and all those babies hadn’t happened. And he made my heart whole again with that loving and yes, ’twere daft and foolish, but that didn’t matter. I knew then that he’d never forgotten me and that somehow, I were still special to him.’

‘Oh Mother – that’s beautiful!’

‘Aye, it were beautiful, right enough. Nothing like the conception of any of Alwyn’s five, nor even Yul that Spring Equinox all them years ago. Your conception, Leveret, on the top o’ that hill with the big pink Hare Moon a-rising and the magic o’ Stonewylde all around us – that were the most beautiful conception a woman could wish for. And I knew I’d conceived that night. I felt it, a spiral o’ new life inside me. There were hares all over the hill I recall, and I decided it ’twere a boy or girl, I’d call the babe Leveret. My little hare.’

Leveret felt the tears hot on her cheeks and buried her face in her mother’s arm. Maizie stroked her hand and smiled.

‘O’ course, nought were to come of it. Life continued, and I had to make sure Alwyn bedded me soon after in case he decided
to
use his head and count the moons. He never suspected – nobody ever suspected. Except Sweyn – I think somehow that child knew. He always resented you, Leveret.’

She nodded at this, everything now making sense.

‘But what about Magus, Mother? Did he know? Clearly he must have, to acknowledge me in his Will. Did you tell him?’

Maizie smiled again and chuckled.

‘Just as I knew I’d conceived, so did he. “
Make a wish and make a child
” they do say, and I said the rhyme that night, whilst we still lay together as one. He kissed me and tried to stop my words, but they were out and he came a-riding down to the Village next Dark Moon to see if I were in the Great Barn along with all the others. And I were standing there by the Village Pump drawing water, and he said to me, “Oh, not in the Barn then, Maizie?” and I says “No, Magus, I’m not. Reckon that wish came true and my seventh is on its way!” and he smiled and wished me well and rode on. And all the old women at the pump told me how lucky I were to have a seventh and I said aye, I knew that right enough.’

After Maizie had left, Leveret and Clip sat in the softly lit room and pondered the strange events of that day. Leveret slipped down to the kitchen and collected their tray of supper, but she noticed Clip ate little.

‘What did the consultant say?’ she asked. ‘With all these goings on, I’d completely forgotten about your appointment.’

‘Oh, he reckons there’s nothing to worry about,’ said Clip airily, waving his fork. ‘He’s taken samples and done scans and so forth. He’s going to let me know, but it’s probably just some sort of irritable bowel, as I suspected, and I just need to watch my diet carefully.’

‘Oh Clip, that’s good news!’ said Leveret. ‘I’ve been so worried.’

‘It’s probably my own fault for all that fasting over the years,’ he said. ‘So make sure you always eat regularly and properly, Leveret. Fasting on the day of a journey is fine, but don’t prolong it and neglect your body’s needs, will you?’

‘No, I’ll be sensible. Clip, I want to ask your advice about this inheritance. I don’t want money, you know that, though I’m happy for my mother’s sake that Magus did acknowledge me. What I’d like to do, if you think it’s alright, is give my share to Stonewylde. I’d like to put it towards all the things Buzz was talking about – the repairs and renovations. I don’t want any of it personally and I’d like you to say that for me at the meeting tomorrow please.’

‘That’s really admirable, Leveret.’

‘No it’s not. I don’t intend to ever leave Stonewylde, so what use is money to me? This way everyone will benefit.’

‘That’s a wonderful idea, and in the morning when I’m facing everyone in the Galleried Hall and Buzz is looking more and more like the predator he was named after, I shall surprise them all with your lovely, generous offer.’

Clip reached across and hugged her tight.

‘You’re my niece, my brother’s child,’ he said happily. ‘But what you said earlier about me being a father to you – that touched my heart. Thank you, Leveret.’

24

M
agpie and Leveret sat together at the table in Marigold and Cherry’s cottage examining the newly-arrived book and pens lying on the scrubbed pine. Marigold was sitting in her armchair knitting, breakfasts long over and done with and lunch not yet on the horizon, but Cherry was at that moment on her way to the Galleried Hall to meet with the other Elders.

‘See the different types of nibs on the pens, Maggie, and the different lines on the page here? And now look at this special lettering in the book. It—’

But he’d grabbed the book and was poring over it, his finger tracking the calligraphy on the page. He flicked through the pages of different script excitedly and looking up at Leveret, beamed his thanks to her.

‘Can you do lettering like this, do you think? It takes some practice of course, but I know you’ve got the skills.’

Magpie filled the pens with ink, for he was accustomed to drawing-pens, and immediately set to. Very quickly he picked up the technique and was soon writing in beautiful and almost perfect script.

‘You are so clever!’ she exclaimed. ‘Most people would take weeks to become as accomplished as that! Well done, Magpie!’

‘Aye, he’s a very clever boy, right enough,’ said Marigold proudly. ‘Last night when Cherry and I came in from the kitchens, he were sitting here reading a book – look, that book there with lots o’ words in it. And he got up and he made us a nice cup
o’
tea, and while we drank it he drew us a picture. It were beautiful – Magpie where’ve you put it, lad? I’m off now back to the Hall but do show Leveret what you drew. We wondered if ’twere of you, Leveret. She looks a bit like you.’

A little shyly, Magpie went upstairs and returned with his sketchbook. He’d used watercolour pencils, which he liked for speedy sketches, and as Leveret looked at the picture she felt the hair on her arms rise. It was a beautiful picture of a standing stone, and on the clover-dappled grass lay a pretty young woman with dark curls. Only her head and shoulders were visible in the picture, with one arm flung out in abandonment; her eyes were closed and a smile played on her lips. All around her sat hares in moongazy position, their ears laid back and their big eyes gazing up at the huge, pink moon. Underneath, Magpie had written “
the wish
”.

Leveret looked at him in wonder. She took his hands and gazed into his clear turquoise eyes, long-lashed and bright.

‘How do you do it, Magpie? I understand what this is. But how did you know?’

He simply smiled at her, his eyes now a little sad knowing he could not explain. Leveret persisted.

‘It was last night, wasn’t it, while my mother was telling me about how it happened and I was imagining how she must’ve looked, all those years ago up at Hare Stone?’

He nodded eagerly.

‘So how does it come to you? Do you get a picture in your head of whatever I’m seeing or imagining?’

Again he nodded and squeezed her hands.

‘Do you remember how you used to send me your thoughts, as pictures? We haven’t done that for a while – shall we try now?’

She closed her eyes and kept hold of his hands.

‘Right, send me something then,’ she said. ‘Something a bit magical.’

And there was an explosion of colour in her head, a kaleido-scope of images so strong and vivid that she jolted backwards and her eyes flew open wide.

‘Is that what you see?’ she gasped, looking at him in awe. ‘I can’t imagine what it’s like being you, Magpie. Your world is pure magic.’

In the Galleried Hall, the meeting was in full swing. Clip sat in the carved wooden throne with the boars’ heads for arm-rests, the circle of chairs around him. As he’d predicted, only Martin and Rowan wanted to accept Buzz’s offer and the rest were adamant that they’d rather starve than take his money. Today Buzz was dressed more casually but still looked out of place amongst the simply dressed folk. He glared around the circle, his face tight with anger and disappointment.

‘Dawn, surely you of all people can see the logic of what I’m proposing?’

‘Why me of all people?’ she asked. ‘Because I used to be Hallfolk? All the more reason to reject a proposal to return to the bad old days. I’m infinitely happier as a Stonewylder with no social distinctions.’

‘But those are just ideals! Equality may sound idyllic but we all know that people are different, and some of us are more capable of leading than others. How about you, Hazel? You’ve done so well, and with some investment you could have a first class medical centre here.’