Kaida
By the third day the cottage had a roof that didn’t leak.
It had taken most of our remaining coins and the grudging assistance of a thatcher named Aldous. He charged too much and spoke too little, but the dark stain on the ceiling above the loft was drying.
When the rain came on the second night I lay on the hay mattress and listened to it hit the new thatch. It did not come through. That felt like a small victory.
Maggie had taken to Havenhill’s market with unexpected enthusiasm. It was like she had been waiting her whole life for somewhere to deploy her skills. By the second morning she had identified the best herb seller, and negotiated a small table space beside her. She came home that evening and started brewing up her salves and tinctures on our hearth. By the third day sh
