Brotherband 4: Slaves of Socorro by John Flanagan Read Free Book Online Page A

don’t you?’ She enjoyed Lydia’s company and liked the fact that the girl had chosen her as a confidante, often asking her advice about social matters in Hallasholm and, more recently, affairs of the heart.
    ‘I’d planned on being there for four or five days. But a bear started prowling around the cabin and I decided I might make myself scarce.’
    ‘That would seem to be a good idea to me,’ Karina agreed. ‘So now you have to find another way to avoid Rollond.’ She knew about Lydia’s problem with the likeable young man. Any other girl in Hallasholm would have fought tooth and nail to get his attention. But not Lydia. That was one of the things Karina liked about the girl. She was contrary, and Karina liked contrary.
    Lydia sighed. ‘I saw him coming to the house this morning, with a posy of daisies. I had to sneak out the back window and come over here.’
    She had never imagined that she would need her stalking skills, and her ability to use any available cover while moving cross country, to avoid the attentions of a lovestruck young man. Still, she had to admit they came in handy.
    Karina turned away to hide a smile. ‘You know,’ she said, ‘it would be best if you just came out and told him you’re not interested.’
    Lydia pushed herself off the bench and wandered aimlessly around the kitchen, peering into the pots and jars where Karina kept her spices and condiments.
    ‘Yeah, I know,’ she said. But she sounded very uncertain about it.
    Karina set the first leg of mutton aside. She had trimmed the excess fat from it after she removed the bone, and then spread it out so that it formed a wide, thick slab of meat. After soaking it in a mixture of red wine and oil, fortified by her special mixture of spices, she would grill it over hot coals that evening.
    ‘I just can’t seem to find the right time to do it,’ Lydia continued.
    ‘There is no right time. It’s better to just do it quickly,’ Karina told her. ‘It’s like when a bandage sticks to a wound.’ She hefted a second leg of mutton onto her carving board and picked up her boning knife. ‘You have to pull it off quickly. It hurts for a second or two. But it’s better in the long run.’
    ‘I’ve tried to tell him three or four times,’ Lydia replied. ‘But he gets those big puppy dog eyes and I just can’t do it. I like him. I don’t want to hurt his feelings.’
    ‘You like him. No more than that?’
    Lydia shook her head. ‘Definitely no more than that. He’s a nice person. He’s kind and he’s amusing and he’s very gentle . . .’
    ‘Good-looking, too,’ Karina said, eyeing her carefully.
    Lydia shrugged. ‘Yes. He’s good-looking. But looks aren’t everything.’
    ‘That’s true. You want a boy who’s kind and amusing and gentle as well . . . oh, wait a minute, you said he’s all those things, didn’t you?’
    The girl shook her head in frustration. ‘Yes! I did! But he still doesn’t do it for me. Don’t ask me to explain why. I don’t know. I wish I did feel more for him. It’d make things a lot simpler. And another thing,’ she added, an irritated note creeping into her voice, ‘I hate the way people just assume we’re an item.’
    ‘Well, tell him you just want to be friends,’ Karina said. ‘In my experience, boys hate that. Men too,’ she added thoughtfully. ‘It’s usually enough to send them running.’
    Lydia pricked up her ears. ‘And just who have you sent running?’ she asked, a grin forming.
    Karina shook her head. ‘Never you mind,’ she said. ‘But I’ve had my offers since my husband died.’
    The grin on Lydia’s face widened and she leaned forward expectantly. ‘You have?’ she said. ‘Tell me more.’ But Karina dismissed her with a wave of her hand.
    ‘Never mind me. You’re going to have to tell Rollond before too much longer.’
    ‘I know,’ Lydia said, the grin fading. ‘I’ll do it after the festival. He’s asked me to be his partner. I can hardly