The wind curled around the house, the freshly budding limbs of the trees swaying in protest. Cold rain splattered against the wavy-glass window panes. All in all, it was a stark contrast to the warm coziness that enveloped the living room at The Silver Lark. Upstairs, with fresh nappies and full bellies, the twins were sleeping angelically. Sianna sat in her favorite chair, one leg curled beneath herself, working on some neglected needlework. Blue eyes peered from the covering of dropped lashes at the figure of her husband, draped across the couch with a book.
The fire crackled merrily, scenting the air with apple wood and pine. Johnny?s right arm was beneath his head and he held the book with his left. Every few minutes he turned a page, but if asked to say what he had just read he wouldn?t be able to answer. From this angle he could watch Sianna without it being obvious, and he had been doing exactly that for nearly an hour. Finally he started to speak, ?Wha?re ? ? and then paused, his voice too loud in the still of the room. After a moment he tried again, more quietly. ?Wha?re ya workin? on??
At the initial sound of his voice, she had lowered her hands to her lap, a brow arched until he managed the question out. A slow smile can as she tilted the embroidery hoop so that he could see the maze of stitches across the fabric. "I had been meaning tae start a quilt ... quite a while ago. Thought that if mayhaps I started now, I might hae enow done in time for Juliane's wedding gift, aye?" Two golden rings were outlined on the fabric backing, and silk threads had one nearly all the way filled in.
Swinging his legs over, he sat up and slid down the couch to the end nearer the chair so he could better see what she held up in display. ?Huh ? tha? looks real nice. How?s tha? work, makin? tha? li?l square inta th? quil??? He felt ? vaguely awkward. Since that night last week, Johnny felt like he was walking on eggshells, unsure what would hurt Sianna further. Some things still caught him off-guard; he hadn?t expected she would be upset when he had to go to the studio, but it had obviously bothered her. He?d started remaining silent around her more often than not, except for necessities. Now, trying to reach out, he cursed himself for an idiot.
"'Tis no' that uncommon tae make th' quilt from smaller sections of fabric, aye? Ye hae th' material cut tae size in squares, then ye embellish each one different." Bending over the side of the chair, she pulled up a stack of square cut patches tied with twine and held them out for him to see. "Then 'tis a simple matter of stitching the edges one tae th' other, then backing it wi' some batting..." Her voice trailed away, cheeks flaming lightly. The needle sheathed in the fabric, her hand flexed and then ran through her hair. "S-sorry... I tend tae ramble, aye? But it will be enow of a project that I will no' need help tae th' finishing. Will have tae have a quilt square made then."
His voice was soft as he said, ?I like listenin? ta ya ramble. Wha?s a quil? square?? He leaned his elbow against the arm of the couch and braced his chin on his palm. Green eyes had caught the flush of her cheeks, and shadowed to know that he was the cause of this awkwardness between them.
Tucking the hoop into her work basket, she turned to face him and held out her hands for the patches back. Resting the stack on her knees, she untied them and began displaying the ones that were already finished. "Each one of these 'tis called a square. Think of it like pieces ye'd use tae make a puzzle, aye?" Her fingers lightly skimmed over the raised embroidery, the rosettes and intricate patterns.
?Well, yeah ? bu? then wha? d?ya have ta have made then fer th? finishin?, if?n these squares?ll be all done?? What had started as a way to begin conversation had turned to honest interest. He shifted again, to the edge of the cushion, and leaned over to pick up one of the embroidered squares. Silver-meshed fingers brushed against her skirt-covered knee, and even that faint contact was enough to set his hands trembling for a moment. He looked down at the intricately worked fabric, pretending to concentrate on it while he regained his mental balance.
She reached out for his hand impulsively, trapping it between her own hand and the handiwork spread out over the slope of her knees. "Ye put all th' little squares together and then ye have one big square, aye?" Sianna chuckled and leaned back a bit stretching her arms to their full span. "And how will I ever sew a straight stitch when 'tis this wide, hmmm?" For a brief moment the level sitting in the middle of the teeter-totter that was their relationship gave a true reading. She winked at him and continued her explanation. "When 'tis th' final size tae fit their bed, it will be tae large for me tae handle wi'out a frame tae sit at and work it in sections." And like that, the mention of bed and relationship.... threatened to burst the bubble once more.
He wasn?t sure if she had felt the renewed quiver that ran through his hand when she covered his. So he concentrated on the chuckle, and the wink, and used those to find a smile. ?So th? quil? square yer goin? ta nee?, tha?s a frame th? size ta hol? ? how many?a these?? Gentle fingers traced over the square of fabric again. ?Like yer hoop there only larger an? square?? The thought of the frame obviously interested him more than the actual making of the quilt. Turning over ideas in his head, he barely noticed that his hand still hadn?t lifted from her knee.
The quiver she felt was attributed to the nerves racing up and down her spine and then down both legs. All that had been set aflame the other night had done nothing but damp smolder since. "Aye, ye have th' way of it. Th' one th' parish had was nearly five foot each direction, sae many ladies could sit around it at once, but I dinna think I'd need one more'n two tae three at th' most." Her head canted to the side as she contemplated the calculations. "Aye, that would suit me fine."
A somewhat abstracted look was on his face now, the inward focus of mental calculations and designs that accompanied any of his creations. Absently, without even thinking about it, his hand tightened gently on her knee. ?How tall d?ya wan? th? frame then, ta si? a?? An? would i? be angle? ?r fla ???
It was reassuring and discombobulating, that touch. Made her pause an extra moment as if her response required thought. "It needs tae be flat so as no' tae strain the portion hanging off the sides." Holding her free hand out, she placed it midway between her waist and bustline. "Somewhere along in here, sae I dinna strain either my eyes or my arms, aye?"
?Nah, wouldn? wan? tha??? Still sounding half-lost in the abstraction of design, he finally nodded. ?Yeah, tha?s no pro?lem. Take a coupl?a days, tha?s all.? Once he had the design firmly set in his head, focus returned slowly to his eyes, coming back to the present. His breath caught a moment, and he looked from his hand on her knee up to her face, half-afraid of what he would see there.
Sianna's eyes were soft and filled with gratitude. A light smile curled her lips inviting. The weight of his touch was comforting and lulled her into an emotion derived from his physical closeness more so than their emotional connections. "Thank ye, leannan. I had no' really given much thought beyond just finishing th' squares, but t'will be glad tae ken ye have th' matter in hand so that I can actually piece it all together properly." Her hand seemed content to still rest atop his for the moment. "D'ye think Juliane would mind such a gift?"
A deeper smile lit his face at her expression, relief and something warmer. ?Min?? She?ll love i? ? she?s all abou? th? thin?s tha? can be passe? down like tha?, an? yer sure a better han? a? sewin? than I am.? The last he added with a rueful shrug, obviously referring to the warped, deformed teddy-bears he had made for the twins. It was, distinctly, a risk, but he turned over his hand beneath hers to catch her fingers with his. His thumb smoothed gently over the soft skin of her hand.
Her hand slipped into his instinctively, tightening in reassurance at the comment about his tailoring skills. "Aye, but ye did no' have tae stich a sampler tae th' scrutiny of yer grandmother, did ye? Or embellish yer own clothes tae make them suitable for traveling and performing?" Sianna grinned lightly, lifting her chin to illustrate her point. "Ahhh, I thought not." A silver quick wink shut one eye. "Ye canna fault yerself for yer first attempt ever, leannan." The last word slipped naturally from her lips, in spite of all the strain their hearts had been under.
At that he chuckled quietly. ?Nah, th? sa? par? is those aren? th? firs? tries. Those?re abou??? He paused, thinking back, then grinned, ?fifth?r sixth goes. Somethin? like tha?. Bu? I ran ou?a time an? those were th? bes? of wha? I ha? ta brin? with me.? He shrugged a bit at that, another of the uncomfortable reminders of the time he had been gone. Time for his hand to tighten around hers, just a bit.
"Well, whatever try they were, they're full of personality, and a verra sweet keepsake for each of them tae have of ye." Now her thumb was lightly brushing from his wrist to the base of his thumb and back again. "I canna say that I ever heard tale of any fathers attempting such a feat for his children and completing one attempt, much less six, aye?"
The light touch was enough to send a shiver running down his spine and set his hand to trembling very faintly once again. An inhaled and slowly released breath brought the tremble under control, but had no effect on the blood speeding through his veins. ?Somethin? tells me tha? when ya were from, sewin? was more s?pose? ta be th? women?s job, righ??? He lifted his far shoulder in just a bit of a dismissive shrug. ?More abou? anyone can do i? where I?m from, thinkin?. I jus? never learne?.?
"Aye, if it was no' yer profession... like kilt-making or formal tailoring, there was far tae much tae be done tae keep everyone fed than tae dabble wi' sewing. Though, if ye were a lass wi' any hope of getting wed, ye'd best be able tae sttch as fine as is humanly possible." Sianna chuckled lightly, her thumb pausing a moment before beginning up again. "My gran used tae scold me. 'Sianna, what man shall ever want ye wi' a tongue like an adder, as stubborn as an ox, and sae thick-fingered ye canna hem a homespun shirt!'" Another chuckle then at her impersonation. "I figured th' only real hope I had of changing was tae improve in my sewing, aye?" Brilliant blue eyes twinkled with humor.
He laughed again at that, and then shook his head. ?An? then ya win? up with someone tha? thinks ya go? a swee? tongue, likes ya bein? stubborn, an? doesn? care a bi? if?n ya could sew?r no?. Then again, I guess yer Gran wasn? expectin? anythin? like th? situation ya go? inta anyway.? He paused, and then looked down at their linked hands, his thumb tracing over her skin again. ?Won?er wha? yer Gran would?a though? of this ? us, I mean.? He frowned just a bit, knowing that the answer now was likely to be very different than what it would have been before his departure.
The fire crackled merrily, scenting the air with apple wood and pine. Johnny?s right arm was beneath his head and he held the book with his left. Every few minutes he turned a page, but if asked to say what he had just read he wouldn?t be able to answer. From this angle he could watch Sianna without it being obvious, and he had been doing exactly that for nearly an hour. Finally he started to speak, ?Wha?re ? ? and then paused, his voice too loud in the still of the room. After a moment he tried again, more quietly. ?Wha?re ya workin? on??
At the initial sound of his voice, she had lowered her hands to her lap, a brow arched until he managed the question out. A slow smile can as she tilted the embroidery hoop so that he could see the maze of stitches across the fabric. "I had been meaning tae start a quilt ... quite a while ago. Thought that if mayhaps I started now, I might hae enow done in time for Juliane's wedding gift, aye?" Two golden rings were outlined on the fabric backing, and silk threads had one nearly all the way filled in.
Swinging his legs over, he sat up and slid down the couch to the end nearer the chair so he could better see what she held up in display. ?Huh ? tha? looks real nice. How?s tha? work, makin? tha? li?l square inta th? quil??? He felt ? vaguely awkward. Since that night last week, Johnny felt like he was walking on eggshells, unsure what would hurt Sianna further. Some things still caught him off-guard; he hadn?t expected she would be upset when he had to go to the studio, but it had obviously bothered her. He?d started remaining silent around her more often than not, except for necessities. Now, trying to reach out, he cursed himself for an idiot.
"'Tis no' that uncommon tae make th' quilt from smaller sections of fabric, aye? Ye hae th' material cut tae size in squares, then ye embellish each one different." Bending over the side of the chair, she pulled up a stack of square cut patches tied with twine and held them out for him to see. "Then 'tis a simple matter of stitching the edges one tae th' other, then backing it wi' some batting..." Her voice trailed away, cheeks flaming lightly. The needle sheathed in the fabric, her hand flexed and then ran through her hair. "S-sorry... I tend tae ramble, aye? But it will be enow of a project that I will no' need help tae th' finishing. Will have tae have a quilt square made then."
His voice was soft as he said, ?I like listenin? ta ya ramble. Wha?s a quil? square?? He leaned his elbow against the arm of the couch and braced his chin on his palm. Green eyes had caught the flush of her cheeks, and shadowed to know that he was the cause of this awkwardness between them.
Tucking the hoop into her work basket, she turned to face him and held out her hands for the patches back. Resting the stack on her knees, she untied them and began displaying the ones that were already finished. "Each one of these 'tis called a square. Think of it like pieces ye'd use tae make a puzzle, aye?" Her fingers lightly skimmed over the raised embroidery, the rosettes and intricate patterns.
?Well, yeah ? bu? then wha? d?ya have ta have made then fer th? finishin?, if?n these squares?ll be all done?? What had started as a way to begin conversation had turned to honest interest. He shifted again, to the edge of the cushion, and leaned over to pick up one of the embroidered squares. Silver-meshed fingers brushed against her skirt-covered knee, and even that faint contact was enough to set his hands trembling for a moment. He looked down at the intricately worked fabric, pretending to concentrate on it while he regained his mental balance.
She reached out for his hand impulsively, trapping it between her own hand and the handiwork spread out over the slope of her knees. "Ye put all th' little squares together and then ye have one big square, aye?" Sianna chuckled and leaned back a bit stretching her arms to their full span. "And how will I ever sew a straight stitch when 'tis this wide, hmmm?" For a brief moment the level sitting in the middle of the teeter-totter that was their relationship gave a true reading. She winked at him and continued her explanation. "When 'tis th' final size tae fit their bed, it will be tae large for me tae handle wi'out a frame tae sit at and work it in sections." And like that, the mention of bed and relationship.... threatened to burst the bubble once more.
He wasn?t sure if she had felt the renewed quiver that ran through his hand when she covered his. So he concentrated on the chuckle, and the wink, and used those to find a smile. ?So th? quil? square yer goin? ta nee?, tha?s a frame th? size ta hol? ? how many?a these?? Gentle fingers traced over the square of fabric again. ?Like yer hoop there only larger an? square?? The thought of the frame obviously interested him more than the actual making of the quilt. Turning over ideas in his head, he barely noticed that his hand still hadn?t lifted from her knee.
The quiver she felt was attributed to the nerves racing up and down her spine and then down both legs. All that had been set aflame the other night had done nothing but damp smolder since. "Aye, ye have th' way of it. Th' one th' parish had was nearly five foot each direction, sae many ladies could sit around it at once, but I dinna think I'd need one more'n two tae three at th' most." Her head canted to the side as she contemplated the calculations. "Aye, that would suit me fine."
A somewhat abstracted look was on his face now, the inward focus of mental calculations and designs that accompanied any of his creations. Absently, without even thinking about it, his hand tightened gently on her knee. ?How tall d?ya wan? th? frame then, ta si? a?? An? would i? be angle? ?r fla ???
It was reassuring and discombobulating, that touch. Made her pause an extra moment as if her response required thought. "It needs tae be flat so as no' tae strain the portion hanging off the sides." Holding her free hand out, she placed it midway between her waist and bustline. "Somewhere along in here, sae I dinna strain either my eyes or my arms, aye?"
?Nah, wouldn? wan? tha??? Still sounding half-lost in the abstraction of design, he finally nodded. ?Yeah, tha?s no pro?lem. Take a coupl?a days, tha?s all.? Once he had the design firmly set in his head, focus returned slowly to his eyes, coming back to the present. His breath caught a moment, and he looked from his hand on her knee up to her face, half-afraid of what he would see there.
Sianna's eyes were soft and filled with gratitude. A light smile curled her lips inviting. The weight of his touch was comforting and lulled her into an emotion derived from his physical closeness more so than their emotional connections. "Thank ye, leannan. I had no' really given much thought beyond just finishing th' squares, but t'will be glad tae ken ye have th' matter in hand so that I can actually piece it all together properly." Her hand seemed content to still rest atop his for the moment. "D'ye think Juliane would mind such a gift?"
A deeper smile lit his face at her expression, relief and something warmer. ?Min?? She?ll love i? ? she?s all abou? th? thin?s tha? can be passe? down like tha?, an? yer sure a better han? a? sewin? than I am.? The last he added with a rueful shrug, obviously referring to the warped, deformed teddy-bears he had made for the twins. It was, distinctly, a risk, but he turned over his hand beneath hers to catch her fingers with his. His thumb smoothed gently over the soft skin of her hand.
Her hand slipped into his instinctively, tightening in reassurance at the comment about his tailoring skills. "Aye, but ye did no' have tae stich a sampler tae th' scrutiny of yer grandmother, did ye? Or embellish yer own clothes tae make them suitable for traveling and performing?" Sianna grinned lightly, lifting her chin to illustrate her point. "Ahhh, I thought not." A silver quick wink shut one eye. "Ye canna fault yerself for yer first attempt ever, leannan." The last word slipped naturally from her lips, in spite of all the strain their hearts had been under.
At that he chuckled quietly. ?Nah, th? sa? par? is those aren? th? firs? tries. Those?re abou??? He paused, thinking back, then grinned, ?fifth?r sixth goes. Somethin? like tha?. Bu? I ran ou?a time an? those were th? bes? of wha? I ha? ta brin? with me.? He shrugged a bit at that, another of the uncomfortable reminders of the time he had been gone. Time for his hand to tighten around hers, just a bit.
"Well, whatever try they were, they're full of personality, and a verra sweet keepsake for each of them tae have of ye." Now her thumb was lightly brushing from his wrist to the base of his thumb and back again. "I canna say that I ever heard tale of any fathers attempting such a feat for his children and completing one attempt, much less six, aye?"
The light touch was enough to send a shiver running down his spine and set his hand to trembling very faintly once again. An inhaled and slowly released breath brought the tremble under control, but had no effect on the blood speeding through his veins. ?Somethin? tells me tha? when ya were from, sewin? was more s?pose? ta be th? women?s job, righ??? He lifted his far shoulder in just a bit of a dismissive shrug. ?More abou? anyone can do i? where I?m from, thinkin?. I jus? never learne?.?
"Aye, if it was no' yer profession... like kilt-making or formal tailoring, there was far tae much tae be done tae keep everyone fed than tae dabble wi' sewing. Though, if ye were a lass wi' any hope of getting wed, ye'd best be able tae sttch as fine as is humanly possible." Sianna chuckled lightly, her thumb pausing a moment before beginning up again. "My gran used tae scold me. 'Sianna, what man shall ever want ye wi' a tongue like an adder, as stubborn as an ox, and sae thick-fingered ye canna hem a homespun shirt!'" Another chuckle then at her impersonation. "I figured th' only real hope I had of changing was tae improve in my sewing, aye?" Brilliant blue eyes twinkled with humor.
He laughed again at that, and then shook his head. ?An? then ya win? up with someone tha? thinks ya go? a swee? tongue, likes ya bein? stubborn, an? doesn? care a bi? if?n ya could sew?r no?. Then again, I guess yer Gran wasn? expectin? anythin? like th? situation ya go? inta anyway.? He paused, and then looked down at their linked hands, his thumb tracing over her skin again. ?Won?er wha? yer Gran would?a though? of this ? us, I mean.? He frowned just a bit, knowing that the answer now was likely to be very different than what it would have been before his departure.