Nobody's Goddess (Never Veil #1)(28)

He’s talking to me. I watched Elfriede out of the corner of my eye as I came up behind him. She seemed bored, more concerned with straightening imagined wrinkles in her skirt. But then I stood on my toes and put a hand on his shoulder in order to get a closer look. Elfriede got up at once and made her way to stand beside me.

I pulled my hand back immediately. He’s just your friend. He’s her man. I thought you’d gotten used to that. I focused on the carving. It showed a little girl smiling with a triumphant look on her face. She held a long tree branch—Elgar—high above her like it was the mightiest blade in the land. Beside her—but a little behind her, I took note—was a heroic-looking diminutive retainer wearing a kitten mask. I spun to face the artist. “Alvilda! Is that Jurij and me?”

She grinned. “It is indeed.” She paused to wipe her brow with the back of her arm.

I laughed and exchanged a smile with Jurij, forgetting for just one moment that there was anyone else with us, that there was anything but happy feelings between us.

The chirping bird cleared her throat. “I’ve asked Auntie to do one of our Returning.” “Auntie.” Of course. She’ll be one of the family soon.

My smile faded and I stepped back. Elfriede stepped in immediately to intertwine her arm with his. Jurij smiled peacefully and tilted his head so that Elfriede’s golden curls caressed his cheek.

Alvilda appeared behind us, wiping sawdust from her hands with a rag that she carelessly tossed over the fireplace mantle once she finished. “I’m definitely looking forward to carving that.” She focused her dark brown eyes on me, and I saw something in them that made me wonder just how much she meant her words. “But first, I’m a little busy with a special gift here.”

She got between the coupling so she could grab Jurij by the shoulder and shake him playfully. The blush that covered Jurij’s entire face said it all.

A bed headboard. An upcoming wedding. But Jurij wouldn’t turn seventeen for a year. I forced myself to smile. “Are we thinking about wedding gifts already?”

Elfriede studied me a moment. She didn’t seem to like what she found. “Headboards take a while, and Alvilda’s too busy to spend all of her time on it.” She smiled sweetly at me. “Of course, I know your Returning comes first, Noll. Just let me know what you’d like. I’m quite excited.”

My Returning. A woman had the choice to send her man to the commune, but …

No one’s ever been the goddess of the lord, not in my lifetime or my parents’ lifetimes, either. It seemed to go without saying that I’d accept him.

Alvilda wiped her brow and slipped an arm around both Elfriede’s and Jurij’s shoulders as she stuck her head between them. She had a bit of sawdust in her hair. “Which tools did Gideon want now?”

I cocked my head. “Father wants to borrow tools?”

Alvilda nodded and stepped back. “More like he wants the tools I’ve borrowed back.” She made her way to her toolbox and started picking through its contents.

“It’s Mother, really.” Elfriede hugged Jurij tighter. “She was doing a bit better this morning. She got mad that he’d given away so many of his tools when she was in and out over the past few days, and she asked that we get them back, so Father could start working again.” Elfriede pinched her nose. “It’ll make her happy.”

But it won’t make him work, she seemed poised to say. Alvilda laid out a number of tools on her workbench. “That seems a bit much to carry like that. You can borrow some baskets.”

Elfriede walked to the cupboard and pulled out a basket like it was her home and she knew were everything was. She took out three and Jurij started filling them.

Alvilda crossed over to where Elfriede was standing. She smiled as she put one of the baskets back into the cupboard. “I think two baskets should be enough.” Jurij finished loading the second basket as she spoke as if to prove her words true. “And I’d like to elicit Noll’s opinion on that special gift I’m working on.”

Beautiful. Now I’d be helping plan the décor resting over their wedding bed.

Elfriede’s shoulders relaxed, and I suspected she was relieved not to have to fight for her man’s attention on the trek back home. She stepped to the door without picking up either basket. “Thank you again for lunch, Auntie.”

Alvilda nodded. “Sure thing. You’re always welcome!”

Jurij slipped his arms around both baskets. I wondered if Elfriede knew that if she offered to carry one, he’d refuse, or if she didn’t even bother to worry about him carrying all of that without assistance. Either way, he seemed delighted. “See you later!” he called, and then both were gone, Elfriede shutting the door behind them.

I turned back to the carving and sighed.

Alvilda left me to my thoughts for a few moments. I could hear her pick up the file and continue working. “I didn’t really want to ask you about the headboard.”

I jumped. Alvilda rested her file back on her workbench and grinned. “Come, now. Even I’m not that heartless.”

Heartless. Ingrith had called the man who had found the goddess in me the heartless monster. I didn’t know what it meant. I didn’t understand anything about him, and I was so scared to find out more. So frightened to acknowledge that I had a big decision to make.