Read Online Blood Oath: The Janna Chronicles 1 by Felicity Pulman - Free Book Online

aconite, and no doubt the weaver’s wife had felt its benefit on more than one occasion. Janna felt some satisfaction in thinking that Bertha would have to continue relying on Eadgyth for relief if she wasn’t prepared to ask any more questions.
    The sergeant nodded, and walked away. Janna breathed a sigh of relief that her own modest wares had not attracted his attention. Perhaps the sergeant had assumed that her pots were part of the merchant’s display.
    The trader was busy with other customers now. They all wanted to finger his spices, and smell them before making a purchase. Taking advantage of the crowd, Janna sang out a temptation to the women to inspect her own wares. As she did so, she noticed that Bertha had taken her turn to hand over a coin, receiving from the spice seller a small phial of the rubbing oil. Had things come to such a pass that Bertha would rather hand over good silver than visit the wortwyf , who would treat her in return for a piece of woven woollen cloth or the gift of a few eggs?
    Bertha hurried off, but several other women turned to Janna after making their purchases from the spice merchant. She congratulated herself on choosing such a good position as she smeared a dab of cream perfumed with violets onto her skin so that the women might smell it. Judging from the stench of perspiration and unwashed clothes emanating from some of them, they might well benefit from its application, she thought, as she held out her wrist to a new customer to take a sniff. “The cream is good for your skin; it’ll make it soft as a baby’s cheek,” she said persuasively when the woman hesitated.
    Strangers bought from Janna; some who knew her hurried on, crossing themselves or making a sign against her to ward off evil. Janna assuaged her annoyance by calling out, “Buy my special perfumed candles for the church. Real beeswax, they’ll burn for hours and hours and save your souls from damnation!” As her purse swelled and supplies dwindled, Janna’s thoughts turned again to the handsome man on horseback. Would she ever see him again? The thought stirred her blood, bringing an unexpected heat to her cheeks and body. Blushing, although she knew not why, she sang her song of temptation once more, loud enough to drown out the thoughts that would not lie quiet in her mind.
    “Lavender and roses to perfume your skin! Mint balm to refresh tired feet and hands! Comb out the tangles and add sunlight to your hair with a chamomile rinse.”
    When the last jar and the last candle were sold, Janna folded the linen square, now filthy from the dirt and dust of the street. She placed the fabric carefully in her empty basket. It would have to be washed and bleached before it could be used again. Coins and tokens jangled in her purse as she stood. She smiled, feeling well pleased with the day’s trade.
    Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t yet broken her fast. She pulled a token from her purse and set off toward the pieman.
    Munching ravenously, she walked on then to the sundial in the center of the market square and inspected the shadow cast by the marker. Only a little past the hour of one. She was tired and she had a raging thirst. She was ready to go home, but dared not until she heard the abbey bells ring the three hours of None. She would not risk her mother’s anger—not when there was so much at stake. If she annoyed her mother by coming home early, then the secret of her father’s identity might well stay locked in Eadgyth’s heart. Nor would she need to hurry home at None either, she realized with some dismay. Once her mother’s visitor left, surely Eadgyth would go straight to Dame Alice, to take her the physic she’d been busy preparing for the new infant. It could be hours before she came home to answer questions as she’d promised.
    Janna decided that she might as well relax and enjoy her small holiday. She glanced about the marketplace and the small shops that hedged it in. Master