"She be old enough now. She be fourteen."
"Has a lad asked for her?"
"Not yet, but father says they will soon. What can we do?"
"I can do little, but ye have an advantage. Ye know the lads and can judge which will be good to her. Perhaps ye might arrange for the lad o' yer choosing and yer sister to be together somehow. But see that he be not old for her sake."
"I will think on it. Perhaps ye might want her."
"I dinna want a wife nor do I have anything to offer one."
Diarmad was disappointed but it passed quickly. "Will ye help me? Perhaps tomorrow we could go to the village and have a look see at the lads."
"I have much to do here, but I will ask Jirvel. Tell me, did ye come for a particular reason?"
"Oh, I near forgot. Father sent me to see if ye want the cow bred. 'Tis our bull what does it normally."
"Come to the cottage and we will ask Jirvel."
"Ask a lass?"
"'Tis her cow."
"Nay, 'tis Macoran's cow." Diarmad suddenly grinned. "'Tis a worthy cause to go to the village tomorrow and ask Macoran. Do ye agree?"
Stefan returned his smile. "A worthy cause indeed."
*
Because of her husband's drunkenness, Jirvel and Kannak had little social life except for the occasional visit to the village, and Jirvel was surprised when a knock at the door produced the widower Ronan from the land next to hers and his seven daughters. He was not an unpleasant looking man, but he was much older and almost shorter than Jirvel.
The girls ranged in age from five to fourteen and all began to talk at once. "We have come to help," said the eldest." Andrina was a pretty girl whom often wished she and Kannak could be friends. She suspected Eagan forbid it in the past, but now that he was gone, she was hopeful.
"We are good at planting and we have finished ours," another of the girls proudly announced. "And we noticed…could not help but notice, yer chickens need a pen to keep them safe. We can put up three walls, if'n we use the back o' yer shed for the fourth. We make excellent walls and yer land has plenty o' rocks."
The smallest child pushed her way through the others, came in the door, raised her arms to Jirvel and waited for her to pick her up. "I am Suria. We seen three berry bad wolves. I are a feared o' 'em, are ye?"
"Nay, we have Stefan to protect us." She smiled at the child's father and since there were so many of them, decided to carry the little one outside to talk. Kannak was thrilled and quickly walked out to stand beside Andrina.