The smell of burning wool still lingered in the house when I returned, but I did not pull what remained of the smock from the hearth. It was in my mind to leave the smock smouldering there until Jón came home to show him what I thought of what had passed between us.

Hanging up my damp cloak on a hook near the door, I pinned another over my shoulders. I poked at the fire and ruined smock before placing another log in the hearth, not wanting the fire to go out while I feed the sheep.

The sun had come out from hiding behind the clouds within the space of my visit with Lára, causing the snow to glisten and begin to melt. In the places where the snow was scarce, mud had already seeped through, causing me to carefully step around the dark patches of ground

My mind wandered as I placed the feed for the herd in the pens, going back to the night before. After speaking with Lára, she made me see that what had happened between us had been natural, even if Jón's actions had been unwanted.

I bit my tongue at the lie I had told myself over and over again. I had been shocked by my husband's sudden advance, that had been true, but soon I found myself responding to his touch. It had even been very pleasurable by the end of our coupling. A blush crept to my face as I thought of the tingling feeling that had been in my lower stomach and had caused me to cling to my husband.

Watching the sheep as they slowly shuffled through the dirty snow, I could faintly hear footfalls over the bleating of the animals. I turned to witness Jón trudging towards me, a dark look on his strong face and the burnt remains of my dress in his hand. Stopping in front of me he threw it into the muddied snow at my feel. I stared at it for a brief moment before looking up at my husband.

"What is the meaning of this?" he hissed, kicking at the fabric.

"It is the smock you had ruined, if you recall what had happened." I pushed passed him, my eyes trained on the house when Jón grabbed my arm to keep me in place.

"Do as you desire with your possessions, but do not await me to supply you with more."

"I may do as I wish..." my voice fell as I caught sight of the hand that hung limply at his side. Without a single thought I reached out and wrapped both of my hands around his large one, studying his palm. The rough skin was red and irritated and along his fingertips and heel the skin bubbled.

"You reached into the fire," I said in disbelief, unable to meet Jón's way of thinking. A small laugh escaped me. "You foolish, foolish man!" I laughed again, louder this time, and shook my head. "Go to the house – I will be along shortly to assist you."

The look on Jón's face was one of defiance, but still he turned and strode towards the house. I knew there was nothing that I owned to help heal his blistered skin, but a quick trip to see Astrid – the village midwife and healer – and I would.

The midwife's house sat far from the others at the village border, near the edge of a steep cliff. I found her with a large cloak wrapped around her, staring out towards the rough sea. She did not turn as I approached her. "I did not expect to see you so late into your marriage, Valdís. Have you finally found yourself with child?"

"No!" I exclaimed, shaking my head furiously. "Jón has burnt his hand and I require something to help him heal."

The older woman turned towards me, a soft smile on her face. "It is often women come to me to mend the wounds of foolish men." With a wave of her hand she motioned for me to follow her into her house.

Hundreds of small bottles and jars lined the shelves of the house, almost all sitting unlabelled. With a precision that only she could have she reached for one of the larger jars before scooping out a small amount and placing it in a bowl. Passing me the bowl of colourless salve, she then wiped her hands on her apron. "See to your husband's burns with this then wrap his hand with a clean cloth."

I watched as her eyes moved over a low shelf, brightening upon landing on what she needed. She picked it up and came close to me, placing it in my free hand and wrapping my fingers around the small vial. "Women will often use this to quicken their wombs. Place a pinch on every meal until there is nothing left and you shall find yourself with child before the next heavy snow fall."

Looking at her with wonder, she gave a small nod, signalling for me to return to Jón. I whispered a thank you before leaving for my own house. A small voice whispered that he would not be there upon my arrival, but when I entered I found him lying on the bed with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes as I drew closer, a look of drowsiness on his face.

I was taken aback by his venerable state, my words at first stuck in my throat. "A-astrid gave me ointment to help you." Jón did not give me a reply so I took a cloth and dampened it in the washbasin, dapping at my husband's hand gently. With a little more pressure I applied the balm, trying to hide the smile that came to my face when he let out a low his. It was reassuring to see Jón display weakness, no matter how small. With his hand now slathered in ointment, I wrapped a piece of cloth tightly around it. "You are fixed now."

As I started to put away the remaining amount of balm, Jón caught my sleeve and held it for a moment, looking up at me with furrowed brows. The close proximity of us made me wonder if anything would come of this. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but instead he let go of me and sat up.

Embarrassed by the thought that had crossed my mind I looked down at the floor. "Will you be taking your night-meal with me tonight?"

Jón grunted what I had assumed to be yes before standing and leaving the house, no doubt to return to the forest to hunt, leaving me once again alone and confused with my thoughts.

Sitting across from Jón that night, I stared at the meal in front of me. I had placed a large pinch of the ground herbs on my food before Jón had returned home and slipped the bottle into my pouch, carefully to not let him see it.

I watched my husband eat his food as I picked at mine. The herbs were riddled throughout my food, waiting to be devoured though I was reluctant to eat them. Astrid had sworn that they had worked for other women, but that would mean I would have to again couple with Jón.

A hard knot settled in my stomach making it much more difficult to eat my food. I knew that Jón would be going to bed after finishing his meal and took a deep breath. Once he was finished I cleaned up, taking my time and readying myself. Pulling the curtain separating our bed from the rest of the house, I found Jón already in bed with his eyes clothed, telling me I would have to convince him to couple with me.

Giving my head a sharp shake, I removed all of my clothing and crawled into bed, pressing myself against Jón's hard body. Jón tensed, but did not stir. I closed my eyes as I ran a hand under the coverings stopping once I found his member.

Jón's eyes snapped open and a surprised look crossed his face. "What are you doing, woman?" he asked, his voice already husky

Remembering the way Maria always looked upon my husband, I followed suit. "I am your wife." And it was with those four words that Jón rolled on top of me and took his pleasure.

oOo

I knelt on the floor of Stefán and Lára's longhouse, brewing madder root and cloth over the fire. It was much too cold to dye the clothing outside as we would normally do, but Oddi and the other children were growing quickly and needed new clothing. The steam from the dye made the house hot causing sweat to bead on my forehead.

The results of the dye were pleasant, the wool fabric taking on a dark red colour, though it would lighten upon drying. Lára hung up the dripping cloths on a rope strung across the room, not paying any mind to the spots it made on the wooden floor.

The muscles in my arm were sore from stirring the pot, but it did not compare to the pain shooting throughout my lower back. It had been aching when I had awaked but the pain had gotten worse as the day went on. I grimaced and shifted my possession, placing a hand on the small of my back.

Lára glanced at me, a slight frown on her face. "What is wrong, Valdís?" she asked after I had stopped working for the third time.

"There is only a slight pain, nothing more," I said shaking my head.

"Perhaps it would do us well to stop and rest; we have been working since early morning."

I stood and pressed both hands to my lower back, watching as Lára poured ale into two goblets. I pulled the small vial from my pouch and placed a small pinch into the drink. It had been close to a month since Astrid had given me the herbs and the vial was almost empty of its contents.

Lára raised an eyebrow and said, "You have been to Astrid, I see."

"Yes, she told me I will be with child soon – before the next heavy snowfall." I blushed and swished the liquid in the cup. "Jón does not know of the herbs, but we have been coupling much more now."

Lára scoffed and sat down her drink before crossing her arms. "That clever woman," she muttered, shaking her head. "I would not believe those herbs to be anything more than ground grass. Of course you will be with child; she has tricked you into lying with your husband."

I looked up at the other woman in shock. "She is a midwife; she would not do such a thing!" I was scandalized by what Lára said. It could not be true. The herbs were helping me produce a child, I was certain of it.

"She is a crafty old woman. She can tell by looking at a woman when they would be most fertile. She played you for a fool."

I huffed, slight anger seeping through my body. Had I really been wasting my time with nothing more than grass?

"That child in you is a blessing. It does not matter how it came to be. He is yours and Jón's." Lára's voice had turned motherly, though stern.

Placing a hand on my stomach, I looked down at my flat stomach. "There is no child yet. I would know if there was."

A laugh escaped Lára and a smile came to her face. "I have had five children; I know the signs of bearing a child. Your back has been aching and you have been tiring easily."

"Then... the herbs have helped..." My words were merely a whisper barely heard over the bubbling of the dye.

"I would hazard a guess that Astrid knew you were fertile when you came to her, if you were not already with child." Lára placed her hands on her hips. "Now, I will allow you to have the clothes Oddi has outgrown."

My head spun and my stomach churned as I thought of Lára's words. How could I have been carrying Jón's child and not have known it? My knees grew weak and I sat on a bench wondering how I would tell Jón we were to be parents.