The Sterkarm Handshake (55 page)

“Please yourself, God Botherer,” Windsor said in his own language. Andrea offered a gift bag to the priest, who pointedly looked away. Lord Brackenhill, perhaps as a sign of graciousness to make up for his priest's boorishness, took the bag himself.

“Be so kind,” Andrea said, “gan your way in and—be at home. This be all for your comfort. Be so good.”

Without another word, or a look, Brackenhill, his sister, his daughter, and his priest went on into the hall, looking about them at the long tables, the flowers and lights.

The Grannams who came behind them were not so reserved. They happily accepted their gift bags and peered into them, exclaiming in pleasure at the little gifts they found inside. They gaped at the tables, at the high roof, at the massed flowers. Whispering to one another, they felt the flowers and argued about whether they were real or not. Others fingered the glittery beads that made up the curtain. Andrea wondered how many of the decorations would be left when the guests departed.

She heard Gareth's headset crackle again. “The Sterkarms,” he said to Windsor.

Andrea's heartbeat quickened. Per was here. She looked around and saw that the Grannam party was well into the hall, admiring the glass and china on the tables. Obviously, they were going to take no part in greeting the Sterkarms.

“Well then, Andrea,” Windsor said. “Try not to screw it up this time.”

But all Andrea could think was: I'll soon be seeing Per!

Buy
A Sterkarm Kiss
now!

GLOSSARY

a
, to

air
, are, is

at
, that

av
, through, of

ayn
, a

bairt
, brought

barn
, child

braw
, brave, fine

brekker
, break

brenna
, burn

bror
, brother

dag
, day

dahla
, dale

day
, that, it

dem
, them

der
, there

dey
, they

deyn
, this

dick
, ten

Erlf
(plural:
Erlven
), Elf

erpent
, opened

far
, father

fars-bror
, uncle (on father's side)

fen
, friend

finner
, find

foor
, for

foorlet
, stop, leave it

forby
, finished, over, ended

forstaw
, understand

fra
, from

gaw
, go

giffer
, give

gigot
, twenty

glayder
, gladden

god dag
, good day

halv
, half

han
, he

hander
, hands

har
, have, has

hayer
, here

hite
, called, named

hodda
, head

hold
, stay

honning
, honey

hoppa
, jump

hura
, heard

hus
, house

hyemma
, home

i
, in

inyen
, no one

jakke
, sleeveless, quilted jerkin

kaller
, shout

karl
, man

kaster
, throw

kenna
, know

kews
, kiss

klahr
, clear

kneefa
, knife

kom
, come! (command)

kommer
, come

kvenna
, women

ladda
, lad, boy

lam
, lamb

lant
, land

lerfta
, promise

lilla
, little

lukket
, locked, closed

lutta
, listen

maht
, food

maun
, must

may
, girl

melk
, milk

meth
, with

migh
, me

min
, mine

nakka
, neck

namma
, name

naw
, now

neath
, down

nesh
, soft

nie ting
, nothing

nigh
, no, not

nor
, when

oh
, and

olla
, all

opp
, up

oss
, us

pa
, by

penya
, money

ridder
, ride

rikti
, right

sa
, so

sawrer
, hurt

seet
, said;

sye
, say;

sayer
, says

sertha
, sweet

shoota
, shoot

sikka
, safe

sitta
, sit

skal
, shall

skyera
, cut

slerssa
, fight

snakka
, speak

sootha
, truly

spak
, speak

staw
, stands

sterk
, strong

stilla
, quiet!

stoor
, big

sverer
, swear

t'
, the

takh
, thanks

tala
, talk

tar
, take

thine
, your

thu
, you

til
, to, toward

tur
, tower

tyan
, two

urd
, word

urst
, cheese

ut
, out

vah
, what

vegg
, wall

vem
, who

venda tilbacka
, return

vi
, we

vilken
, which

vill
, will

vit
, white

vor
, where

vordan staw day
, how stands it? (i.e. how are you?)

vorfar
, why

wey
, wee, small

ya
, yes

yarl
, lord (i.e. master)

yett
, gate

yi
, I

yunker
, young

About the Author

Susan Price is the author of the Sterkarm series. Born in Dudley, West Midlands, in England, she went on to write the Guardian Fiction Prize–winning
The Sterkarm Handshake
(1998) after visiting reiver country on the borders of Scotland. To help her imagine the Sterkarm's world, she drew on lifelong interests in history, folklore, and old ballads, as well as her hobbies of shooting with a longbow and traveling to the Scottish hills with her partner. Price cont
inued the series with
A Sterkarm Kiss
(2004) and
A Sterkarm Tryst
(2017)
.
Her other works include the novel
The Ghost Drum
, which won the prestigious Carnegie Medal. Price lives in the Black Country, in West Midlands, England.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this book or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 1998 by Susan Price

Cover design by Drew Padrutt

978-1-5040-2099-2

This edition published in 2016 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

180 Maiden Lane

New York, NY 10038

www.openroadmedia.com