When he was close enough, he might catch the subtle scent of lavender mingling in with the other smells of the house. It was the same scent she used for the linens and such, which was a deterent for insects. The knot proved to be a pain in the rear to untie but once he had it untied and the strings dropped, she pulled the thing off and half wished he woul--- No. No no no. She cleared her throat and put some distance between them again before any of those unwelcome thoughts came barreling in through her mind.

"Come... eat," she said, ducking her head. She moved to where the babies were and knelt, looking at Heidi. "I am goin' ta put the babies back in their beds for now so we can eat and they can sleep and then after we eat ye can play more with them, is that alright, Miss Heidi?" She talked to the girl like she was a grown up.

Then she scooped the babies up, pausing long enough to let the little girl have a last look, and then stood. She placed the babies each in their bassinets. Then she kissed one and then the other before straightening up and smiling. Karen would lead the way to the dining room table and start dishing up the stew, putting just a little dollup in a bowl for the little one first to let it cool some more, and tearing off a small piece of bread, which the girl was more likely to eat than the stew, she thought, because children could be picky eaters sometimes.

She ladled a bowl up for Lorn before she would serve herself, and then gestured toward the head of the table since he was a guest. Before she sat down, she filled a mug about halfway with milk and put it next to the bowl for Heidi, and cider for both her and Lorn.