Page 17 of Bloom

“Are you all right?” asked Jaime.

“I’m fine.”

“You seem off.”

“I just said I’m fine,” Aleric snapped in a low voice.

Jaime kept his mouth shut as he continued eating. If he wanted to lie, that was on him. Normally, Aleric didn’t appear as though he’d barely slept. He also didn’t usually avoid looking at Jaime entirely either.

In private, he’d seemed a little more relaxed since Olivier was dead. Maybe he simply hadn’t slept well, and that’s why he was grouchy.

Aleric picked at his breakfast and didn’t seem to be enjoying his pastry while Lord Monet started fussing about someone who hadn’t paid rents and taxes in three quarters.

“The Master Steward goes, and it’s always the wife who answers and sobs about her husband not being able to find work. I told him to go today and see, but I know it’ll be the same answer. I don’t want to put them on the street with the two kids, but this is ridiculous. There are plenty of steady jobs in C?te.”

“He needs to speak to the husband,” said Aleric. “Not the wife.”

“He’s always conveniently out, and he's not easy to find. The wife said he’s often at that tavern-what’s it called? It's the one with a fly on the sign. The ale there is mostly piss. He seems to scrape up coins to drink.”

“Why don't you have the Master Steward move them into a dwelling?” Jaime asked as an idea came to him.

Lord Monet raised an eyebrow. “Then the landlord will be chasing them down for rent so he can pay me for his building. Why would I move them?”

Jaime ignored Aleric’s puzzled glance. “A little flat is often cheaper. They might have to share a privy with a whole floor or the whole building, but it’s a roof, and I’d rather live in a tiny flat than on the street with two kids.”

“I’m not getting what you mean. Even if it’s cheaper, he’ll still drink what money he has.”

“He’s likely gotten used to his wife chasing off your Master Steward, and he keeps being a lazy drunk. If you move them, it’ll send a hard warning. You haven’t forgotten that they’re far behind, and this is the last chance. The Father will get mad once he realizes what happened, but maybe the hard warning will knock sense into his head. He can't avoid reality forever. It’s a way of saying, ‘I’ll help you this last time, but you need to get on top of things. More work. Less drinking. Next stop is the street.’ Moving someone is a pretty big thing.”

Lord Monet didn’t appear sure. It wasn’t exactly polite for a commoner to be telling the lord how to run things, but Jaime had a feeling it would work. At times, he’d thought of things he would do if he were a lord, although it was mostly a fantasy. A man who drinks his money and expects the woman to deal with the kids and everything else all day needs a good knock upside the head.”

“How do you expect that to work?” asked Aleric. “He could still drink and not pay.”

“It’s an upheaval,” said Jaime. “It’s not as bad as finding you’ve been tossed on the street with your family, but it’s still a huge change. He’s been coasting along with no changes except the Master Steward coming to pester them once in a while. He doesn’t even have to deal with it if he goes out during the day. When his wife complains about it later, he ignores her. She must be doing odd jobs here and there to scrape up enough to feed the kids, but it’s not enough. Maybe if you find him a job too, that’ll drive the fact into his brain: He can’t keep on like this. No matter how lenient you are, you’re sick of it.”

“I have to do his duties?” asked Lord Monet. “A man is to go out and find work himself to raise his family. Wouldn’t you do that if you were in his position?”

Jaime frowned. “Yes, but I’ve never been one to go to the tavern and spend everything I have from work. We’re not the same. He must be doing quick jobs around the city to get drinking money, and he’s not looking for steady work. Give him a good shock, help him find steady work, and if he can’t keep it and stay out of the tavern, evict them. At least you can say you honestly tried.”

Lord Monet thought for a few seconds. “Maybe you're right. I’ll speak to the Master Steward although he’ll think forcing them to move is a bit extreme.”

“Actually, it might be the kick in the ass the husband needs,” said Aleric. “Right now, the husband probably looks at you like a cow he can milk for endless time. This might rattle him a bit without the kids and wife having to sleep outside. It can’t hurt to try.”

“A cow? That’s nice, son.”

“It’s not my point of view. I don’t have rent to pay, and I’m not plastered half the time.”

When Lord Monet left, presumably to go to his office, Aleric pushed away his plate. “Interesting idea.”

Jaime shrugged. “I’m sure he won’t like it when he realizes he has to share a privy with a floor. If he wants out, he needs to get himself in order.”

“True. I have to go out. Stay here.”

Jaime glanced at Gautier who must have been telling a funny story to his table since Zacharie and the others were laughing. “Out in the city? Where are you going?”

“I have something to do.”

“Alone? You shouldn’t leave the grounds by yourself.”

“Listen, I need to take care of something, and no offense to you, but we’ve been together a lot over the past month.”

“I know, but…” Jaime was to be his protection for the most part. Letting Aleric go out wherever for whatever amount of time didn’t sound very smart.

“I’ll be fine.” He stood. “I doubt Gautier will expect me to go out alone either. If I feel like I’m being followed, I’ll come back. I need to get this done, and it’s private.”

“Fine.”

Jaime took his time finishing his toasted bread before he went upstairs to grab a couple of books he’d finished. They had to be returned to the library. Aleric was gone, and Jaime locked the sitting room door behind him.

After returning the books, he took a walk in the garden to get some air. At his childhood home, he was sure their garden had been smaller, although it seemed massive to him as a kid. A pair of ladies stopped him to talk, and he wasn’t sure if they were interested in him or if they were hoping to get on his good side. A man who spends a lot of time with the future lord might have influence or be able to do a favor.

There had been a man back home who’d given Jaime a lovely toy soldier with silver-painted armor before settling into small talk with his parents. He’d been more interested in playing with his new toy, but after a good twenty minutes, he’d caught something about a loan. “Just a small one” to help with a business venture.

He must have thought being nice to the kid would get the Father to agree to a business deal.

He kept his answers to the ladies brief without being rude so they’d hopefully not ask him to do anything. He didn’t want to have to say “no” and possibly get sour looks because the commoner didn’t want to help.

The one in a blue dress sidled closer and pulled a peppermint sweet from the reticule hanging from her sash. “My Aunt sent me a heap of sweets from a shop in Arquous. I couldn’t possibly eat them all.” She held up the sweet wrapped in waxed, red paper. The other raised her fan and didn’t quite hide her smile in time.

“I don’t particularly like peppermint,” he fibbed. “Thanks anyway.”

“I have other kinds if you want to come to my room.”

And she’d probably be trying to get in his trousers. No thanks. “Sugar often makes my stomach hurt. I need to go find Aleric. He’ll be looking for me quite soon and annoyed.”

She sighed. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

She went to walk alongside the other who snorted while vigorously fanning herself. Jaime rolled his eyes as soon as he turned his back.

As he walked along the path to the back door, he noticed a figure standing by the open entrance. Like they’d been watching the exchange even though the trio had been too far for anyone inside to hear. When he was closer, he recognized Gautier’s figure.

“Finding a wife?” he asked in a joking tone.

Jaime glanced back at two women who looked small as they meandered along a path much farther down. “What? No. I’m not interested in women.”

“Oh. The one in the blue dress wants to get married.”

“It won’t be me.”

“Are you sure? She’s quite rich. If you went out there and proposed to her right there, she’d likely say yes and jump into your arms.”

Jaime forced a chuckle. “I doubt she’s that desperate.”

“Her parents have been trying to get her to marry an older man who’s loaded, and she’s not happy about it. She’s been saying she might marry a poor commoner and bring him home to get back at them.”

“Ohhh. I’m not going to be anyone’s revenge husband.” Some marriage it would be if it was only to get on her parent’s nerves.

“Are you doing all right? Olivier’s death must have been a shock, and after the incident with Aleric…”

“I’m fine. Olivier’s passing was unfortunate.” It was the best thing all month. Jaime wanted to grab the past lord by the collar, shake him, demand to know anything he was planning, and stick him with his sword afterward.

If only. Half of the Castle would be chasing him through C?te for murder.

“It must have been a shock to Aleric as well since he wasn’t feeling well, and he’d fainted on the stairs,” said Gautier. “I also wanted to apologize again for the incident in the entrance hall.”

Aleric was right about Gautier probing. Why apologize for that whole thing again? It wasn’t Jaime he’d punched. “I’m not holding a grudge.”

“Well, I know you’re Aleric’s aid, and you probably feel as though you should protect him to some degree. I hope he hasn’t been bothering you about it.”

Jaime squinted. “Why would he? That was…about a month ago.”

“Since he doesn’t get along with Zacharie, I’m sure you hear a lot of complaining.”

“Eh, he doesn’t talk to me about his personal life. Sometimes, he gets a bit prickly, and I just ignore it. Like you said, if he doesn’t get me riled, he finds me less entertaining. I’m basically a minor servant who doesn’t have to do much.”

“Ah. Not surprising.” Gautier said as he started walking, and Jaime followed to seem polite. “Has he been all right? He’s appeared a bit odd. Is anything going on?”

What a sneak. Why didn’t he simply come out and ask everything he really wanted to know? “I don’t think so. He seems normal to me. If there’s anything, he’s not sharing it with me.”

“Does he say anything about me?”

Jaime shook his head. For their first conversation in a while, he’d expected it to be shorter. “No. He doesn’t seem prone to gossiping about anyone here. I’m just the aid, you know?”

“I figured he might since he’s so unhappy with me, and I wasn’t sure if Zacharie had said anything to him or his Father. Lord Monet would probably mention it to Aleric, and he might use you as someone to whine to. Zacharie is saying he wants to get married next summer, and he doesn’t want to wait much longer than that.”

“That’s nice. Aleric hasn’t said anything about you or his brother, so I had no idea.” Gautier would surely prefer if Aleric died by then or shortly afterward if possible. Then he could settle into marriage with his young husband and look forward to being the Earl along with him later.

“It’s a shame Aleric hasn’t been speaking to him. It bothers Zacharie.”

Pfft. Hardly.

“It’s not like I’ve stolen his little brother, but I think that’s what he feels,” continued Gautier. “I do wish they’d make up.”

“Once you two are married, I’m sure he’ll eventually get over it,” said Jaime.

Gautier paused. “At this point, I’m starting to doubt it. I do wish Aleric would make an effort to talk to Zacharie and clear the air.”

“They’re both getting older, and Aleric will likely get remarried someday so he can have an heir. He’ll have other things to worry about, and I doubt they’ll still be bitter later once you’re all married and have your own little families. That’ll take precedence.”

“You speak with more sense than some lords. Let’s hope Aleric learns to think like you. I’d hate for a rift to remain between them.”

Pfft. He was such a bullshitter. Jaime could barely stand to look at him.

As they neared the stairs, a man hurried into the entrance hall. “Alexandre, can I talk to you?”

“Of course. I’ll see you later, Jaime.”

Jaime said bye and didn’t hurry up the stairs since he was curious as to what the other man wanted to speak of. As both wandered toward the main entrance, the man started complaining that the horse he’d planned to buy for his daughter had already been sold.

“That's why I told you to put some money down on it,” said Gautier. “I doubt you’ll find one that fine with the coloring she prefers.”

“Do you know of anyone who might have one with unicorn blood?”

Their voices faded as they stepped out, and Jaime continued upstairs. Buying special horses didn’t sound treasonous. He wanted Aleric to return soon so he could tell him about it. Even though Aleric wanted a break from him, and Jaime couldn’t pretend that two people should always be plastered at the hip, he also wanted him to return because…

He’d grown used to the future lord. He wasn’t sure if a friend was the right word since Aleric wasn’t that open with him. Technically, Jaime was his employee. They talked at times, but there wasn’t what he’d call a lot of sharing, and Jaime had to be careful to remember little fibs about his past if he brought up anything.

But he hadn’t made friends with anyone at the Castle, so Aleric was pretty much all he had. He was also used to him being around, and without them verbally clawing at each other, Jaime couldn’t pretend he didn’t like looking at a pretty face. He’d been careful not to make comments especially about Aleric gagging on his cock since that hadn’t gone over well.

Not that he didn’t think about it. It was hard to not imagine dirty things when he jerked off in the privacy of the privy room. A gorgeous man he couldn’t touch wasn’t far away. Sometimes, he wanted to bend Aleric over something, pin him, hear him beg to be bred, and sink himself into Aleric’s slick, tight ass. Jaime hadn’t been with anyone else in a while. Besides making the future lord cum on his cock, he wouldn’t mind a nice cuddle and touch beyond sex.

Aleric had called him pushy, and Jaime didn’t want him to be perpetually uncomfortable. He was stuck with his hand for the foreseeable future.

Since Aleric wasn’t back, Jaime headed for the library to wander through the shelves. He ended back in the section where he’d seen a few abundant male books. Since the opportunity was right there, he might as well take one in case he was lucky enough to marry an abundant male in the future. The librarian barely looked at anything Jaime wanted to read, and he’d simply push over a huge ledger. Anything removed was supposed to be recorded, and the books were to be returned in a couple of weeks, although the rule wasn’t strictly enforced.

Jaime didn’t keep books in general while drifting. They were heavy and took up space in his pack, and if he collected any while staying somewhere long-term, he sold them before moving on. They also cost money and selling a used book didn’t bring much profit, so he often didn't get to read as much as he liked.

He selected a different one he hadn’t seen, scanned through it, and decided he’d make sure Aleric didn’t see it. A Guide for Husbands of Abundant Males During Pregnancy wasn’t a book to leave lying around since it might seem like Jaime was hoping to get Aleric up the pole and in the Temple for marriage. That wasn’t the best idea since he’d mentioned he hoped to marry an abundant male one day.

When he returned to the sitting room, Aleric wasn’t back yet. He settled on the couch with his new book.

The foreword made him frown when it mentioned abundant males could be hard to deal with during pregnancy because they tended to get emotional and whiny.

Men such as Aleric shared a similarity with women since they could have a baby, but Jaime certainly didn’t view him or any abundant male as a woman. What was the husband supposed to deal with? They’d still be two men in a relationship, and it didn’t matter if one happened to have the ability to conceive and birth a child. If the pregnant one was emotional or crying, maybe that had a reason. The author sounded like he thought abundant males were a nuisance.

He hadn't gotten far when Aleric returned.

“Anything happen?” he asked before Jaime could say a word.

“Gautier talked to me.”

“What did he say?” Aleric stood behind the armchair and leaned on the back while Jaime recounted the conversation.

Once he finished, Aleric rolled his eyes. “I’m sure he’s congratulating himself that he got to have a talk with you.”

“I’m sure he’d prefer to have you dead by next summer if he’s actually planning to marry Zacharie then,” said Jaime. “Or after the wedding if he can’t manage it before. Get you out of the way, let Lord Monet grieve, wait a while…You know. Hopefully, he thinks you’ve told me nothing important, and I’m clueless.”

“Hmm.”

“What about you?”

Aleric immediately looked away. “Um…if you want to go, you can.”

“We’ve already been over this. I’m not running off while you’re stuck here in limbo.” Why would he say that out of the blue? He wanted Jaime to do something and then tried to push him away again.

“Well, I’m…” Aleric furrowed his brow while still staring at the empty fireplace.

“What? Did something happen while you were out?”

He’d mentioned his wife might come back later. Perhaps she’d returned earlier in secret, and he’d gone to meet her, but there was bad news…

“Is this about Clementine?”

“No.” Aleric shifted to rest his forehead on his hands so his eyes were covered. “That day with the heat fever-the cramps started last night…”

“Huh? You had heat fever again?!” Why hadn’t he said anything?

“No. I had the cramps that mean I’m pregnant…I’m still having them.”

Jaime almost laughed while at the same time, a part of his mind went blank. Was this a joke? It had to be a joke. He’d seen Aleric take two herbs. He couldn’t be pregnant.

Aleric said something as he lifted his head, and Jaime could still barely get his mind wrapped around the fact to form a coherent sentence. If he was correct, the cramps always came four weeks after conceiving.

Not only had they fucked four weeks ago, Aleric had also been severely injured.

Suddenly, all he could picture was Aleric slamming into the ground with a spear and arrow sticking out of him. He’d been so ill afterward too.

Jaime had always wanted to be a Father, although not quite so unexpectedly.

“Are you listening to me?” demanded Aleric.

“Are you joking?”

“No, I'm not fucking joking. I said you can leave, and-”

Jaime shoved the book under a decorative pillow before he got up and hurried around the armchair although he had no idea of what to do. Aleric stiffened and took a step back with a guarded expression that was rather hurtful. Jaime wasn’t to be swayed from his concern.

“How do we know if the baby is all right?” he asked in a rush as he glanced down at Aleric’s midsection even though there wouldn’t be anything to see for a while. “You were injured and-”

What if something was dreadfully wrong, and Aleric would miscarry in a few weeks? It might even happen within a few days. He didn’t want to think of Aleric bleeding and passing it like that because it was surely painful and traumatizing. It'd be Jaime's fault and nothing he could fix.

“My uterus wasn’t hit, and I was healed,” Aleric said after a second.

“You also fell, and what if that killed it? I know the baby is too small to even see now, but they can die in the womb. You were thrown from a horse! Olivier poisoned you too.”

Aleric stared at him. “If it died then or in the next couple of days, I would have passed it already. When it’s first conceived, the baby is practically…you can’t even see it yet. I might not have noticed blood in the privy. Even now, I don’t think you couldn’t see it. It’s less than a speck.”

“But you were sick too, and we have no idea what exactly Olivier was giving you. You’d also lost a lot of blood, and you weren’t eating much at first. What if something is wrong, and it stops growing or-”

“It’s fine. For Elira’s sake, why are you so worried about this?”

“Because it’s my kid too, and if anything happens to it, it’s you that has to feel everything, and there’s nothing I can do for you.”

Aleric took a deep breath. “I went to see Delphine. She said my symptoms all point to pregnancy, and I’m likely fine. Plenty of people have had accidents or illnesses before they knew they were pregnant, and nothing is wrong. It's not the same as being ill or falling off a horse when you're much farther along and likely to hurt it. I’ve had the cramps, I haven’t noticed any blood down there, and I haven’t had any odd pains, so everything is likely fine at the moment.”

“You were dizzy, and you fainted for a couple of seconds.”

“It occasionally happens. It's not the end of the realm. She said a little appetite loss and lightheadedness can happen too.”

Maybe he was right, and Jaime didn’t need to worry so much about that.

“You can stop worrying and go,” Aleric continued as he moved around the armchair.

“You expect me to leave?!”

“I’m not forcing you to stay here.”

“What the fuck?”

“I know you're already planning to escape as soon as possible. It’s not like we planned it, and I can deal with it by myself.”

Like he did with everything else while coasting along and struggling to figure out a way to stay alive. Now he’d have another person to worry about besides his Father.

“Aleric, can you stay out here and talk to me?” Jaime watched him turn to his bedroom. “You don’t have to hide and wait for me to sneak out. I'm not going anyway. For Elira’s sake, I can’t believe you think I’d run the second you said you’re pregnant.”

He also didn’t like Aleric’s guarded expression like he was expecting Jaime to yell at him for getting pregnant or something utterly ridiculous.

“I know damn well you didn’t want to have a kid with me, so here’s your chance to leave before I tell my Father.”

Jaime imagined Lord Monet chasing after him with his cane. “Uh, is he going to try to kill me because I got you pregnant?”

Aleric sighed. “He’s not going to beat you to death with his cane if that’s what you’re thinking, but he told me when I was a teen that if I had sex and ended up pregnant, I’d be marrying the other parent. If you make your bed, you lie in it. I can do away with it, but I’m not, and if I intend to keep it, I have to keep the other Father too. Unless of course, the other is unfit in some way. You’re not unfit, so he’d expect us to get married, and if you try to run away later, he won’t be happy with you. He never said so specifically, but I think he’d send men to drag you back so you could take responsibility.”

“Fine. We’ll get married and do it right.” This was not how Jaime had imagined marriage and children, but he needed to take responsibility, and he couldn’t walk away from a kid even if he couldn’t see it yet.

Aleric’s expression was one of half shock and horror. “Oh, sure. You’ll marry me for the position, and-”

“Excuse me? If I wanted to marry you for the position, I would've been trying to crawl into your bed any chance I got to put a baby in you. We only fucked because of your heat fever, not because I wanted to get you up the stick. I also asked if you wanted me to go out and get you herbs in secret to keep you from conceiving. If I wanted to chain you to me with a child, I wouldn’t have asked!”

“The opportunity is here now, so why not take it?” Aleric snapped.

“I’m not Gautier! For Elira’s sake, everything I’ve done-does it mean nothing to you? You’ve been nicer, but you think I’m a sack of shit, don’t you?”

“Plenty of commoners might want to go higher if the opportunity comes, and this is a perfect way to do it. I’m not marrying and letting anyone use me.”

“This has nothing to do with me being an Earl later, and I’m not using you. I don’t give a shit about the position, and I was just fine with drifting before I met you. I’m the one who got you pregnant by accident, so it should be me who takes care of the child and you. No, I didn’t plan for this, and I’m not in the best position to have a kid, but what’s done is done. I was an accident baby, and my Father married my Mother. They loved each other and had a great marriage too.”

It wasn’t quite the same, but the principle remained.

“If I ran off and left you to take care of the kid alone, my parents would probably come back from the dead just to slap sense into me.”

“You'll marry me, and then what?” Aleric spread his arms. “You'll hate me in a year or two because I’ve basically tied you down here?”

Jaime made a frustrated noise. “Listen to me for a second. No, I’m not going to hate you later. While it takes two to make a kid, it’s not really your fault either. You could have not thrown your damn phallus at me, but I did come in without asking while you were…close. It’s more my fault that you ended up with heat fever.”

“I'm sure in a couple of years, it'll be entirely my fault and something to blame me for. You’ll drag it up whenever you’re pissed at me or-”

“No, I won't!”

“Bullshit.”

“How about if we get married, and if you decide you truly can’t stand me later, and it's safe, you can divorce me. We’ll live apart, and I’ll still be a parent. Kind of like Lord Monet and Zacharie’s Dad. I’ll get a flat in the city. Does that sound like I’m clutching onto your coattails to get higher?”

“They didn’t plan to marry. They were fine with living apart and having a relationship even if it’s not entirely proper.”

“They still would have been parents to Zacharie with both of them being a couple and…” Jaime paused. “Wait a minute. How come they weren’t going to marry, but you have to?”

“Because Father had been married once, he’d had a child with her, and he didn’t want to have any other spouse besides Mother. He’d said he’d never feel the same about anyone else. He could love, but not quite like that, and he didn't want to force a step-parent on me. Having a kid was something they planned. He didn’t want me fucking without precautions or a solid plan between me and the other before conceiving. The same goes if I ever impregnated a woman. He wouldn’t let me leave her in the dust and go on with my life like nothing happened.”

“I don’t want to leave you in the dust either! If you’re carrying my kid, can’t we both agree to give this a chance and try to make it work? If we tried, we could be happy, and our child would have both parents. I’m not going to hate you in a couple of years. Plenty of people get married for the child, and things end up fine.”

“It sounds like you won’t leave unless I bodily drag you out by your ankles and tell the gate guards to not let you back in,” Aleric said in a low voice. “You’re trying to force me.”

“You’re trying to force me to go away so I can’t raise my kid,” said Jaime. “That’s not much of a choice, is it? I don’t know why you have to automatically think you need to do everything yourself and won’t even give us a chance. We conceived a kid. That part’s done. We should get married and raise it together because it’s the right thing to do. You’re not safe here, and neither is your child. What if they kill you later? Do you want your son or daughter to be raised by Gautier and Zacharie because their niece or nephew would simply be an heir to them? They might see that as easier than getting a consort to have a kid later.”

No child should be raised by his Father’s murderer. He could tell Aleric was thinking of that and weighing his chances. Stay alone if he could make Jaime leave and remain in his little bubble. Or take the chance and put more trust in someone else.

“Aleric, please. I’ll never be able to leave and go about my life without worrying about the kid. I won’t know if it’s all right, or if you are-I can’t do it. I won’t have to carry it, but it’s a piece of me.”