Page 6 of Halloween Knight (A Knights Through Time Romance #17)

Grateful there were plenty of apples stored in the larder, Lucy finished her cup of cider, humming softly to herself as she held Peter. What was it about the smell of a baby? She inhaled again, marveling that she and William had created a tiny human.

When he woke, hungry, she reluctantly passed him off to the wet nurse to feed him. It still bothered her, but she found if she made herself go do something instead of sitting and watching another woman feed her child, somehow Lucy was able to manage without falling apart.

William was delighted to have two sons, though he and Lucy were hoping for a girl next. Having two sisters growing up, she wanted a big family, at least that way when one sibling was mad at another there was still someone to talk to.

On her way outside to get a bit of fresh air, she made sure to stop and say hello to the guards and servants she passed, and when only one villager crossed themselves, she hoped that maybe the old rumors would finally die down .

As she reached the stables, an apple core in her pocket for Buttercup, a plaintive voice called out.

“My lady, might I have a word?”

She turned to see one of the stable hands approaching, face etched in a pained grimace. He had been at the castle for years, long before she’d arrived. An older man named Gerald, with a gentle touch that made even the touchiest horses calm under his care.

“How’s Buttercup today?” Lucy greeted him.

Gerald’s eyes crinkled as he looked at the stables.

“She’s fine, lady.”

He sucked air through his teeth, face going pale.

“What’s wrong?”

The stableman winced, gingerly holding a hand to his jaw.

“Begging your pardon. It’s this awful toothache, been plaguing me something fierce the past few days. And now my head’s pounding too.”

The castle healer had passed away last year and as they had not found another to replace him, Lucy and a teenage girl who’d started apprenticing with him a few months before he passed had taken over the role.

“Catherine is tending to one of the washerwomen who fell and sprained her ankle, but I can give you something for the pain.”

Then she made a show of tapping a finger to her lip. “Or we could call for Osbert to pull the tooth out and be done.”

Horrified, Gerald clapped a hand over his mouth. “Nay, lady. I am keeping my teeth no matter how they pain me.”

He followed her back to the castle, down a passage leading away from the great hall. They took the stairs down a floor, and with a shove, Lucy pushed open the heavy door, grateful there was at least one window, even if it was small and barred .

Pleased that Catherine had kept the room clean and organized, Lucy sniffed. The smell of lavender, rosemary, thyme, and other drying herbs hanging from the rafters was pleasing, as she bustled around the room.

The room itself was modest, but well-stocked with supplies. A long wooden table ran down the center, topped with bowls, a few scraps of parchment, quill and ink, and bundles of drying herbs.

Cool air blew in through the window. While many of the rooms at Blackford had glass in the windows, several did not, including this room.

Along the far wall stood a few simple wooden shelves, packed with all manner of things Lucy and Catherine hadn’t had time to sort through yet. Some were ridiculous, like unicorn tears and dragon’s blood, while others were merely disgusting like bat wings and powdered mice.

Seriously, what on earth did the previous healer do with powdered mice?

Lucy had half a mind to pour it out for Thor and see if he’d eat it, but not knowing if it really was made of mice or something else that might not be safe for him to eat, she decided the remains would go in the trash the next time she had time to work in here.

Lucy gestured for Gerald to sit on a stool by the fire, while she considered how best to treat his pain. As she thought, she added a few logs to the fire to keep the chill at bay. The stone walls were always cold, especially down here.

She took a bowl and went to the pipe that brought cold water from the cistern on the roof to the chambers and other rooms. Once the cauldron over the fire was filled, she waited until it was hot, then ladled some into a bowl to wash her hands.

She lit a candle, so she’d be able to see inside his mouth .

“Let’s have a look then,” she said gently, holding up the candle, and carefully peering into Gerald’s mouth where she noted reddened, inflamed gums around the problematic tooth. He flinched when she gently touched the area with a wooden spoon.

“It looks like you have something caught in-between your teeth,” Lucy murmured, trying to get a better look. “It looks like a small piece of bone. The swelling is likely what’s causing your headache as well.”

When William had asked what on earth she’d spent so much money on the last time the silversmith visited, she showed him the beautiful tweezers she’d had the silversmith fashion for her.

They were larger than the tweezers she’d used in her old life, but they were a work of art with tiny waves etched along both sides.

As she showed him how they worked and explained the uses, he nodded, but told her to keep them locked up.

In the time she’d spent in the healing room and talking to the healers at court, Lucy had learned a few things, and had also learned that presentation mattered. The ritual was just as important as the treatment.

She went to the basin on the table and dipped out a cup of salt water that Catherine must have fetched that morning.

Handing it to Gerald, she said, “gargle with the salt water while I prepare the remedy.”

He took the cup, gargling with the salt water from the sea, then spit it into a bucket she’d placed near his feet. Once finished, she’d leave the bucket outside where one of the servants would come by and empty it.

Next she had him gargle with wine and mint, almost like a modern-day mouthwash.

The small locked chest held the silver tweezers, which Lucy passed through the flame before dipping them in whiskey, then she handed Gerald the candle.

“Hold it like this.”

He did as she said, opening his mouth wide, making her breathe through her mouth, eyes watering at the smell.

She quickly grabbed hold of the tiny shard of bone and pulled it out.

“Better?”

He nodded as she took the candle from him, setting it on the table.

“Gargle again.” Lucy handed him another cup of salt water, and then another of wine and mint to stop the bleeding and clean out the area.

“Almost done.”

“I thank ye, my lady.” Gerald had one fist clenched so tightly she thought he might draw blood.

Selecting a small clay jar from the shelves, Lucy explained, “I’m going to burn these seeds. You inhale the smoke and hold it in your mouth, then I will apply an ointment. Together they should help reduce the swelling and inflammation, which should also ease your headache.”

The henbane seeds were in the ointment as well. Catherine and Lucy had learned the hard way not to let the patient chew the henbane seeds, as they could cause the patient to feel as if they were flying or to have hallucinations.

Gerald nodded, desperate for any relief as she tied a cloth around her nose and mouth so she wouldn’t inhale the smoke, no sense feeling high for the rest of the day, then she set about lighting the seeds on fire so they would smoke.

Once they were smoking, she took a piece of parchment and rolled it up to direct the smoke.

“Lean over the parchment and open your mouth. When the smoke goes in, close your mouth and hold it until I tell you to let it out.”

Once she’d counted to sixty, Lucy let Gerald exhale, then with great care, she dabbed a bit of the ointment onto his gum.

“There now, that should ease your pain,” she said.

“Thank you, kindly, my lady,” Gerald said. “My tooth is much better already.”

It would be nice to have a healer again so Lucy could focus on other things. Catherine was doing well, but she was only fifteen and still had much to learn.

She made mental notes of a few roots and tinctures that would need restocking soon.

Gerald rose slowly, stretching. “I best get back to the stables.” The stableman nodded to her on his way out.

Alone in the room, Lucy tidied up, ensuring everything was in order. Satisfied, she made her way up the stairs, and back out into the passageway, then out into the fresh air of the courtyard to clear her head.

After the dim interior of the healer’s room, Lucy needed the sun and to stretch her legs a bit. She strolled slowly across the courtyard, lifting her face to the blue October sky.

As she rounded the corner, Lucy heard high-pitched laughter as two dogs ran past her, Jason toddling after them along with another boy. They both had their wooden swords strapped to their hips.

One of the older boys nodded to Lucy as he followed, keeping an eye on her son and his friend.

Ever since Jason had learned to walk, he loved following the dogs and playing at sword fighting. The hounds indulged him gleefully, gamboling around, barking and wagging their tails as Jason climbed all over them.

Spotting her, he changed direction, charging over to her as the dogs flopped down, tongues lolling. “Mama, we chase bandits.” The boys jumped up and down, babbling away.

Lucy swept him up into a fierce hug.

“You are so brave to vanquish the bandits.” She tickled him, making him shriek before she did the same to the cook’s son. Lucy smiled over at the older boy.

“Thank you for watching him for a while,” she said.

The boy nodded. “Cook said I could have a meat pie if I watched over them.”

The nanny had been up all night with Peter, so Lucy told her to take a nap this afternoon and let one of the boys watch Jason for a while.

With a yell, Jason called to the dogs, and they continued on, playing and laughing as he vanquished the imagined foes.

Lucy turned and passed through a stone archway out of the courtyard into the castle’s sprawling kitchen gardens. The air here smelled of freshly turned earth and drifting wood smoke from the kitchen fires.

Two boys from the kitchens knelt, weeding and preparing the beds for winter.

They greeted Lucy warmly but did not pause in their task.

Moving slowly along the dirt paths, Lucy decided she would expand the medicine garden next year.

She would have the beds dug before the ground froze, so they would be ready for planting in the spring.

More fruit trees would be nice as well. The apple cider and apple pies had been delicious.

The fields had been sown with winter barley and oats. The grapes harvested to make wine, and the pigs let out to forage in the forest for acorns.

She sat on a low stone bench, enjoying the sun, closing her eyes and turning her face upward .

A while later, the sound of someone clearing their voice had her opening her eyes.

Awaiting her was the castle steward, who bowed respectfully. “My lady, the household accounts need reviewing when you have a moment, at your earliest convenience.”

Lucy nodded. “Of course. I will come shortly and look them over.”

The steward thanked her and withdrew. Lucy sat a moment longer, watching a pair of swallows swoop and dart after insects in the golden afternoon light.

Then she drew a deep, centering breath and turned her steps towards the hall and her waiting responsibilities.

Her work here was never done, but it certainly made the days pass quickly.

William should be almost finished helping to repair the garrison wall, and they could go up to the nursery to be there when Peter woke from his nap. Tonight they would eat in the solar, just the four of them, so she could spend as much time as possible with her husband before he left for York.

After the children went to bed, Lucy would talk to William to see what he thought about having a Halloween celebration with fun activities for the children.