Page 15

Now, he was her whole world.

The town of Rhayader came into view shortly, an idyllic little village surrounded by gently rolling hills. They passed through the outskirts, and the children, recognizing the de Lohr carriage because they’d seen it come to town the past few weeks, began to run alongside, begging for coins. The closer they drew to the town center, the more children joined in, until there was quite a pack following them. Elle looked to Curtis, smiling, and he took the hint. He always carried a sack of silver pennies with him, a smaller and less valuable denomination than the larger silver or gold coins. Digging into a purse that was fastened to his saddle on the inside of his left thigh, he came away with a small handful of the pennies and tossed them onto the side of the road.

A cheer went up from the children as they rushed to the scattering of silver coins very excitedly, and Elle and Melusine watched with smiles on their faces. The area they were in was fairly rural and poor except for a few bustling businesses in the heart of the village. It was one of the largest villages in the Welsh midlands, surrounded by farmland and mountains to the north. In the winter, it was cold and snowy here, and in the summer, it was green and mild.

The escort from Brython was heading to the heart of the village, where there was a big stone well in the center and a pool from which women would draw water. There was also a big stone cross on one end of the pool signifying St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children and merchants, among others. Curtis brought the escort into the center of the village and called a halt, putting Asa in command of the men. Douglas, Andrew, and Westley immediately begged to go to the stall of a woman who sold sweets, and also to the alley where the blacksmiths plied their trade, and Curtis sent them off with a stern warning to behave themselves. As they rushed off, he went to remove Elle and Melusine from the carriage. Once Elle stepped out of the fortified cab, she began to sniff the air.

“Smell it?” she said. “Fresh bread. And pie. I smell pies.”

Curtis knew what that meant. They had to find food. He was rather surprised, because Elle hadn’t been feeling well lately, not too inclined to eat like she usually did, but he would happily take her where she wanted to go. Melusine didn’t particularly want to go along because Asa was staying with the men, so Curtis took his wife’s hand and led her away, following the smells of the bakers. Elle held his big hand with both of hers as they crossed the square toward the bakers’ alley.

“Well?” Curtis said. “What will it be today? More bread? Mayhap the meat pies?”

Elle nodded. “All of that, please.”

He grinned. “What else?” he said. “What about the woman who makes those little cakes you like with the honey and cloves?”

“Those, too,” she said. “Though I am going to have to stop eating so much. My clothes will not fit me if I do not stop.”

He looked at her, noting her curvy figure with generous hips, slender waist, and full breasts. “Lass, you do not have to stop eating,” he said seductively. “I like you just the way you are, and you know it.”

She looked at him, knowing exactly what was on his mind. It was on it every day, and when they retired every evening, he let her know just how much he loved the body she had developed. But it went both ways—she’d learned to crave him as well, even catching him out in a lesser-known outbuilding once and initiating what had been quite a passionate rendezvous. He still talked about it. But as he waggled his eyebrows at her, she put her fingers to his lips to silence him.

“Hush,” she said, looking around. “You’ll not titillate me when there’s nothing we can do about it.”

He laughed low. “Apologies,” he said. “But the truth is that I cannot help it.”

“You’d better help it or you’ll make us both miserable.”

“Why?”

“Because we cannot do anything about it.”

He shrugged. “True,” he said. “But speaking of miserable, are you feeling better this morning?”

She shrugged. “A little,” she said. “I do not know why I’ve not been feeling well the past few days, but I feel better today. I’ll feel even better once I’ve eaten.”

“You still do not think that I need to summon a physic?”

“For what?” she asked as if it was a ridiculous suggestion. “There is nothing wrong with me. It would be a waste of money.”

He simply squeezed her hand, looking ahead to the bakers’ alley. There were four bakers on a small courtyard and two enormous ovens between them, going at full speed this morning. Smoke from the oven fires was blasting into the sky as the bakers worked the ovens and their stalls. Elle knew which stall she wanted, and she headed off to her right, straight into a stall where a husband and wife made braided bread with milk and honey, tarts with quince or raisins, and little cakes with oats and apples and cinnamon. Those were her favorite.

And the bakers knew it. They saw her coming in and were already pulling out the honey bread and the oatcakes. They put everything into a basket for her, and she took it gleefully while Curtis paid them well. When she wouldn’t share with him, the husband gave Curtis one of the oatcakes, and he took it appreciatively. He followed Elle out into the courtyard, where there were benches beneath an enormous yew tree, and as she sat down, he shoved the oatcake into his mouth for fear he would have to hand it over to her when she realized he had it.

“What more do you wish, my love?” he asked, mouth full. “I can see if the baker on the corner has any baked eggs left.”

Elle was already tearing into the honey bread. “I would like that,” she said, shoving the soft inside of the bread into her mouth. “Is it wicked of me not to want to share this with Melly?”

“Nay, it is not wicked.”

“She can procure her own, can’t she?”

“She can,” he said. “Asa can buy it for her. Moreover, you do not even share with me. If you feel wicked about something, let it be about that.”

She gave him a naughty little grin, one that had him smiling back. He swallowed the bite in his mouth, patting her on the head as he headed in the direction of the baker who sometimes had baked eggs with cream and cheese. He didn’t do it often, so Curtis didn’t have high hopes as he entered the stall. He asked the man about the eggs and was delighted to be told that there was some left. Curtis purchased all of it, wolfing down about half before his wife saw it because once she had it in her hands, the chances of him getting anything were slim.

As he’d said, she wasn’t apt to share.

Therefore, he was trying not to look like he was licking his lips when he brought the eggs back to her. The branches above were blowing gently in the breeze as he handed her the eggs, set in a bowl made of dried, woven grass. Elle was thrilled for the eggs and began eating them with gusto as Curtis looked around to the other bakers to see what they had to offer. One baker seemed to have two pieces of bread, very large pieces, with some kind of meat in between them. He turned to Elle to ask if she wanted some of it, only to see that she had vomited on the tree trunk.

Quickly, he picked up the bread and the remaining eggs from her lap as she struggled not to vomit again.

“I’m sorry, love,” he said, brushing tendrils of hair away from her face so she wouldn’t soil them. “What happened?”

Elle had the back of her hand to her mouth, eyes closed as she struggled not to vomit again. “I do not know,” she said breathlessly. “I thought if I ate, I would feel better. Everything was fine, and then… it just came back up.”

Curtis was sympathetic, grasping her arm and helping her to stand so she wouldn’t get any vomit on her skirt. “That settles it,” he said. “I’m going to find a physic. Is there one in the village?”

She nodded weakly. “The apothecary is also the physic,” she said. “Mayhap… mayhap he has a potion to help. I suppose I am not beyond seeking something to settle my stomach.”

“We shall go and see him.”

Elle was upset about the wasted food. “Look at this mess,” she said sadly. “I must have eaten something that had gone bad and not realized it. Now, the poison will not leave me. It is the only explanation.”

Curtis had his arm around her as he walked her out of the courtyard. “That is probably all it is.”

Elle felt horrible. Hand resting on her tender belly, she allowed Curtis to lead her out onto the main avenue. He took her over to the well, and although it was considered unsafe by some to drink water that had not been boiled, the well of Rhayader had its own cup next to the spring that popped up straight from the ground. Elle had drunk from it a hundred times in the past. Curtis filled the small metal cup with water straight from the spout and gave it to her, and she drank gratefully.

But she still didn’t feel any better.

As she sat on the stone well, waiting for her belly to settle, Melusine caught sight of her. She rushed to Elle’s side, and the situation became a conversation between Melusine and Curtis, both expressing concern that Elle was feeling poorly. Meanwhile, Elle was becoming increasingly upset that they were fussing over her. Melusine, in particular, was convinced Elle had a deadly disease, to the point where Curtis sent her back to the escort and told her to wait there. He could see that Elle was about to throttle the woman. When he was convinced that Elle wasn’t going to vomit again, he took her down the street, to the lair of the apothecary.

It was most definitely a lair.

A deep, dark, and mysterious place with a wooden panel over the door that had an eye on it. Just an eye. Curtis had been here before, twice, because his wife liked to talk to the apothecary and peruse the ointments he had for softening the skin of her hands, which tended to dry and crack. She’d never really been able to afford anything in his shop before, other than the sleeping potion she’d once purchased for Gruffydd, but now that she had a nearly endless supply of coin, this was her favorite place.

The apothecary’s name was Pliny.

He was a rather odd fellow, tall and thin, with stringy snow-white hair, that flowed past his shoulders. He wore black robes that smelled strangely. He was bent over a table when Elle and Curtis entered the shop, and his narrow face lit up at the sight of what was now his best customer.

He went to greet them.

“Lady Leominster,” he said, using her formal title. “It is pleasant to see you again. You have brought your strong husband with you, I see.”

Elle nodded. “I have,” she said. “He has insisted that I see you. I told him that you are a physic, and—”

Pliny cut her off. “I am, I am,” he said quickly. “I trained as a physic but found my calling to be experiments and discovery.”

Elle smiled weakly. “I have not been feeling well over the past several days,” she said hesitantly. “My belly has been… uneasy. I’m wondering if you have a tonic for it.”

Pliny swept his hand toward a door at the rear of the cottage. “Let us go somewhere that we may speak in private,” he said. Then he waved at Curtis. “You will come, too, my lord.”

He was walking into the adjoining chamber as Elle and Curtis followed. The ceiling of the cottage sloped, so by the time they reached the smaller chamber, Curtis was in danger of hitting his head. As he tried to duck the beams on the ceiling, Elle explained her predicament.

“Can’t you simply give me something to settle my stomach?” she asked. “I fear I ate something that must have gone bad and I did not realize it.”

The small chamber had a few chairs and an enormous wardrobe in it. Pliny indicated for Elle to sit on one of the chairs.

“Let us make sure that is all it is,” he said. “It is wise to know what your symptoms are before giving you a potion that may not help, is it not?”

Elle looked anxiously at Curtis, who nodded his head. “It is,” he said. “It started several days ago. She feels sick during the day, but mostly in the mornings. Right now, she ate some bread and it came back up again.”

Pliny looked between the pair thoughtfully. “No fever?”

“No fever.”

“Any swooning or spells of bad temper?”

Curtis lifted his eyebrows as he looked at Elle. “No swooning,” he said. “But the bad temper… We are speaking of Elle, after all.”

He was teasing her, and she sneered at him as Pliny fought off a grin. “You and your wife have not been married long, have you?”

Curtis shook his head. “You would know that,” he said, a knowing twinkle in his eye. “Everyone in this village knows that. We’ve only been married two months.”

“Since the siege at Brython Castle,” Pliny said.

“Exactly. It is no secret.”

Pliny shrugged, looking back to Elle. “My lady, I must ask you some questions, and you will answer me truthfully.”

Elle was growing increasingly anxious about the situation. “Why?” she said. “Do you think something is terribly wrong with me?”

“I will not know that until I have answers to my questions,” Pliny said. “My questions will be uncomfortable.”

Elle’s eyes widened, and she looked to Curtis, who took her hand and nodded patiently. “If it will help you, let him ask,” he said softly.

Fearful, Elle looked at Pliny. “Very well,” she said reluctantly. “What questions?”

“When was the first time you had marital relations with your husband?” Pliny asked.

That wasn’t a question Elle had expected, and she gasped in outrage, shooting up from the chair. “That is a terrible question to ask!” she said. “Why would you ask such things?”

“Because I am trying to figure out why your belly began to hurt a few days ago,” Pliny said patiently. “You did not feel ill before then?”

“I did not,” Elle said, still agitated. “I was well. I am well.”

“Of course you are,” Pliny said, though it was tinged with sarcasm. “That is why you are here. If you do not answer my questions, I cannot help you.”

Elle was fully prepared to blast the man, but she caught sight of Curtis’ expression. He suddenly had the strangest look in his eye. There was softness and warmth there. Perhaps even joy. She had no idea why he was looking at her like that, but she was upset about the entire situation, worse now that he didn’t seem to be protecting her from Pliny’s invasive questions.

“What else do you want to know?” she said angrily. “It had better not be something vulgar!”

“You have not answered my first question yet.”

Elle was gearing up for a sharp retort when Curtis squeezed her hand and pulled her into a one-armed embrace, kissing her on the forehead.

“I will answer it,” he said, sounding oddly hoarse. “Aye, it was the first time we had marital relations.”

Pliny could see that Curtis was more open to answering personal questions, so he turned to him. He could also see that Curtis might even understand why he was asking such questions.

He had a reason.

“And I would assume it was not the last time?” he said.

Curtis shook his head slowly. “Nay.”

Pliny nodded. “Of course not,” he said. “You are both young and strong and virile. It is natural. But you understand that your actions will have results, as God has intended.”

Curtis fought off a smile. “I do,” he said. “Do you think that’s what it is?”

Pliny shrugged. “That would be my guess,” he said. “Does she eat a great deal?”

“Like a horse.”

“And she will relieve herself quite frequently?”

Curtis nodded. “During the night, aye,” he said. “We do not spend our days together, at least not for hours on end, so I would not know, but I would imagine so.”

“And her body,” Pliny said, gesturing to his chest. “Are they sore to the touch?”

Curtis knew what he meant. “Now that you mention it, they do seem to be more sensitive,” he said. “They have grown larger, in fact, but I thought it was all of the eating she has been doing.”

Elle, who had been watching the exchange with great puzzlement, interrupted them. “What are you speaking of?” she asked Curtis. “What does it all mean?”

Curtis was smiling when he looked at her, and Elle swore she saw tears glistening in his eyes. “I am older than many of my siblings, as you know,” he said. “I saw my mother go through this very same thing several times, most recently with my youngest sister about twelve years ago. My mother ate a great deal, was sick on occasion, was moodier than usual. I do not know why I did not suspect the same thing with you.”

Elle wasn’t following him. “Suspect what?”

“A baby.”

She stared at him as if she had no real concept of what he’d just said. But when she processed his words, and his meaning, her eyes widened to epic proportions. “A… a what ?” she gasped. “You cannot mean…!”

“Why not?” He grinned. “As the apothecary says, we’re young and virile. It’s natural. And it is not as if we show any restraint. It’s very simple—you’re going to have a baby, my love. Our baby.”

Elle was so astonished that he could have knocked her over with a feather. In fact, she plopped back onto the chair, dazed, before bursting into tears. As Pliny made himself scarce, Curtis sat down next to her and put his arms around her. As he laughed softly, she wept copiously.

“A… a baby?” she sobbed.

He held her tightly. “Aye,” he murmured. “A baby. Are you not pleased?”

She was gasping and sobbing dramatically, something he found hilarious. “But I cannot be! I’m barren! Cadwalader told everyone I was barren!”

Curtis chuckled. “He lied,” he said flatly. “He lied to cover up the fact that he was an old man incapable of impregnating his wife. Clearly, my dearest, you are not barren.”

She continued to weep dramatically, and he grinned through the entire thing. It was like music to his ears. But as suddenly as the hysterics happened, they stopped as she pulled back to look at him with big, watery eyes.

“Are you happy?” she said, sniffling. “Does this please you, Curt?”

He cupped her face between his two enormous hands, kissing her gently. “I have never been happier about anything in my entire life.”

“Are you certain?”

“Of course I am,” he said, gazing into those bright eyes. “But I must tell you something.”

“What?”

“I love you very much.”

The hysterics came again as she threw her arms around his neck and wept as if he’d just broken her heart. Or made her the happiest woman alive. It was difficult to tell with Elle, because she could be dramatic at the best of times. He let her cry for a few moments before pulling back and forcing her to look at him.

“Have you nothing to say to me to that regard?” he said, his eyes glimmering with emotion. “Or am I to go through life only admired by my wife and nothing more?”

She shook her head, running her hand down his cheek as she gazed at him adoringly. “I’ve never had anyone tell me that they loved me,” she whispered. “Not anyone. You are the first.”

“It is not painful to say it,” he said, kissing her fingers as they moved over his lips. “Try it.”

She sniffled, a smile playing on her lips. “I… I love you.”

“I love you, Curt .”

“I know your name.”

“Then use it.”

She leaned into him, kissing his mouth gently. “I love you, Curt,” she murmured against his lips. “In this life and beyond.”

Her mouth claimed his again, strongly and passionately, as he wrapped her up in his powerful embrace. He could taste her salty tears on her lips. She ended up on his chair, on his lap, and probably would have remained there forever had Pliny not returned to the small chamber, making his way over to the big wardrobe against the wall and throwing open the doors.

“Ah!” he said. “Here it is!”

The spell was broken between Curtis and Elle as Pliny drew forth a small sack and approached them.

“Here,” he said, extending it to Elle. “This will help settle your stomach.”

Elle stood up from Curtis’ lap, peering into the canvas sack. “What it is?” she asked warily.

“Licorice root,” Pliny said. “Chew on it when your stomach feels poorly. It should help.”

“You have my thanks,” Curtis said. “Is there anything else she can do to help?”

Pliny shrugged. “She must not eat big meals,” he said. “I would suggest she eat a little, but eat frequently. Bread, apples, things like that. Broth is good, but nothing too heavy. The sickness should pass in a while.”

Curtis couldn’t stop smiling. He took Elle’s hand and kissed it before turning for the door. “You have helped us solve a great mystery,” he said to Pliny. “Would it be too much to ask you to find a good midwife? I should like my wife to have the best of care.”

Pliny nodded. “My sister is an excellent midwife,” he said. “I will send her to you in a few days to see to your wife. Congratulations, my lord. May Lady Leominster bear you many strong sons.”

Curtis grinned, removing a coin from his purse and handing it off to Pliny as he and Elle headed for the exit. They still had garments to collect from the seamstress and shoes to fetch from the leatherworker, but at the moment, he couldn’t think of anything but the woman at his side and the fact that she was going to bear his child.

His son.

Funny how a journey into town turned out to be one of the better days of his life.