“I’m not ready to settle down,” Jovan said, rather defensively.
“Have you even asked Eve yet?” Bethany asked.
“No, because I’m not ready to.”
“Hmm,” Allric said. “You should ask her. You’ve already angered all of Wyllow with your antics. You might as well get married to a Rygent woman. I highly recommend it.”
“Perhaps I should marry a Rygent woman, too,” Bethany said. “They do seem all the rage these days.”
Arrago rolled his eyes. “No woman would ever have you.”
“Too bad,” Bethany said. “I could use a wife. They seem so handy.”
“You are impossible,” Allric said. “Don’t let Amber hear you say things like that.”
“Or the Queen,” Edmund added.
“So how does all this work?” Bethany asked. “I don’t mean to be insensitive, but do we just wait here?”
Another cry pierced the air. Celeste let out a shriek that sounded as though her limbs were being torn from her body. Bethany winced. Edmund stood up, but Allric put his hand on Edmund’s shoulder and forcefully pushed him back down into his chair. “Let the women handle this. They’ll call us if they need us.”
“If the women are handling it,” Edmund spat, “then why isn’t Bethany in there?”
“Why do you want her in there?” Arrago asked.
“Because she’d actually come out and tell us the gory details. Then I’d know what the fuck was going on,” Edmund snapped.
“I’m not going anywhere near that scene,” Bethany said. “Give me corpses with their brains splattered any day.”
“You are such a child,” Allric said. “I was with Amber when she laboured. It wasn’t that bad.”
Bethany shuddered. “Amber told me, and it sounded like a nightmare. No thank you.”
They bantered back and forth for another hour and Celeste’s true friends held the vigil as she laboured in the room beyond. Lendra came in, as did Kiner. Allric eventually left to go back to his apartment to look after baby Opal while her nurse got some sleep. He promised to be back in the morning.
Maids came in and out, delivering firewood, food, blankets, wine, and whatever else was needed. A few members of the Taftlin clergy arrived, but Arrago refused to let them into Celeste’s bedroom. He said he’d call if they were needed.
A few members of the peerage arrived, who scoffed at the scene in the Queen’s drawing room. There were even occasional mutterings about the “vulgar” and “disgraceful” display of men and women resting on furniture like common vagrants.
A minor army of chambermaids brought pillows and even more blankets once the clocks struck midnight. Edmund was already fast asleep in his chair, the wine having quelled his cough. Lendra had arrived sometime during the evening and was asleep stretched across one of the sofas. Erem was asleep on the floor nearest Lendra and one of the maids covered both of them with a mountain of patchwork blankets.
Bethany’s cough was just starting, so one of the older maids brought her a mug of broth spiked with whisky. Bethany thanked her and sipped at the steaming liquid.
“Should I ask the kitchen to bring up a pot of broth for in front of the fire?”
Bethany smiled at the maid. “That would be lovely.”
“Bring up a bottle of whisky when you come, too,” Arrago said.
“Yes, Majesty. At once.”
“You don’t need to rush,” Arrago said, but the maid was already off to meet her sovereign’s needs.
“When you tell them not to rush, they just hurry more,” Bethany said.
Arrago heaved a depressed sigh. “I know.”
“Maybe you need to think of it as a compliment. They know you truly mean not to hurry, which makes them want to hurry because you’re being so nice to them.”
****
“That is some twisted logic,” Arrago said. He looked around the drawing room. All of the chairs were taken, as well as the sofas. “I should’ve asked the footmen to bring more sofas.”
Bethany smiled. “Oh, I’m sure Erem’s not sorry to be sleeping next to my sister, floor or not.”
Arrago turned away from Bethany under the guise of observing the young pair. If Bethany saw his face, he was certain she’d be demanding everything he knew. “You think? I thought Lendra was sweet on Kiner.”
“You know what girls are like at that age.”
“She’s like eighty,” Arrago said, grinning.
“She’s Elorian, though. She’s like…sixteen. Well, maybe a bit older.”
“I wish there was a chart. Elven to human.”
Bethany chuckled. “It would clear up a lot of issues. But seriously, you don’t think there’s something going on between them?”
Arrago already knew that Erem had asked Celeste if he could remove a few flowers from the hothouse. Celeste didn’t think anything of it, until she noticed white lilies outside Lendra’s apartments. She mentioned it to Arrago, legitimately concerned that Bethany might lose her mind if she found out.
“He’s just protective of her.”
An unconvinced grunt escaped Bethany.
Arrago had approached Erem and told him he knew everything. Erem begged that Bethany not find out. It was interesting that he was more afraid of Bethany finding out than Lendra. But Arrago promised not to tell anyone and, if pressed, Erem would say he was doing it because Celeste had told him they were Lendra’s favourite flowers.
“I asked one of the chambermaids and she said she’d heard the flowers were from you.”
Arrago smiled. “They might be. I told the housekeeper to cut some of the hothouse flowers for around the castle. It’s so bleak here.”
“Aren’t you adorable?” Bethany said, sarcasm dripping from her words like fine whisky. “I could eat you right up.”
Dark thoughts filled Arrago’s mind, memories of things he should not recall in polite company. His eyes met hers, and for a moment her gaze turned as hungry as he felt. But the cries of pain from the back room broke the moment and Arrago looked away, crestfallen and shamed.
Some of the others stirred at the sound, though Edmund continued snoring gently in his chair. The poor man was exhausted. Arrago had tried to get him to go back to his room for some decent sleep, but he’d refused to leave. Arrago didn’t press the issue; if their positions were reversed, he wouldn’t want to leave Bethany’s side.
If the baby was healthy, Arrago planned to send Celeste away. And he’d send Edmund away, too, to be her ‘protector’. The baby was all that mattered, because if he was a boy, that meant an heir. With an heir, they could all do whatever they wanted without judgment, since he and Celeste had done their duty. If it was a girl, that would complicate matters, but Arrago was confident they could figure something out.
Arrago snorted. He hadn’t even touched his own wife. They had tried to be affectionate in the first days, grasping at the hope that they could continue the farce. There was no chemistry between them. They’d tried, but always stopped because neither was interested. Celeste said they could try again once the baby had arrived, and maybe they could keep trying, but he didn’t want to. He told her to be happy with Edmund. Somehow, they would all figure it out.
So, instead, of gaining a lover, Arrago had gained a friend. It had surprised him how they’d become great, fast friends. He’d fallen in love with Celeste, but not as a wife. Instead, he loved her as a woman he admired. She filled the hole where his friendship with Bethany had been and, while she could never supplant Bethany, she could be a warm comfort in front of the fire as they talked politics and books.
“She’s going to be okay.”
He hadn’t realized Bethany was sitting next to him on the floor. His face was wet from the tears he hadn’t realized he’d shed.
“That wasn’t what I was thinking,” he whispered. “Not exactly.”
She patted his shoulder and pushed herself up. She pulled the blankets off the sofa and put them down in front of the fire. “Take the sofa.”
“Majesty, get your ass on that sofa and get some sleep.” She wriggled around until her blankets were organized in the very particular way she liked them. She slapped her pillow three times and wedged most of it under the base of her neck. She let out her contented sigh, and Arrago smiled.
Apexia’s mercy, this night was going to kill him.
****
Bethany woke to the sound of quiet whispers. She was surprised to discover it wasn’t daylight, though the first glow of dawn filtered through the windows. The fireplace roared once more, so the chambermaids had been in to stoke the fire. She yawned and stretched out the aches of sleeping on the floor. She was impossibly warm and cozy, a rare sensation since she’d arrived in Taftlin.
“How long was I out?”
“It’s seven,” Kiner said in between spoons of lumpy porridge. “The kitchen sent up breakfast. They put raisins and nuts in the porridge.”
“Oh, nice,” Bethany said and pushed herself up from the floor. Everything ached, and she let out several rib-shaking coughs. “No news?”
“Nothing’s changed.”
“They even poured molasses on top of it. Oh, how lovely” she said, filling the hollow of her plate with the lumpy, gooey mixture. “Where is everyone? Any word?”
“Nothing new. I sent the others to get some food and stretch their legs. I said I’d send for them if anything changed.” He motioned at the porridge. “And had this brought up for us.”
She smiled and said, “Thank you so much. This is perfect.”
“I told the maid exactly how you liked it.”
She rolled her eyes. “One of these days you’re going to have to stop this farce of pretending to be in love with me.”
“Why? Am I wearing you down?”
“Kiner, I might even start believing it.” Bethany shoved another spoonful of deliciousness into her mouth. “Oh, I love thick porridge with loads of shit in it. If there’s no word, how did you convince Edmund to leave?”
“I didn’t. The midwife came out about an hour ago and yelled at him. He’d been coughing up a storm, and she said it was upsetting Celeste. Then she slipped laudanum in his broth while they were arguing and he’s probably passed out in Lendra’s drawing room right now.”
“Why wouldn’t he go back to his own room?”
“He wanted to be nearby.” Kiner shrugged. “The midwife said Celeste was trying to get a little sleep, so him coughing wasn’t helping.”
“It hadn’t occurred to me that she’d be able to sleep,” Bethany confessed. “I’m worried about Edmund, too. He’s so sick.”
Kiner eyed her. “Because you’re the picture of health?”
They chattered on for a while, talking about the war and if anyone had heard from the scouts sent out through the holes in the boundary, filling the time while they waited for both news and the others to arrive. Finally, Bethany tried to persuade Kiner to find out who’d been sending Lendra white lilies.
“Bethany, I am not spying on your sister.”
“It’s not spying. It’s sisterly concern.” Bethany rolled her eyes. “Okay, I think it’s Erem and I just want to be sure.”
“Why? So you can terrorize him? No.”
“Don’t be foolish. He’s not going to do anything with her. He’s more awkward than you are,” Bethany scoffed.
“Thanks,” Kiner said flatly.
“I just want to drop occasional hints to make him crazy.”
“Why don’t you do that now?”
“Because I don’t know it’s him,” she said and frowned. “It doesn’t matter anymore, I guess, since I’m supposed to be training him. And the flowers stopped a few weeks ago.”
“There you have it. It was probably the maids.”
“Arrago said the same thing.”
“They were probably coming from his hothouse,” Kiner said, a grin stretching across his face. Then Kiner started laughing and said, “Oh, of course! They were coming from his hothouse.”
“What?” Bethany demanded. “You know what’s going on, don’t you?”
“I am not telling you anything,” Kiner said.
Bethany noted the time and was relieved to escape the drawing room for a few hours, especially since it was so quiet with Celeste sleeping. Right now, no news was good news, so she could slip away while she had the opportunity. Besides, the pitter-patter of annoying visitors was soon to begin and Bethany needed a break to ensure she didn’t bite the head off any beloved local priest or noble.
A local merchant, tasked with selling the King’s spice reserve, had arranged a meeting with her to bulk sell her all the spice they were planning to sell to the army. It was Edmund’s idea, apparently, and the merchant felt that what the King didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
They negotiated a price and Bethany used her own money, so there was no official record of the purchase for Arrago’s prying eyes to see. After bribing the merchant and including a bribe for the scullery maids assisting him, it had cleaned her out except for a few pennies.
She was poor. What a novel notion, she thought.
Of course, she was a resident of Wyllow, which meant she received an annual share from the mining operations on the penal islands with their gold, silver, and gems. She’d be rolling in cash soon enough. She also drew a salary, even if she often used it to buy food and supplies.
And spices.
“Lady Bethany, why don’t you want the King to know about this?” the merchant asked. “It would raise your profile amongst the human troops, would it not?”
She laughed as she dumped the handful of coins back into her desk drawer. “I’ll have a servant find me a proper chest and send this over. It’s all in pouches in my drawer here.”
“The proceeds of gambling?”
She laughed even harder. “Some of it, yes; some of it even taken from his Majesty. But, please, don’t let King Arrago know about this.”
“Let him know what, Lady Bethany?”
Bethany looked around the merchant to find Lord Stanley standing in the doorway. Bethany pushed herself to her feet. “Is there news?”
“Nothing yet. The midwives gave her something to help recover her strength, so she’s still resting. “ He walked into the office and closed the door. “Might I assume that a transaction is happening without the King’s consent?”
Bethany cleared her throat. “Lord Stanley, please, have a seat.”
The old man did not sit. He kept his stern gaze on Bethany. “This is Mr. Raymond Blackrock, is it not?”
“Indeed, my lord,” the merchant responded. “Thank you for remembering me.”
“And is he not the merchant Sir Edmund hired to assist with the selling of spices to the soldiers in the encampment?”
Bethany sighed and said, “Lord Stanley, please, if you will allow me to explain—”
“Oh, I don’t need you to explain anything. I came here to ask you to buy all of the spices from Blackrock to save everyone the trouble.”
Bethany threw her head back and laughed. “I see the King’s as stubborn as ever.”
“I hear he’s learnt that from you, my lady,” Stanley said and, though he wasn’t smiling, his voice said he was. “The King will not be happy.”
“This way is faster,” Bethany said. “And I’ve paid full price for the spices, as well as for the maids to distribute them throughout the camp cooks. There’s not enough to go around for more than a taste, but it’ll cheer up a lot of elves who are missing the taste of home.”
“Who is that tall, skinny elf I see around the ambassador a lot?” Stanley asked. “The really pale one.”
Bethany laughed. “Lord Erem.”
“I will speak to Lord Erem and ask if he will take credit for the spices. Would that work?”
The merchant shrugged. “I don’t care. I’ve been paid.”
“Sure, if you think that’s best,” Bethany said.
“I think the King will eventually
become suspicious. If it comes up, I will say that this Lord Erem did it on the behest of the ambassador. I’ll concoct something believable.” Stanley waved a hand. “The King has enough on his mind right now. He should not be worrying about this.”
“I am in complete agreement, Lord Stanley,” Bethany said sincerely.
“Well,” Blackrock said, standing. “Lady Bethany, I have not done much business with elves or women, but you are indeed an excellent businesswoman. I look forward to working with you in the future.”
Bethany gave a slight incline of her head.
When the merchant had left, she turned to Stanley. “Next time, just come to me. If I can help, I will.”
Stanley motioned at the chair vacated by Blackrock and Bethany nodded. They both sat down. “King Arrago is a good man, but I fear he is…”
“Naïve?”
Stanley smiled. “Perhaps. The Queen is an excellent woman, but even she only has so much control over him. Rumor has led me to believe that you might have more sway.”
“Sometimes, though it’s just as likely he’ll dig his heels in with me.” Bethany quirked a smile. “As I sometimes will with him.”
Stanley nodded sagely. “Passion and fire are for the young.”
Bethany laughed. “I’m older than you, Lord Stanley.”
The old man smiled. “Not in maturity, my dear lady. Not in maturity.”
A couple of hours later, Bethany returned to the royal drawing room. The sideboard was once again spread with various pewter serving dishes and earthenware crocks. Lendra, Erem, and Kiner were holding the fort.
For the next six hours, they were faced with a stream of ‘friends of the court’, whatever that meant, all coming for news. Some even attempted to enter the bedroom where Celeste was once again noisily labouring, including male advisors and peers.
Arrago finally lost his temper and posted two guards outside the drawing room. Bethany understood that the Queen was giving birth to the future heir of Taftlin, if she was to have a son. Nevertheless, surely the woman deserved some privacy while she screamed and…Bethany shuddered at the thought. She meant it. Give her corpses and gore any day.
Amber came out of the bedroom. They all stood. Amber looked exhausted. Her hair was greasy and her clothes were stained with sweat. “It’s a boy, Arrago.”
Fury (Tranquility Book 3) Page 8
