Lady Lina looked at the bruise forming on her wrist and quickly added an ointment. “You are not going to be able to keep Robert from seeing this, but the salve will stop the bruise from getting too dark.” She looked at Matilda, studying her closely. “They did not hurt you?”
“No more than what you see.” Matilda frowned. “I do worry they may have harmed the babe, though.”
Lady Lina’s eyes widened. “The babe?” She looked both excited and horrified. “Have you noticed blood?”
Matilda shook her head. “I do think I am all right, but I just realized I carried this morning. I was walking and thinking about how much my life has changed, and I was attacked.”
“I am going to give you a potion for if you have trouble keeping food down and another to build your strength. I want you taking them both every morning. All right?”
“Aye. I will take them.”
Lady Lina bit her lip and got to her feet. “I think I want my mother to come and make sure all is well with you. Do you mind if I send for her?”
Matilda frowned. “Do you think it is necessary?”
“I do not know, but I would feel much better if she was here. It will take her three days to make the journey once she receives my message. She is old now and cannot travel as quickly as she once could.”
“Send for her. We do not want to risk the babe.”
“Thank you.” Lady Lina smiled at Matilda and squeezed her hand. “It is just a precaution. I am sure that babe will be as strong as all seven of my sons were.” With those words, she strode from the room, closing the door behind her. She went to Mary first, asking her to help Matilda dress, and then she went to Robert.
“How is she?”
“She has a bruise forming on her wrist, but there are no other real injuries that I can see. I am going to send for my mother to examine her, but that is just a precaution. I cannot risk your son being hurt. If he is, Mother can heal him.”
“My son?”
Lady Lina covered her mouth with her hand. “I assumed she had told you! Please do not tell her you know. She should be the one who tells you that you will be a father. She just realized this morning, so I am sure it is just a matter of time until she has a chance.”
He nodded, shocked to his core. His wife was attacked, he killed in revenge, and found out he was to be a father all in one day. It was a bit more than he was used to handling all at once. “I am going to go see her. I do not want to let her out of my sight until Grandmother comes. I need to be sure she is all right.”
“That sounds good to me. If she starts to bleed, you will need to send for me right away.” His mother was halfway out the door before she paused and turned back to him. “Your father and I are going to ride to where we can talk to Aunt Christiana. We will come for supper tonight, so we can all be together, and I will be close if there is a problem.”
Robert stared at the spot where his mother had been long after she was gone. He was thankful to have her to help him, but he worried about the future of his family. If he continued to get as angry as he had that morning, there would be no way he could hide his powers.
By the time his grandmother arrived three days later, Robert was angry with Matilda. She had yet to tell him about the babe she carried, and he wondered if she ever planned to tell him. He knew she was distracted by the attack, but it had been days. She had told his mother she was expecting, so why not him?
His grandparents came to the castle, both of them ready to see him. His grandfather hugged him close. “Hello, Grandfather. Thank you for coming.”
His grandmother did not waste time with pleasantries. She headed straight up the stairs to the master bedchamber and knocked.
Matilda was lying on her side, feeling nauseated when a knock came to the door. “Aye?”
The door opened, and an elderly woman she had never seen before entered the room and walked over to sit on the bed beside her. “I am Marina, Lina’s mother. How are you feeling?”
The question from a stranger had Matilda sobbing. “I worry about the babe!”
“Of course you do. I have never known a woman who was carrying her first child who did not worry about the babe inside her. May I have your permission to check you?”
Matilda nodded, brushing away a tear. “Should I sit?”
Marina shook her head. “It does not matter, child. I can help you no matter how you lay.” Her hand hovered over Matilda’s abdomen, and she smiled. “The babe is strong. There is no problem at all.” After another moment, she said, “I have healed your wrist. It was a little worse than I was led to believe.” Then she made a face. “You are having trouble keeping food in you.”
Matilda struggled to sit up. “I am having trouble with food, but I am getting some to stay in me. Usually I only miss out on the morning meal completely.”
“Do you mind if I heal you a little bit so you can eat more?”
“Not at all. It would be nice not to share my meal with the chamber pot every morning.”
Marina laughed. “My daughter has told me many good things about you. She says you make Robert a very happy man. I thank you for that.”
Matilda bit her lip, studying the older woman. “You know I was a serf?” she asked.
“Nay, that has never come up. It does not matter anyway. You are my new granddaughter whether you were born a serf or a princess.”
“This family never ceases to amaze me. You are all so warm and welcoming. I think I could tell you that I was a druid who was hatched from an egg in a forest in Scotland, and you would not even blink.”
“I am afraid I would. A Scotswoman as a granddaughter? I draw the line there!”
Matilda laughed, feeling her nausea abate as Marina held her hand over her abdomen. “I feel better already.”
“I am going to stay here for a few days. By the time I leave, we will have your morning sickness under control. It is not bad.” Marina reached out and helped Matilda to her feet. “Now, let us go downstairs, so we can all chat. My husband is here with me, and we have both been very curious about the new granddaughter we have.”
Matilda was surprised at just how spry Robert’s grandmother was. “What should I call you?”
“I would love it if you called us Grandmama and Grandfather like Robert does.”
Matilda nodded. “I would like that.” She took the stairs slowly and went into the parlor where she had first met Robert, sitting on the window seat there with her husband, while the others took chairs around the house. “Robert, have you let your parents know that your grandparents are here yet?”
Robert shook his head. “I guess I should do that, should I not?” He gave her a sad look as he left, and she could not imagine what was wrong with him.
Marina looked at Matilda. “He does not seem as happy as I expected him to be. He is married, and his first son is on the way. What reason does he have for sadness?”
Matilda shook her head. “I have not told him about the babe yet. I just found out the day of my attack, and I have not been sure quite how to broach the subject. I know he wants to wait a little while before having children.”
“That explains his unhappiness then. Do you really think he does not know? And you keeping it from him will upset him because he does know.”
“How could he know?”
Marina shook her head at Matilda. “There is something about the Lain women when they are carrying. Their faces glow . . . it is hard to explain, but even if I had not known you were expecting upon my arrival, I would have known when I saw your face. He knows you are hiding it from him.”
Matilda bit her lip. “I suppose it is time to tell him then, is not it?”
“Not only time to tell him, but time to tell him why you have tried to hide something so very obvious from him. I know my grandson well enough to know he is very bothered by the deception.” Marina smiled then. “Let me introduce you to your new grandfather while we wait. This is Charles Nobilis, the Norman who came onto our land and conquered my heart ma
ny years ago.”
“It is nice to meet you, sir.”
Chapter Ten
Through the long afternoon with Robert’s family, Matilda noticed that Robert looked sad all the time. His grandmother was right, and she definitely needed to tell him that she was carrying. But how could she explain why she had not yet told him?
Supper that evening was a boisterous meal including Matilda’s parents as well as Robert’s parents and grandparents. After the meal, Matilda slipped her hand into Robert’s. “Let us walk.”
He nodded, not looking directly at her. “We can walk, but it is raining outside.”
Lady Lina shook her head. “As if your mother cannot fix that.” She stepped outside with them and waved her arms, stopping the rain immediately. “I will have it start raining again when you come back in. The farmers have complained there is been too little rain this year.”
Matilda thanked her sweetly for her intervention, and the young couple began their walk. “I owe you an apology, Robert,” Matilda finally said when it was obvious Robert was not going to say anything.
“Oh?” Robert asked. “And why is that?”
“Because I did not tell you as soon as I knew I was expecting. I could lie and say that I forgot about it as soon as I was attacked in the woods, but it would be just that. A lie. I did not forget at all, and all I could think about was that the babe might have been injured.” She shook her head. “But that is not why I did not tell you.” She hated that she had to confess all of this, but she knew if she did not, they would never have peace between them.
He frowned, looking at her as if she had lost her mind. “Then why did not you tell me?”
“I had already decided not to tell you. I wanted to wait a little longer. I wanted our marriage to be just about the two of us. When we talked about having babies right after we married, you made me feel like you would like to wait a little while. I must have conceived this babe on our wedding night or the night after.” She sighed. “Your grandmother says the babe is growing well, and that she is going to stay for a few days to heal me. I should be fine before she goes.” They had reached the kissing bench, so she sat down.
Robert sat beside her, looking at her with concern. “Why does she need to heal you?”
Matilda shrugged. “I do not think she really does need to heal me, but she wants to. I have some morning sickness, and she would like for me to be able to keep more meals inside me. It is not anything close to as bad as what your mother went through, from what I am told.”
“I wish you had told me. I did want some time alone with you before the babies started coming, but in my family, we seem to get that time after all our sons are raised and not a minute before.” He shook his head. “Of course, I want the babe you are carrying and all the others that will come. Please do not hide things from me again.”
She frowned, looking down at her hands. “I guess there is something else I have been hiding too. I did not mean to hide it, but . . .” If she was confessing to her deceptions, she may as well confess to all at once and not save some for later.
Robert felt himself getting angry. How could they have a good marriage if she was not completely honest with him? “What are you hiding?”
When Matilda looked up, she could see a rock floating in the air, and she had no doubt how it got there. “I am sorry to anger you, Robert. I did not mean to.”
He saw the rock floating, and he forced himself to breathe slowly and lowered it. “What else have you been hiding?” He took her hand and held it. “I will try not to get angry.”
“It is not really something as important as expecting a baby . . .” He owned her body, but she had kept him from knowing about her love because she had felt that was one thing he could not command. He could not make her love him, so she had avoided telling him. “I love you, Robert. I have loved you for a while now.”
“Is that what you were hiding?” His heart started beating faster, and he turned to her completely.
“Aye, that is the only thing. I promise.” She hoped that would not anger him.
He pulled her onto his lap with the hand he was holding, enveloping her in his arms. “Do you have any idea how long I have waited for you to say those words?”
“As long as I have been waiting for you to say them, I would imagine.” She looked into his eyes, wondering if she would ever hear him tell her he loved her. He was a strong man, and she was not sure how often they admitted to loving their wives.
“You think I would have wanted to marry you if I did not love you? My love came fast. I heard you talking about me, I saw you dusting, and my heart was yours. I all but followed you around like a lost dog, and you still did not seem to share my feelings.” He pulled her down for a long kiss. “There is never been a woman that I could imagine spending my life with before you. Now that we are married, I am never letting you go. Do you understand what that means?”
She smiled at him, still a little confused by what he was saying. Did he love her or did not he?
“I love you more than I ever imagined I would be able to love. You are mine, Matilda Lain, until death do us part.” He kissed her again, wishing they were already in their chamber so they could become one. “God blessed me the day you came into my life.”
“Nay, He blessed me!”
“He blessed us.” Robert stood and led her into the castle and up to their bedchamber. She was the woman he loved above all others, and he would happily prove it to her once again.
Epilogue
1146
Matilda no longer noticed that guards that always accompanied her on her walks into the woods. Her mother went along, because with seven boys in tow, one was bound to get into mischief.
Robert’s guards did their best to blend into the background, so the children were rarely aware of their presence, which pleased Matilda. She did not want her sons to know that their world was a dangerous and dark place. Not yet anyway.
Her youngest, Braden, seemed to have no powers, and Matilda was not yet sure if she was happy or sad about it. Robert was an aberration in his family, and the powers would end with him. He still amused her by moving things about with his mind at times, but he was much more careful about letting the powers show to outsiders.
Braden was looking all around at the ground for something, and Matilda crouched down beside him, happy to have her youthful figure back and be able to squat as the boy was. “What are we looking for?” she asked softly.
At only three summers old, Braden was full of mischief and kept her and her mother on their toes constantly. “I want to pick a flower for my mama.”
Matilda smiled, feeling a pang. It was late fall, and there would be no more weeds brought to her and called flowers for several months. “It is almost winter, Braden. We will not have flowers again until the spring, but then I would love for you to pick me a whole armful of flowers.” Having little boys bring her flowers had to be one of her very favorite parts of being a mother of sons.
“The flowers are there. Just under the dirt. Cannot you feel them, Mama?” He placed his small hand on the leaves on the forest floor and stared at it expectantly. When nothing happened, he frowned and moved the leaves out of the way, so he could touch the ground. “Grow!”
Matilda grinned as she watched her son looking at the earth expectantly. His imagination was so active and good. She loved all of her children equally of course, but this youngest one—this one who thought he could make flowers grow at will. He made her smile just a bit more than the others.
She was so busy watching Braden that she almost missed it. Several flowers grew before her eyes, popping out of the earth. Braden clapped his little hands together before plucking each of them and making a small bouquet to present to his mother. “Here, Mama. I knew the flowers were there. I just had to tell them to grow!”
Matilda took the flowers she had been presented with, her eyes meeting her mother’s over the top of the boy’s head. Her mother had long been apprised of the powers her hus
band’s family tended to have, but neither of them had expected it in little Braden. “Thank you, Braden. The flowers are beautiful.”
“I think I am going to grow flowers when I grow up. Can I be a gardener instead of a knight?”
Her oldest son, Alex, who was named after his grandfather, laughed. “Braden, you have to be a knight. Someday the castle is going to be yours, and you cannot run around growing flowers instead of brandishing a sword!” Already Alex carried a wooden sword and challenged her second son, James, to fights often.
James pulled out his sword, and the two boys began sword fighting there in the woods, unaware of the miracle they had just experienced. Braden had the power to grow flowers from a barren earth.
Matilda hugged Braden to her. “I think you should grow all the flowers you want to grow. You are truly special, my son.”
Braden squirmed away, wanting to go stand with his brothers to watch the two oldest fight. He had already forgotten about the flowers he had given to his mother, but she had not. How could she? Her son was powerful . . . just like his father.
About the Author
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Also by Kirsten Osbourne
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