Philip stared at him. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, blinked several times, and then stared some more. Amory was about to ask if he was all right when Philip finally spoke. “You found a spell that would make it possible for a man to carry a child?”
“I believe so, yes.”
“That’s not possible.”
“It may be, but I don’t think it’s easy. I found the spell in a very dusty old book I don’t think anyone has read in a very long time.”
Philip still looked incredulous. “Or perhaps it’s dangerous or few men wanted to carry children.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Who knows why it isn’t performed more often?”
“Amory, what are you saying?”
He took another deep breath. “I’m saying if we want to have a child, with this spell we wouldn’t need anyone else. I could carry our child.”
“I thought that was what you were saying.” Philip shook his head as if to clear it. “You would want to do that? I can’t imagine….”
“I couldn’t either. I still can’t really. This isn’t something I ever imagined, let alone wanted to do.”
“But you do now?”
He put a hand to Philip’s face, looking into his dear eyes, so bewildered at that moment. “I’ve thought a lot about it, and frankly, it still seems strange when I think about it too much. But it’s a way we can have a child if we want one, and for that, for you, I’d do it. I love you, Pip.”
“I love you too.” Philip sighed. “You never thought I should do it, instead of you.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think a pregnant crown prince would go over well with the people of Tournai. But I can do this for us.”
“You want to?”
Did he? He was arguing strenuously when he wasn’t sure carrying a child was something he could physically do, but the more he argued, the more he convinced himself he did want to do it for Philip. He nodded.
“Have you spoken to anyone else about it? Someone who would know more about the spell?” Philip asked after a moment.
“No. I wanted to talk with you first.”
“I’m glad you did.” Philip brushed a kiss over Amory’s knuckles again and then paused, thinking. “We can talk to Jadis when we get back. After we hear what he says, we can discuss it more.”
“All right.” He smiled and squeezed Philip’s hand.
Philip smiled too, but his eyes were serious. “Even if this spell won’t work for us, we can have a child if you want to.”
“Only if you want to as well, and only if we’re both comfortable with how.” He looked into Philip’s eyes, hoping Philip could see his sincerity. “I want everything for you, Pip, and for us. I want to make you happy and give you everything I can. But I don’t need anything except you to make me happy.”
Philip’s gaze went soft and a bit grateful, and he nodded, seeming to be at a loss for words. He kissed Amory, slow and deep, and then pulled him in, cuddling him close to Philip’s body. Amory held on tight and rested his head on Philip’s chest, savoring that closeness. As long as he had that, he was happy. He wanted Philip to be happy too.
THE RAIN chose to stop on the morning they had to leave Alzata. Normally, Philip would be annoyed, since he and Amory enjoyed rambling around the grounds there, but he was perfectly happy to have spent the whole time indoors this trip, and almost the whole time in bed. He didn’t think Amory minded either, but they both laughed at the sun streaming through the windows that morning.
They decided to travel back to the palace on horseback instead of in the carriage, taking advantage of the sunny, if not particularly warm, weather to cut down on the travel time. The carriage left with their bags while they breakfasted, and later he and Amory set out at a brisk pace, eager for an invigorating ride. Philip kept glancing over at Amory, riding at his side, enjoying Amory’s delighted laughter.
After a while, they slowed, still surrounded by the squadron of guards that rode with them and had kept up easily. The ride took on a leisurely air then, as they talked about nothing serious. They would be back at the palace soon, and serious would find them then. They pointedly didn’t talk about what Amory had brought up the night before. Philip couldn’t quite believe they actually had the conversation in the first place.
He tried not to think about it, but the memory was never far from his thoughts despite his efforts. Amory’s revelation that he’d been thinking about ways for them to have a child of their own had shocked him, not only because of what Amory found, but because he had no idea Amory was thinking of children. They’d talked about an heir, everyone talked about his needing to produce an heir, but few people ever spoke of an heir as a child. A child to love and care for and not a necessity for a healthy, strong Tournai.
Long before he asked Amory to marry him, Philip had made his peace with not producing an heir himself. Others wouldn’t, didn’t, see it the same way. But Amory wasn’t talking about an heir, though if what he proposed was possible and they did it, Philip would have one. No, Amory was talking about their having a child, and that was something he hadn’t considered.
He would have to consider it. They both would. If what Amory found was possible, they would have the ability to have a child of their own if they wanted, if it would make them happy. And the very fact that Amory was willing to do what he proposed, to carry their child, was mind-boggling and awe-inspiring. What Amory would do for him, the lengths he would go…. Philip was without words. He felt a certain measure of guilt that he couldn’t ever do the same, couldn’t imagine himself doing the same either to be honest. Not because he didn’t want to give Amory everything. He did.
But that was all to be considered another day. They needed to know if what Amory proposed was possible before they discussed it anymore. He understood what Amory meant about the words “our child” staying with him. They echoed in Philip’s mind as well and provoked all manner of feelings he couldn’t quite put names to. He shied away from trying.
Instead, he focused on Amory, how the sun made his hair glow red, how his cheeks were pink from the bite of the winter wind, how his eyes sparkled. But there was strength too under that beauty, such strength. He had married that man. He’d gotten so lucky when Arnau brought Amory to the palace all those months ago.
“Maybe we should have taken the carriage,” he said.
Amory glanced at him, his expression quizzical. “I thought you wanted to take advantage of the sunshine. Aren’t you enjoying yourself?”
“I am, but I realized we could be enjoying ourselves quite a bit more alone in the carriage.”
Amory stared at him and then laughed, even as a faint blush tinted his cheeks a rosier shade of pink. “You’re terrible.”
“You love it. And this is our wedding trip, for a while longer anyway. We should make the most of it.” He let his smile become wicked and winked at Amory.
Amory shook his head fondly. “I think that’s what we’ve been doing since our wedding night, but I suppose we could slow down and wait for the carriage. We didn’t pass it that long ago. There might be enough time to—”
Amory broke off with a shout and a jerk of his shoulder.
“Amory? What—”
Star made a high sound that could only have been caused by pain and reared, dumping Amory, who had been struggling one-handed with the reins, onto the road. Fear coursed through Philip, turning his insides to ice, when Amory fell from his horse, and that was before the arrow hit the road next to Amory.
“Amory!” Without thinking about it, he was reaching down to Amory, who to his relief was conscious and moving. As soon as Amory gripped his arm, Philip hauled him up onto the horse behind Philip. Amory wrapped his arms around Philip’s waist. The guards closed in around him and Amory, shielding them with their own bodies and horses.
“Your Highness, we have to get out of this area,” the head of their guard contingent called to him. At Philip’s nod, they were moving, galloping along the road through the forest.
&n
bsp; “Are you all right?” he asked Amory.
“Fine.” But there was something in Amory’s voice.
“Amory. Tell me the truth.”
A pause lasting several breaths and then, “I really am fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“What am I not worrying about?”
“One of the arrows grazed my arm, but I’m fine. I’m more concerned about the number of times I’ve been dumped off that horse lately.”
The laugh, short and strangled, was forced from Philip. “How bad is it?”
“Well, it’s embarrassing. Falling from one’s horse displays a complete lack of dignity the prince’s husband should possess.”
He appreciated Amory’s attempt at humor. He did. But still. “Amory.”
“It’s just a graze. It’s bleeding, and I won’t lie and say that it doesn’t hurt, but it isn’t bad.”
He had to take Amory’s word for it, for the moment at least, because he couldn’t stop to check. They had to get away from the attack, from under cover of the trees. He assumed their guards were getting them out of the woods as quickly as possible. Getting back to the palace would be better, and once they got there, he was sorely tempted to lock his husband in their bedchamber until Philip found out who was trying to kill him.
Amory’s arms squeezed his middle tighter, the strength of his hold reassuring. He wished they weren’t running for their lives right then, because having Amory pressed so close against him would be very enjoyable otherwise.
They burst out of the woods what was probably moments, but felt like hours, later. The change of landscape alleviated his fear marginally. There could be an army of men hiding in those woods, waiting for them. Outside the woods, the trees lining the road thinned, giving way to fields, which would be the predominant landscape until they reached the city. Philip felt more exposed and vulnerable in the open, but it would protect them that day. The archer or archers used the trees for cover. Much less cover out of the woods.
But more people were on the road, which made their speed more perilous. Philip was sure any number of curses and grumbles followed them as they passed, but he couldn’t think of it then. They needed to get Amory safe.
The guards began to slow them down as they came to a busy crossroads. They stopped at the side of the road, and the head of their guard dismounted and came to Philip and Amory. “Are you all right, Your Highness?”
Philip nodded shortly, more worried about Amory than himself in any case.
The guardsman looked at Amory. “And you, Your Highness?”
He felt Amory’s body jerk against his and twisted to look at him, the fear that Amory was hurt worse than he admitted slicing through Philip. But Philip’s heart slowed when he saw Amory’s face. He almost laughed—Amory wasn’t used to his new title.
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
“Let’s take a look at your arm if we’re stopping.”
Amory sighed and managed to dismount without help. Philip followed him to the ground, and they stood in the circle of guards and horses while Amory pushed back his cloak. Philip bit back a gasp at the blood staining what had once been a pristine pale green sleeve.
“It’s not bad,” Amory said firmly and gripped Philip’s arm with the hand of his uninjured arm, obviously sensing the terror coursing through Philip at the sight of the blood.
“Let me see.” The day was too cold for Amory to remove clothing at the side of the road, so they widened the slice the arrow made in Amory’s sleeve. Philip wiped at the blood on Amory’s arm with his handkerchief and examined the wound. It was bleeding, but slowly, and the cut looked angry but not deep. “All right, it’s not bad.”
Amory huffed out a breath. “Like I said.”
“Are you healing it?”
“Some. I was trying to stop the bleeding and make it sting less.” Amory shrugged and winced. “I couldn’t concentrate for anything more.”
“You did well doing this much. Let’s bandage it for now, and we’ll let the healers finish it when we get back.” He rigged a bandage out of clean handkerchiefs and tied it securely around Amory’s arm despite how Amory’s face tightened in pain. Done, he couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward and resting his forehead against Amory’s. “I’m sorry for hurting you.”
“It’s all right,” Amory whispered and kissed Philip, lingering long enough to reassure. “What now?”
Philip forced himself to step back from Amory, but he kept a hand on Amory’s waist. “We get back to the palace. Benno?”
“Yes, Your Highness. We could leave now, but I would like to wait for the carriage to catch up and have Your Highness and Prince Amory travel the rest of the way by carriage. It shouldn’t be long in arriving.”
“Fine. Did anyone get a look at who did this?” Philip asked.
“No, Your Highness. They were well hidden, and I didn’t want to spare anyone to search the woods when our priority is protecting you and His Highness.”
Philip tried to stamp down frustration and anger. He understood the guard’s position, despite Philip’s preference for someone going into the woods and catching the person behind the attempt. He wanted them caught and punished, and he wanted the situation over.
“Has anyone seen my horse?” Amory asked suddenly, and Philip choked on a laugh.
“She’s smart. She probably ran for home when she was spooked. We’ll find her.”
Amory nodded and said nothing else. He didn’t move out of Philip’s hold either.
The carriage arrived several tense minutes later. The guards checked it over briskly but thoroughly and ushered Philip and Amory inside. Philip had barely sat when the carriage began moving. Amory hadn’t quite settled himself, and he lurched sideways into Philip. Philip helped Amory right himself and then slid his arm around him.
Amory pressed into Philip’s side and tilted his head to rest on Philip’s shoulder. “I don’t think I’m in the mood for what we were talking about doing in the carriage before.”
It took him a moment to realize what Amory was talking about. That conversation seemed like years ago. He laughed a little, as he was sure Amory intended. “I’m not in the mood either, I’m afraid. Just stay right here, all right?”
Amory nodded, moving closer. He didn’t complain. He wanted Amory as close as possible, and he kept Amory there through the rest of the trip back to the palace.
Chapter 14
PHILIP WOULDN’T let Amory go when they arrived and were hurried inside. He might have felt strange about it, but Amory made no move to pull away. Too close. It had been too close.
As much as he wanted to take Amory directly back to their suite and hide him away where he would be safe, Philip needed to find out who was trying to kill Amory more, so they went to Philip’s office instead. He considered sending Amory back to the suite on his own, but he didn’t want Amory out of his sight, and Amory was a grown man—he deserved to be a part of the discussion, even if Philip wished he could protect Amory from everyone and everything that could hurt him.
Before they reached the office, Philip was yelling for people he needed. He was sending the entire palace into an uproar, but he couldn’t begin to care. Once in the office, he divested Amory and himself of their cloaks and got Amory seated on the couch. Amory was shaking his head and giving him a look that could only be described as fond exasperation. At least it was fond.
“You didn’t need to demand a healer quite so forcefully. I really am all right,” Amory said gently. But he winced when Philip helped him out of his sleeve.
“Imagine yourself in my position. You could have died, Amory. Today and a few days ago.” His voice broke, and he swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. “Right in front of me. I saw it both times, and now you were hit by an arrow and you’re cut and bleeding. If you were me, what would you be doing?”
Amory leaned forward and kissed him. “Exactly the same thing.”
“So you’re not going to argue with me? You’re going to let the healers take
care of you?”
“I haven’t argued yet, have I?” Amory shook his head when Philip stared at him. “No, I won’t argue. I’ll let the healer treat my arm.”
“Good.”
“It frightened me too, you know. It still frightens me. Someone is trying to kill me. Could have killed both of us today.” Amory’s voice was low, his eyes holding an almost lost quality. “What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to catch them.” He took Amory’s hand again and lifted it to his lips. He kept hold of Amory’s hand as Jadis arrived and began to examine the wound on Amory’s arm. Amory didn’t need his hand held while a healer examined him, but Philip wasn’t ready to let go. Amory didn’t pull away, so maybe he wasn’t either.
“It’s not bad,” Jadis pronounced. “You’ve been healing it?”
“A little.” Amory winced as Jadis moved his arm.
“Good work.” Jadis rummaged through his bag. “I’m going to clean it and apply a salve, then bandage it again. At the rate you heal, it should be completely healed in a day or two. I doubt it will even scar.”
“Thank you, Jadis,” Amory said and then turned to Philip. “See? Nothing to worry about.”
“No, nothing except how you were injured in the first place.”
“Well, yes, there is that.”
Jadis set to work, and Philip watched in concern as Amory tried to suppress any indication he was in pain. Captain Loriot arrived, along with his second-in-command. Neither of them batted an eye at the sight of the newly crowned Prince Amory sitting shirtless in Philip’s office while a healer prodded at his arm.
“You know what happened?” Philip asked them.
“Yes, Your Highness. Your guards informed me of the incident,” Captain Loriot replied. “I’ve already sent men to search the woods and the surrounding area.”
The Prince's Consort (Chronicles of Tournai Book 1) Page 25
