"Burges? My room. Two minutes. And bring plenty of soft, clean cloths. Oh, and some pureed fruit. Maybe a little oatmeal? I don't know, what do babies eat?"
"Generally milk, sire."
"Hm. This one's just over a year, I believe."
"Fruit it is, sire."
"Thank you, Burges."
Alfred carried the baby up to his bedroom, chattering to him the whole way.
Chapter 14
A sick feeling washed over Oscar as his mother and sister entered the room.
"The prince invited us to stay for luncheon," Ursula sneered.
"That's great. I mean, he invited me to stay for the rest of my life, but congratulations on the luncheon," Oscar replied.
"Well, don't get too comfortable, little brother. Mother and I are moving in, and your princeling will fall for me. It's just a matter of time, really. You can't compete with perfection."
Ursula held out her hand and examined her fingernails, exuding her particular brand of forced confidence.
"You... you're moving in?" Oscar asked as the sick feeling redoubled, sending clammy sweat trickling over his body.
"Hm? Oh, yes. You see, we have... let's say, leverage? Yes, that's a good word for it. Your little prince will give us anything we want as soon as his physician confirms... well... some things."
"What does his physician have to do with anything?" Oscar asked.
"Oh, genetics and whatnot. I'm not as bookish as some people I could mention, so I wouldn't know, would I? Sufficed to say his princeliness will beg us to stay when he learns all of your deepest, darkest secrets."
Ursula laughed, tickled pink at her own devilishness. Oscar breathed a sigh of relief. Every secret Ursula knew was a secret he had already told Alfred. A sudden ray of hope clutched his chest, melting the icy cold sick.
"Is... is my son here?" he asked, hesitantly.
"Your son?" Ursula scoffed. "He isn't yours any more than he's... Gina's! Mother and I have raised him this past year, single handedly!"
"That's not what single handedly..."
"Oh, drop it! Good lord, give a person half a brain and a book or two and they think they know everything. The point is, he isn't yours. Not anymore. He's mine, and he's mother's, but he certainly isn't yours."
"I want to see him. Where is he?"
"None of your business," Ursula said, turning her nose up. "You abandoned him, you don't get to just jump back in and try to be a parent now."
"Abandoned...! You kicked me out!"
"For your own good," Mrs. Winters said, soothingly. "You would have been skinned alive—metaphorically, of course—if you'd stayed, what if..." she dropped her voice to a whisper. "What if the Duke had caught up with you?"
"I could have brought the baby with me," Oscar said, stubbornly.
"And have a newborn on the run, out of doors at all hours of the night? No, I couldn't have allowed that."
"Out of doors?" Gina jumped in then, furious. "It's less than a day's journey from your house to mine, and he was perfectly safe with me! There would have been room for the child!"
"Well," Mrs. Winters sniffed. "It was for the best, anyhow. Oscar couldn't possibly have known what to do with a baby. He's a man for God's sake, and at his age? He couldn't possibly have shouldered the responsibility!"
"That wasn't your decision to make!" Octavia exploded. "He's the most responsible person I know, and he's great with babies! Why he's even—"
"Octavia!" Oscar cut her off before she could give his family any more ammunition.
She crossed her arms and gritted her teeth, jutting her jaw out against the torrent of nasty words building up on her tongue. A heavy knock on the door interrupted the argument. A red-faced, wild-haired, rotund woman peeked through the drawing room door to address Oscar's mother.
"Excuse me, so sorry to barge in, but could you tell me where the babe is? It's his feeding time."
"He's with a physician," Mrs. Winters snapped. "Off with you, Helga! Go wait in the carriage."
"Yes, ma'am," Helga said, through gritted teeth.
She shot the woman a searing glare and backed out of the doorway.
"What were you saying about raising him single handedly?" Oscar asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, he had to eat!" Ursula said, defensively. "And I had work, and mother had her sewing. It was just common sense to hire a wet nurse."
"Right. Will you excuse me? I'll just go check on how luncheon is coming."
"Oh no, you don't. I'm not finished with you!" his mother said, waggling a finger in his face.
He dodged her and skirted around Ursula to slip through the door. He heard voices rise as he found the stairs and took them two at a time. There was only one place he could think of to look for Alfred and his baby. His heart thundered in his chest, and he tried to sort out which of the many, many doors in the upstairs hallway would lead to Alfred's room. He'd never entered it from this side, and every door seemed to look like every other door. He closed his eyes, pulling up the memory from his first night there. He'd been flustered, angry and afraid; he would have been counting as he followed Burges. First stairs, then doors. Seven. His door was the seventh on the right, and Alfred had entered his room through the secret door on the left-hand side of his room, which must mean that his room was sixth on the right. Relieved that one of his peculiar habits finally proved useful, Oscar ran to the sixth door. He knocked timidly with his heart in his throat.
"Who is it?" Alfred asked, after a few moments. His voice sounded strange to Oscar; sort of high and soft.
"It's Oscar," he said.
"Come in."
Oscar opened the door with some effort. He was half-terrified, half-excited and absolutely drenched in guilt. He felt certain that he'd given his son up too easily. It hadn't seemed like a choice at the time but, looking back on it now, he felt like he should have fought tooth and nail—literally—for his child. Tears obscured his vision as he took a deep breath and stepped through the door to lay his eyes on the most beautiful baby he'd ever seen.
Oscar blinked the tears away, letting them fall unheeded down his face.
"Can I hold him?" he asked, timidly.
"Of course you can, he's yours," Alfred said.
He closed the space between them and put the baby in Oscar's waiting arms. A small sob escaped Oscar's throat as he held the baby he'd been missing for more than a year.
"Hello, little mister," he said, his voice breaking with emotion.
The baby put a tiny hand on either side of Oscar's face, crinkling his little nose with a worried expression.
"Oh, you're beautiful," Oscar said, sniffling. "What's your name?"
"Your mother calls him Andy, but I don't think he likes it," Alfred said, with a soft chuckle. "I can't seem to get him to respond to it."
"Maybe his wet nurse calls him something else," Oscar mused. "He doesn't look like an Andy anyway. Maybe an Aiden."
The baby bounced in his arms and squealed gleefully.
"Oh you like that, do you?" Oscar laughed. "Aiden, yeah? My little Aiden. God, you're perfect. Isn't he perfect?"
"Just like his daddy," Alfred said, softly.
Oscar looked up at Alfred and saw a tenderness there that he'd never seen before. Butterflies rose in his belly and his face flushed hot. He hugged his baby gently, twisting back and forth in a sort of dance, reveling in the feel of him, the smell of him.
"I never thought I'd see you again, buddy," he whispered through his tears. "I love you so much. Did you know that? Did you know your daddy loves you?"
"Wubbu!" Aiden squealed.
Oscar laughed and cried, and Alfred, overwhelmed with emotion, wrapped his arms around them both, pulling Oscar into his chest.
"Thank you, Alfred," Oscar whispered, his voice trembling. "How can I ever thank you enough?"
Alfred dropped a kiss on his head, and Oscar didn't flinch. It felt right, this time. Maybe it was his baby in his arms, his forced reunion with his mother and sister, or
simply the unbridled outpouring of emotion; but Alfred's arms around him, his lips on his hair, made Oscar feel safe and whole for the first time in what seemed like forever. Oscar had crumbled, and Alfred hadn't gone for the jugular or let him fall; he'd stayed, holding Oscar together, affording him space to go to pieces. Oscar could never repay him for that if he had a million years to try.
He sniffled once more and sighed heavily, pulling himself together.
"Well," he said. "Now that the cat's out of the bag and the baby's safe at home, what's the plan?"
"Home?" Alfred asked, his eyes igniting with pleasure. "You think of this palace as home?"
"I... I guess I do," Oscar laughed. "With my aunt and cousin and son here—and, frankly, I'm growing a little fond of you—yes, I could feel at home here for a very long time."
"I'm glad to hear it," Alfred said, squeezing him gently. "I admit that my attraction to you was purely physical at first. But over the last few days, learning about you, seeing how you can stir up two entire kingdoms into a frenzy purely by existing... I'm a bit in awe of you."
"Awe?" Oscar asked, with a little laugh. "Awed at how quickly and completely I can demolish the best-laid plans?"
"Well, honestly, yes. A little chaos is good for growth," Alfred said with a wink, making Oscar grin.
"Then a little chaos you shall have," he said, happily. "But now, what to do about the mess?"
"I've a few thoughts about that. First, we have a little talk with Brennan. Both of us. Hell, let's bring Aiden, it'll drive him crazy."
"Will it be safe?" Oscar asked worriedly, tucking Aiden closer to his chest in protective fashion.
"Brennan will be behind bars," Alfred said, running a hand over Aiden's black hair. "And if it gets to be too much, you can take him back up. I think having him in there will drive the point home that Brennan has lost his leverage."
"Alright," Oscar agreed, after a moment of thought. "And my mother? My sister? They have him registered in Garaidh as Ursula's son, I'm sure."
Alfred kissed Oscar's head again then released him to press Burge's call button.
"Sire?"
"Burges, do you still have a contact in the Garaidh record office?"
"Yes, sire."
"Could you check with them and see if one Ursula Winters is recorded as having any children, please?"
"Right away, sire."
"Thank you. As soon as you know, come find me. I'll be in the dungeon, and then I will be taking luncheon with my guests."
"Yes, sire."
"Oh, and Burges, is there a wet nurse running around down there somewhere?"
"She's been waiting in the carriage outside for an hour, sire, at the Winters' woman's request. I offered her a seat in the kitchen, but she declined."
"Tell her the request is mine. Have one of the ladies in the kitchen chat her up, gauge her loyalty to Mrs. Winters. We may have a position for her if she is amiable to the suggestion. Hint that the child will be staying here, but don't say it outright."
"As you wish, sire."
"Thank you, Burges."
Alfred released the button and turned to Oscar.
"There," he said, happily. "As soon as we have that scrap of information, we can formulate a solid plan. Because, if they never registered him, they don't have a leg to stand on. Even if they have, humans have developed quite sophisticated paternity tests. We can send a runner to acquire one, or take samples, or whatever is necessary. Aiden is staying here."
Oscar virtually buzzed with joy at the decisiveness of Alfred's tone. Alfred grinned at him and took his hand, leading him through the wardrobe.
"Less chance of running into your mother if we take the back way," he explained.
Oscar nodded and followed along. He was too happy to argue or question Alfred at the moment, and it wouldn't do any good anyway. Alfred seemed to know exactly what he was doing.
Chapter 15
"About bloody time," Brennan snarled, as Alfred stepped through the doorway into the dungeon chamber. "Thought you were gonna eliminate the competition by locking me down here forever, did you? Bet Esther gave you... what's that? What's he holding? Why's he dressed that way?"
"Brennan, I would like to introduce you to my fiancé, Oscar, and his son Aiden."
Brennan's face went white as a sheet as the implications of the news struck him. He shook it off, switching his posture to one of false bravado.
"So you've lost your mind, is what you're telling me? Your kingdom isn't going to stand for this nonsense, you know. You'll have to face me."
"Perhaps," Alfred said, coolly. "However, I haven't yet broken the news to the kingdom. That is a project which will take delicacy, diplomacy and time. Three skills which you are sadly lacking in."
"Right," Brennan grinned, predatorily. "But you can't keep me in here without some kind of explanation. Esther's probably tearing the town up with rumors already. You'll have to come clean... right after I out you."
"Oh, you won't do that," Alfred said, carelessly.
"Would you wager your boy toy's life on that?" Brennan asked, sneering at Oscar.
"I would. Because if you out us before we're ready, I would be forced to inform Esther—and everyone else, of course—about your illicit affair with a teenaged male omega, and your bastard twins."
Brennan paled, more completely this time, and began trembling.
"No, no, no! You can't do that! Goddammit, Oscar, I swore I would have your son's life for this! Did you think I was speaking metaphorically? That child is mine, and I will feel the warmth of his blood..."
"Shut up," Alfred snapped. "That child is my son the second Oscar and I marry. You would dare step foot in my house with murderous intentions against my son? I should kill you for the suggestion. You will not touch a hair on this child's head or I will have yours on a pike."
"As violent and savage and deviant as your ancestors," Brennan sneered. "Some of us have evolved."
"I hope you aren't counting yourself in that," Alfred said. "You, of all people, have no moral high ground. Speaking of which, that teenager and his family will be receiving monthly payments, both the farm stipend... which reminds me, their farm stipend was canceled by royal order. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
Brennan clenched his jaw, but said nothing.
"It couldn't possibly have been a pressure tactic to win over the boy, that's beneath you," Alfred said, thoughtfully. "Perhaps a simple error which caught your attention? Opened an opportunity to take advantage of an entire family for your own selfish needs?"
Brennan cast his eyes down, a shocking display of shame which nearly rocked Oscar off his feet. Could it be true? Could he have done as Alfred said?
"So here's the long and short of it, Brennan. The farm stipend will be reinstated, along with six thousand per month from your own salary."
"But that will bankrupt me!" Brennan argued.
"You have the house, and the staff, all the food you could ask for, horses, carriages, the best education in the land, all by simple virtue of blood. What possible need could you have for your extravagant salary outside of bribing young, impressionable lovers to keep your secrets?"
Brennan flushed but didn't answer.
"My point. So, six thousand a month, plus the farm stipend. See to it. The second condition of your release is that you keep your carnal appetites to yourself. You hold entirely too much power in this kingdom for any sexual relationship to be on equal footing, and I will not have you preying on my subjects. Keep the dick at home or lose it. Are we clear?"
Brennan nodded silently.
"Glad we could clear that up. Guards, release this jackass."
Oscar stood behind Alfred as the guard unlocked Brennan's cell, sandwiching Aiden between his body and Alfred's. He needn't have worried; the Brennan who trudged past them was a broken, shamed shell of the blustering blowhard who had taken verbal pot shots at them only moments before. He hung his head, slinking by quickly like a beaten dog. A
lfred pulled himself up to his full height, looking down at his good-for-nothing brother with an odd mixture of pity and loathing. As soon as he had exited the chamber, Alfred pulled Oscar into a half-hug and kissed his temple.
"One dragon slain, two to go," Alfred said. "But perhaps we should leave the baby with Burges for this next battle."
"That would probably be best," Oscar said, reluctantly. "I'm afraid to put him down."
"Yeah," Alfred said tenderly, stroking Aiden's smooth, rosy cheek. "I don't blame you. Would you trust Burges with him?"
"Yes," Oscar said. "But isn't he busy with the wet nurse and the record office?"
"If I know him as well as I think I do, I'd say he'll be finished up with both of those projects within the next few minutes."
"You must rely heavily on him," Oscar said.
"I do," Alfred admitted. "He's my most trusted servant, adviser and friend. I don't know what I'll do with myself when he retires."
"When will that be?"
"I don't know," Alfred laughed. "He might stay at his station until the day he dies. He doesn't show much, but that man adores his job."
"It's a wonderful thing, to enjoy your job," Oscar said, with a touch of sadness.
"Do you miss it?" Alfred asked. "Delivering babies?"
"It filled a need," Oscar said, nodding. "For the men I helped, and for me. It healed my own hurts to help men like me. I never want anyone to go through that alone. It was horrible; absolutely horrible."
"Would you like to continue? Perhaps even open a training facility for other midwives and teach what you've learned about male births?"
"I would love that," Oscar said. "But no one would come. And it would destroy your standing in the kingdom, breaking laws like that."
"I'm the alpha," Alfred pointed out, lightheartedly. "I make the laws."
"You do, don't you?" Oscar said, grinning. "Then yes. Yes, yes, yes."
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