Duty: a novel of Rhynan (14 page)

“I am sorry.” I averted my eyes. “I didn’t mean to be
rude.”

“He didn’t warn you, did he? A great man for the
important decisions, but he forgets to share all the extra
bits.”

“He said that Darnay and Elise would come with the
supply caravan.”

“But he didn’t mention me.” She laughed. “Yes, that
is typical of him. He has grown too accustomed to working with
soldiers. I am Anise Dyrease.” She offered a handclasp in greeting,
which I accepted. “When did he tell you about Darnay?”

“I guessed, sort of.”

She nodded knowingly. “He isn’t hiding things. He
just doesn’t remember to share.”

A wrench of longing for Tomas caught me unawares. I
swallowed at the sudden tightness in my throat. “I know.”
Straightening my shoulders, I lifted my head to smile at my
mother-in-law only to find her watching me with keen eyes.

Instead of commenting, she nodded.

“Are we going to sleep on a real bed tonight?” Darnay
asked her.

“If you wish,” I answered.

He frowned at me in confusion.

“Darnay, say hello to your new mother.” Anise
propelled him forward with a gentle push between his shoulders.

He obediently bowed and offered me a hand in
friendship, the one not clutching the toy sword. His dark eyes
clearly communicated his unease.

I clasped his hand firmly. “I am pleased to meet you,
Master Darnay.”

Darnay squared his shoulders and lifted his chin.
“Father said I am to call you mother, but–” He lost his nerve.

“You can call me Brielle.”

Profound relief passed behind the boy’s eyes, but
like his father, little emotion appeared in his features. I found
the boy’s reserve disquieting in many ways. It hinted at the
difficulty of his young life. To grow up without a mother and
rarely see one’s father appeared to have aged him beyond his
seasons. I wanted to hug him. I wondered if he looked like his
father when he laughed. Most pressing of all was the desire to show
him all the love my parents gave me.

“Have you eaten this morning?” I took care to address
the question to the two children.

“Not yet. We traveled all night,” Elise offered
without emerging from the safety of the woman’s skirts.

“You didn’t sleep?”

“We slept in the wagon.” Darnay grimaced.

I attempted the same thing a few years ago and did
not sleep a bit.

Elise tugged at my mother-in-law’s sleeve. “I’m
hungry.”

“I am too. Come, I will find us all some food.” I
smiled at Elise and offered my hand. “There were some lovely smells
coming from the kitchen when I passed it.”

Elise regarded my outstretched hand with suspicion. I
immediately regretted offering it. Doing so had pressed an intimacy
she obviously was not comfortable with. Yet, I didn’t feel it was
wise to retreat now.

“She won’t hurt you.”

Elise looked up at Anise. “How do you know?”

Anise and I shared a smile. Darnay observed the
exchange with a frown. Then he studied me as though measuring my
character. My stomach tightened as I recognized Tomas’ habit of
weighing people. “I like her face.”

Elise turned identically colored eyes on my face.

“I don’t like her hair.”

“I like it. I like red. It is my favorite color.”

I supressed my laughter. Elise stepped forward and
placed her tiny hand in mine. “I like porridge.”

“I am certain I can find you some.”

“If you can’t?”

“I will make you some myself.” I led her toward the
keep.

“You cook?” Darnay’s surprise broke through his
reserve. “Grandma says my mother never cooked. Father did.” He
frowned. “He said he wanted his next wife to be able to cook so he
didn’t have to.”

“Then he got his wish.” So Tomas cooked. I would have
to ask him to prepare something for me after he returned.

We entered the keep via the door to the kitchens. A
few of the servants paused to stare, but generally, we passed
unnoticed until we reached the passage outside the great hall.

“My lady, madame.” Jarvin bowed deeply. “Master
Darnay, little Elise, it is a pleasure to see you both again.”

“Jarvin!” Dropping my hand, Elise launched herself at
the man.

“We didn’t expect you to be here, sir.”

I glanced at Darnay with a frown. The miniature Tomas
expression and attitude were back. Jarvin and Anise exchanged
concerned looks over the children’s heads. Obviously this odd
behavior was new to both of them.

Addressing Jarvin, I said, “Elise has declared she
would like some porridge for breakfast. Is there any chance we
could have food brought up to my room? I believe it will be warmer
there than in the hall.”

“I will see to it personally, my lady.” Jarvin set
Elise down, bowed to each of us, tousled Elise’s hair, and then
left.

“Why is he here and not with my father?” Darnay asked
as I herded them toward the stairwell.

“Your father wanted me to have a friend among all the
strangers.”

Thankfully he accepted the explanation without
additional questions. I didn’t want to burden him with greater
detail. Anise would be a different matter. I would have to find a
way to catch her alone and explain the situation. I glanced back,
but she was studying the tapestry we were passing.

A fire roared in my fireplace by the time we arrived.
Anise and I helped the children out of their layers. Darnay refused
to give up his play sword. I dragged the top fur from the bed and
spread it on the floor a safe distance from the fire before bidding
the children to sit. Anise dropped the bags in the corner and began
hanging the wraps on the hook behind the door.

Elise flopped down as though she had just climbed a
mountain and lay back with a sigh of exhaustion. “Why are there so
many steps?”

“We are high up in the keep,” Darnay replied
seriously. He scanned the room. “Where are we going to sleep?”

“We will find that out soon enough.” Anise settled on
the fur. “Now sit down.”

Elise lay down and curled up. “Come, Darnay. It is so
warm and soft. Ever so much more comfortable than the ground.” She
rubbed her cheek along the fur. “I am so glad we are going to be
sleeping inside tonight.”

I smiled. “I know what you mean, Elise.” I settled on
the rug next to her. “The bed is especially soft and warm. The
first night I slept so deeply that I didn’t want to move until
spring.”

As I hoped, once he was the only one standing, Darnay
sat down. However, he didn’t relax. His narrow shoulders remained
squared and he rested his sword across his knees. He was ready to
defend himself. I feared he considered me the enemy.

Please help me, Kurios.

A knock on the door signaled Jarvin’s arrival with
four bowls of porridge, a carafe of cream, a pitcher of milk, and a
bowl of sliced apples. The hunger in both children’s eyes prompted
me to immediately pass the bowls of cereal around. Both of them
began eating as soon as their hands closed over their spoons. Even
Darnay relaxed enough to gobble his first mouthfuls. Thankfully the
food cooled adequately in the journey from the kitchen. I poured
out milk for both of them and Anise before claiming my own
porridge.

“How long have you been on the road?”

Elise spoke around her food. “Months.”

“Three weeks and four days,” Anise clarified.

Darnay frowned. “Not even a month.”

Rolling her eyes at him, Elise made a face.

“My lady?”

I looked up to find Jarvin’s concerned
expression.

“I spoke to Farwyn when I met her in the kitchens.
She informed me that nurseries are currently unavailable. The
former lady ordered preparations for her child. The work halted
upon Lord Irvaine and your arrival. The children will have to bed
down with the servants in the great hall.”

Elise looked as though she would cry. Darnay’s
features tightened to hold back his disappointment. Anise remained
silent, her attention focused fully on the food in her hands.

“They will stay here with me. This room will be far
warmer, and they will be safer here too. Are there spare mattresses
somewhere to use on the floor? If not, they can have the bed. I
will sleep on the floor.”

“Nay, my lady,” Jarvin protested. “I am confident I
can find mattresses.” He bowed and left.

“I will take the floor.” Darnay straightened his
shoulders. “You ladies should have the best.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Darnay, but I don’t think that
will be necessary.”

He frowned. “Father says men should take care of
their women.”

“That sounds like something your father would say.
But I am sure he wouldn’t make you sleep on the floor.”

His brow lowered and his jaw tightened with a slight
stubborn lift. “You don’t know my father.”

Praying for wisdom, I scrambled for an answer. “It is
true that I don’t know him well, but I look forward to getting to
know him better. Perhaps you can help me.”

Dark eyes so like Tomas’ weighed my worth.

Kurios, please soften his heart. Help me to say the
right thing.

I smiled warmly at him before glancing at Elise. She
had fallen asleep. Head resting on her crossed arms, she breathed
evenly. Her bowl, scraped clean, lay abandoned at her elbow. I
caught Anise’s slight nod of encouragement before I turned back to
Darnay. He yawned so wide my jaw ached in sympathy. Anise and I
gathered the breakfast leavings without comment, collecting his
bowl last. We took our time arranging everything on the tray. When
I finally turned back to the children, Darnay had joined Elise. He
cradled his wooden sword to his chest. Even in sleep he looked like
a miniature of his father.

I collected two blankets from the bed to cover them.
Once confident they were warm and as comfortable as I could make
them without moving them, I crept to the door. Anise followed me
out, the tray in her arms.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Are the little dears asleep?” Rolendis’ voice at my
shoulder made me jump. I spun around faster than was wise and
almost collided with Anise and the tray of breakfast leavings.

Rolendis eyed Anise for a moment before focusing on
me once again. Her expression oozed concern and sweetness. I
resisted the urge to cringe.

“They are sleeping.” My instinct nagged at me that
she was up to something.

“Are you going to leave them? I can sit with them if
you wish.” Her smile widened into a forced grimace.

“No, thank you.”

“I am going to stay with them,” Anise said before I
could come up with a better reason for declining.

Rolendis sniffed at Anise, nose in the air, and
looked her up and down. “And you are?”

Tomas’ mother answered in completely reasonable
terms. “I am the children’s nurse. We simply stepped outside to
speak without waking the children.”

Rolendis apparently didn’t know what to do with the
discontinuity of a servant who spoke as an equal.

While she struggled to find the right response, Anise
handed the tray to me. “I will remain, my lady.” Without waiting
for my reply, she ducked back into the room, closed the door, and
locked it.

“Is there anything else you need?” I asked.

Rolendis still stared at the closed door. “Did she
bring news?”

“Of what?”

“Irvaine.” She glared at me as though I was being
purposefully obtuse. I wasn’t.

There were so many things that we were waiting to
hear about: Loren, Wisenvale, Quaren, the battle. I was as eager
for news of Tomas’ safety as I was for Loren’s, but there was
none.

“He sent none.”

“Not even in the note?”

My head snapped about as I pinned her with a glare.
“You were watching me?”

“You were a bit hard to miss standing in the middle
of the bailey humbling yourself before children and an old servant
woman. From the way you treat her, one would think she was an
equal.”

I bit my tongue. Anise told Rolendis she was the
children’s nurse, truth, but not the whole. There was no point to
giving Rolendis any more than that. The only reason she talked with
me now was because she hoped I would give her something she could
use. I aimed to disappoint her.

“I must go.” I propped the tray against my left hip
and lifted my skirt with my right. “Excuse me.” I pressed past her
and down the passage toward the stairs to the kitchens and
undercroft.

“Mind you watch that nurse,” she called after me.
“The insolent ones poison your children’s minds against you.”

I didn’t look back. But the click of her trying the
lock on the door echoed after me as I descended the stairs. She was
up to something. Moriah’s warning tugged at me. My eating knife
suddenly seemed inadequate protection.

After leaving the tray in the frantically busy
kitchen without anyone giving me more than a nod, I headed to the
practice yard. About halfway across the inner bailey, I realized
that it seemed unusually quiet for the time of day.

Other days at this time, horses and men passed
through regularly. Women lingered to gossip, and children ran
underfoot. Now, only a single cart full of empty barrels rolled
through the gates, lumbering off toward the village. The guards
waved it through with barely a glance. A stray cat wandered across
the courtyard to sun on the edge of the well in the center.

I slipped through the arch to the practice yard,
preoccupied with the change. The yard also lay abandoned. However,
I expected it. The guards drilled in a meadow outside the town
walls. Only some of Rathenridge’s men and the few Tomas left behind
could possibly be about. Most of them preferred to train in the
early morning hours. The shadow on the sundial in the bailey had
marked it at least midmorning.

I crossed to the armory at a trot, pulling the key
ring Horacian gave me from my pocket as I approached the door. But,
I didn’t need it. I stumbled to a halt. The door stood ajar. Surely
this wasn’t normal.