But he was on the mend and that was all that mattered.
“Well?” Orion said as Desdra fussed over the pillows in the bed. “Is there anything else you need?”
There were too many pillows behind him, but Jareth wasn’t going to say anything, not when Desdra was trying so hard to make him comfortable. “Probably not,” he said. “But I do want to know when you intend to take these bandages off.”
Orion cocked an eyebrow. “You’ve had them on for three days,” he pointed out. “Unless you are a miraculous healer, they will probably be on just a little longer than three days.”
He said it sarcastically, which, in the past, would have irritated Jareth. But this time, he could see a glimmer of humor in Orion’s eyes and he surrendered to the man’s skill. In fact, they ended up grinning at one another.
There was a new understanding there.
“Very well,” Jareth said begrudgingly. “But just know that I am not happy about this.”
“I know,” Orion said. “But behave yourself or I’ll leave them on longer than necessary just to teach you a lesson.”
“What lesson is that?”
“Never argue with your physic.”
Jareth chuckled, distracted because Desdra was trying to put another pillow behind him. With Jareth in danger of being swallowed by too many pillows and a woman determined to make him comfortable, Orion slipped out of the chamber.
There was someone he wanted to see.
In fact, he’d been away from her longer than he would have liked. Taking the mural stairs down to the reception chamber, which was where the stairs to the wing meant for clients was located, Orion went in search of a certain elegant woman who was consuming his thoughts both day and night. He thought it rather odd, because he’d known beautiful women before. Plenty of them. But he’d never known one to keep his attention as Anosia did. In fact, he was wrestling with overwhelming jealousy because he knew very well what her job was. He knew she was here to entertain men with her singing and dancing.
But, God, he hated that she had to.
There were a few chambers on the entry level of The Feast used for entertaining. Along with the reception hall, and the feasting room, there was also a type of solar because it contained tables, chairs, and valuable books. It even had live flower bushes planted in pots, watered by the many servants that kept Aphrodite’s Feast. There were stairs in this chamber that led underground, to vaults that had once been part of the Roman temple from centuries past. It was here that the gambling games were held, run by a man named Eros who also, strangely enough, managed the grounds of Aphrodite’s Feast to make sure everything was in working order.
Orion knew that the gambling had been halted in the wake of Lord Chester’s death, so the vaults underneath were cold and dark these days. Men came daily to an entrance off the solar, the gambling entrance, to see if the games had resumed, but one of The Guardians always sent them away disappointed. It was into this empty solar that Orion found his way as he hunted for Anosia, and he was about to head into the vaults simply to see if she might be down there, but he was precluded from that part of his investigation when he spied a dark, well-coiffed head sitting in the garden just beyond the gambling entrance. It was a beautiful outdoor space, with flowers and a yew tree, and he quickly made his way over to the doorway.
But Anosia wasn’t alone.
Two young girls were with her.
As Orion watched, the young girls, possibly around ten or twelve years of age, were plucking fruit from a small quince tree. They both had dark hair, and resembled each other, but mostly, they resembled Anosia. Orion suspected their identities. Never one to shrink back when he wanted something, he stepped into the garden and cleared his throat softly.
“My lady?” he said politely. “It seems that you have pleasant company today.”
Anosia had been watching her girls, and his voice startled her. But she stood up, smiling at him as he came out into the garden.
“My lord,” she greeted him pleasantly. “How was Portbury?”
Orion shook his head. “Eventful,” he said. “We were set upon by outlaws as we approached the castle and Jareth took an arrow to the shoulder. We have brought him back to rest.”
Anosia grew quite serious. “How terrible,” she said sincerely. “Is the injury severe?”
“Not too severe,” Orion said. “It has been three days and he’s yet to develop a fever, which is a good sign. I would say that if he remains without fever for another day or two, he should be completely fine.”
Anosia nodded, greatly concerned. “That would be a blessing,” she said. “You seem to know something of healing?”
Orion nodded back. “I have been trained in the healing arts,” he said. “My mother was a healer. It must be in my blood.”
Anosia smiled, but she was prevented from replying when the two young girls ran up to her, their hands full of yellow fruit.
“Mama!” the younger one cried. “May we take this home and cook it? We can put it in a pie!”
Anosia smiled. “Of course you may,” she said. Realizing that she should probably make introductions, she put her arms around the girls and faced Orion. “My lord, these are my daughters, Anora and Emrys. Girls, this is Sir Orion Payton-Forrester. He is a knight for the king.”
