‘I don’t want to take the herbs,’ Eda said, rubbing Basil’s head.
Lyndal brought a hand to her chest. ‘Thank goodness.’
A throat cleared, and they all turned to see Presley standing at the stable’s entrance.
‘I’m sorry to interrupt,’ she said, looking uncomfortable.
Lyndal waved her inside. ‘Not at all. Is Hadewaye all right?’
‘He’s fine.’ Presley walked over to them, stopping a few feet away and hugging herself as she looked around the stables. ‘I know this isn’t technically any of my business, but there is another option.’
Eda turned to face her, waiting.
‘You could stay here until the birth. No one would blink if a baby was born in this house. Everyone would assume the baby belonged to Blake and Harlan. Luella would have a sibling, and you wouldn’t have to be separated from your child.’
A soft smile appeared on Lyndal’s face. ‘That’s a very clever and helpful suggestion.’
Eda sat with the idea for a moment, then looked at Blake. ‘Would Harlan go along with such a thing?’
‘Of course he would,’ her sister replied. ‘He loves you like blood. He’d do anything to help and protect you.’
Lyndal nodded in agreement. ‘We all would.’
Eda looked to Presley.
‘I would take the secret to my grave,’ Presley said with a reassuring smile.
There was a sadness behind that smile, one that made Eda wonder if the idea had come from experiences with these things. But she was not one to pry. ‘Mother can’t even look at me.’
Lyndal pressed her hand to Eda’s stomach. ‘When this baby is born, she’ll not be able to look away, I promise you that. Give her time.’
‘She’s ashamed of me.’
‘Never,’ Blake said quickly. ‘She’s afraid for you. And don’t worry about Uncle. He’ll have no choice but to go along with it in order to preserve his reputation. Just make sure Harlan’s around when you break the news to him.’
Eda placed a hand over Lyndal’s and looked around at the three women. ‘I think it’s a good plan, and I think Roul will agree.’
Lyndal perked up at hearing that. ‘So you’ll tell him?’
‘Yes.’ Because she did not know how to lie to him, to deceive him—nor did she want to. She looked over at the new donkey. ‘Are you sure she’s for me?’
Lyndal laughed at the question. ‘Well, it wasn’t a gift for Harlan, that’s for sure.’
‘Who’s going to be thrilled, by the way,’ Blake said.
Presley bit back a smile. ‘What are you going to name her?’
Eda tilted her head and thought a moment. ‘Rosemary.’
They all stood watching the donkeys for a moment, and then Blake said, ‘Welcome to Wright House, Rosemary. Displaced and in need of a good feed. You’re going to fit right in.’
CHAPTER43
The English retreated. Chadora’s walls had proven to be impenetrable—even with parts of them missing. At the end of the day, it was not a single wall that kept the kingdom safe but the army of defenders who guarded it. Their arrows did not miss, nor did their swords when the time came. There was a precision to their fight that meant no matter how many men the English sent forth, the result was always the same.
Loss.
King Becket lost men too, but on a much smaller scale. The injured were carried to safety, never left to be trampled. And Roul fought as hard as he would have while wearing a defender’s uniform. He killed as he would have before—without guilt or hesitation. He fought to protect the people inside the walls, atop it, and the men fighting alongside him. He fought until he could barely keep hold of his shield, until blood blurred his vision. Until every man wearing a uniform was safe. He fought until there was no one left to fight. Then he stayed to assist the injured and retrieve the dead.
