“My husband?”
“Yes, was he cruel to you? Is that why you left?”
I noticed he did not reference Eefa’s nastiness from the night before. “In a way. Not with his fists though. Other women have endured more. Have you ever been married?”
“I have not.”
I wanted to ask why, but thought better of it.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. He seemed to try and shave as much as possible, unlike Perch and Thatcher with their tidy beards. “Edith, I understand that—”
There was a knock at the door.
I turned and opened it, not thinking of what I was doing.
Thatcher stood in the doorway. “Infantry messenger just came in. Some bloody army of thugs attacked Sealmouth. Most of the ships are missing. Must have sunk them. Burned the remaining boats, torched some of the homes. Under cover of night too. Don’t know who in hell it was. And the town has totally evacuated to other settlements. Hinnom wants us in the throne room. Lady,” he added, turning to me. “Gorgeous bride today, madam. I am sure Alric has failed to mention that.”
“My gods, Thatcher,” my husband muttered, retrieving his breastplate and shield from their hooks on the wall.
Thatcher looked at me and shrugged. “Hashe said you look beautiful today?”
I blushed and Alric swept past me before I could answer.
As Thatcher shut the door behind them, I leaned towards him. “Helena doesn’t like cursing."
He paused. “She doesn’t? Oh, I supposed she was raised in wealthy houses.”
I nodded. “They lived wherever her father was commissioned. I thought you would want to know.”
He grinned at me. “Thank you, Lady Edie. I owe you one.”
I smiled. “Not at all. And it is just Edie, please.”
“Thatcher!” shouted Alric, his voice coming from far away.
“Captain calls!” he said cheerfully and shut the door.
As I sat down on the bed, I realized Alric had not been able to finish his sentence.
33. Vinia
I spent the rest of my wedding day and night asleep in the big bed. It was wide enough to fit four people in and seemed unlike something the stringent captain would have, but after two nights of no sleep, I needed the rest and thought little of whether or not the bed matched the man. I dreamed of stacked white and gray stones, not pebbles this time, stacked so high they were taller than a person. The pillars wobbled, the stones not matching in size to each other but they never fell. Amongst the pillars, a figure walked, but the more I chased them, the farther away they got. I woke before the sun and, only getting lost once, made my way down to the women’s baths. I still wore my white dress, but had removed the abalone blossoms.
Upon entrance, I realized only a handful of women were there, but I spotted Mischa, Helena and Maureen. I undressed and made my way to where they lounged.
“Same idea as us?” asked Mischa. “Early morning soak before the workday begins?”
I explained to them about how the wedding happened, where Alric’s quarters were compared to the second-floor dormitories and how a decimating attack on some Tintarian city called Sealmouth had resulted in Alric, Thatcher and perhaps the rest of the Procurers leaving.
“I am so grateful we are close to you, Edie,” said Maureen, behind me, helping me pin my hair up out of the water. “The second level dormitories are nicer and have windows.”
“And the beds are more comfortable,” added Helena.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the blue-eyed noblewoman, again seated on a stone step, only her legs partially in the water and they were slightly splayed. She showed no shame. Up from the water, another woman, a girl really, stepped onto the lip of the baths and sat next to her. They looked similar and I gathered this was her daughter. The woman bent near the girl’s head and looked at her scalp, inspecting it for something. Then she returned her gaze to me.
In low tones, I drew the attention of Helena and Mischa to this. Maureen greeted a sleepy Catrin, who was splashing her way towards us. The two started to chatter about how nervous Catrin was to meet the dowager queen.
“And she was staring yesterday?” Helena asked.
