“Yes,” I said reluctantly. “And do not be angry at yourself. You have shown me twice the care in a few moons than he did in nine winters. In some ways, you were more caring even as a captor.”
I could tell Alric was biding his words, but he said, “What did he do to you?”
I closed my eyes. “He stopped loving me because I could not give him a child. He punished me for it. That is all I will say.”
“Then he did not deserve you. I am glad you left.”
Inhaling the smell of him and the rich earthiness of the fields, I smiled. “I am too. And thank you again for the Tallowgill and my lavender. I will not stop thanking you for your kindnesses and I do not want you to stop me. We have done well, you and I.”
“What do you mean?”
“You and I. We live together well for two people who did not choose each other.”
He gave an exhale through his nose.
I wondered if that was his way of laughing.
That ride back to the keep was the happiest I had felt since our abduction from Eccleston. I was happy even though I desired a man who likely did not desire me as much in return. I had spent so much of my life, the first twenty-eight winters of it, on my knees, in prayer to a thankless, cold saint. I had never had this experience of human tenacity being divinely rewarded. I was full of love for her. I was in a state of vindicated bliss. It mattered not if I had coin. It mattered not if a man wanted me. It mattered not if I was near forty. It mattered not if I was a triviality of war. It mattered not even if it was a paltry amount, the crux of it was, I had magic.Hermagic.
60. Company
I had dozed against him and was surprised how quickly we returned to Pikestully. When we reached the stables, he dismounted and guided me down from Maggie, his hands on my waist.
“I think your people and mine are at the same place,” he said, withdrawing his hands.
I replied that he was likely correct, but that I wanted to bathe, eat my luncheon and nap. “You go on,” I said. “It is your day of rest too.”
“Let us both clean ourselves. I will get something from the kitchens for us and then you can sleep. We can head down to the city center in the evening.”
“You are not going to train this afternoon?” I asked as we entered the Shark’s Keep, him carrying my belt and sagaris for me.
“No. I want to keep an eye on you. And if that cut is deeper than it looks, I want you to see a physician at the infirmary. And be careful when you bathe. I do not want you to drown because you are tired. Ask one of the women in the baths to look out for you.”
We went our separate ways to bathe and because he insisted on walking me to the door of the women’s baths, I could not sequester myself in Gareth Pope’s bath and pleasure myself as I had intended, but I did not mind. I treasured his worry.
When I returned to the room, he was gone. I let my hair down and changed into the celadon dress and sat on the bed, thinking I would just rest there shortly, but I fell asleep and woke to his knocking on the door. I bade him come in and he did, bearing a plate of nuts, fruit and smoked fish and a pitcher of water.
He set it on the desk and offered me a hand to sit up and stand from the bed.
As I sat in the chair and picked at a fig from where he had set the plate on the desk, he said, “Let me see your face,” and took my chin in his hand without waiting for a reply. “It is not deep,” he pronounced. “That happens in the face. It bleeds profusely even with shallow wounds. It should heal soon, but I will get you a salve.”
“It has stopped bleeding,” I said, my eyes on his mouth, grim with concern.
He pulled away from me and sat on the bed, his elbows on his knees, hands folded.
I held out the plate to him. “You should eat as well.”
We ate and then I returned to the bed and slept again. I woke to him next to me, asleep with his arm thrown over his face. Resisting the urge to stare at him, I rose and wove my hair into a loose braid. Alric kept a jar of chew sticks on the desk and I took one out to chew away the salt of the smoked fish from my mouth.
When he woke, we left the keep and walked into the city center under the blaze of a late afternoon sun. I remarked that Father Fire beat down on us today. Alric remarked that I sounded like a lifelong Tintarian. We split when we reached the brewery, me finding my table of women, him joining the Procurers, Arbis and Anwyn at a table.
My cut had occurred right on my eyebrow and once it had stopped bleeding, it blended in with my brow and so I had no need to explain anything to them. For this, I was grateful. I wanted to keep my discovery close to my chest and ponder it. I was not ready to discuss it.
At the end of our table, other scribes from Sister Sea sat, chatting with a cheery River. Quinn sat next to River, reserved but not withdrawn, occasionally adding something. Maureen had stepped behind the counter to help a now visibly pregnant Eefa and her employers. My niece looked happy and was laughing with Eefa, who seemed content now. I rejoiced at this turn in her. I doubted the creation of that child had been a good thing. But the child would be.
“I am bedding him tonight, girls,” Mischa announced to Helena, Catrin and I.
“Fish man?” I asked.
