Page 5 of Sweet Mead for Lady Martine

David noticed that she didn’t offer any services from the nobles, but neither would he have accepted if she had. Their status was too high for such menial tasks. He was just a lowly innkeeper and this was his life. He’d probably be flogged if he even suggested that nobles assist anyone from below the salt.

“Someone tell the cook to bring a pot of boiling water and my shears,” instructed his mother rolling up her sleeves. “One of you, start ripping up the sheets from the other beds. Quickly.”

“Rip up our sheets? Nay, don’t do that,” said David, getting a death stare from every woman there including his mother.

“Lady Josefina and I will rip up sheets,” offered Lady Martine.

The pregnant woman on his bed started to cry and scream at the same time.

“Sage, you’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” Lady Martine ran to her, getting to her knees, taking the woman’s hand in hers at the side of the bed.

“It would be best if the men all leave the room now,” his mother announced.

“Yes. I agree. Go,” Martine told Lord Gar and his henchman, using her hand in a swishing motion to send them away.

“Martine, I’d rather stay in the kitchen than to be here,” said the younger noble girl. She looked to be a few years younger than Martine.

“All right,” said Martine, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder and glancing over at David. “My sister, Lady Regina, will wait in your kitchen until this is over. She doesn’t like to see blood.”

“Of course, not. Who does?” asked David with a shrug, wanting to tell Martine that he wasn’t going to be happy to see blood either. Especially since the birth was about to happen on his bed.

“You must leave, too,” she told David. “Go!”

David didn’t like being ordered out of his own chamber. It also bothered him that his pallet would be ruined once the woman gave birth atop it. Still, he didn’t protest. He had an inn to run. This was only proving to be a major distraction. He also had to be careful not to do anything more to anger Lord Corbett since he was so far behind with his rent.

“Hurry, David. Get your sisters. The baby will not wait,” said his mother with urgency in her voice.

David realized the poor pregnant woman needed help, but on the other hand, so did he. His inn was filled to the brim with drunken, anxious, wet, and angry customers. These men would most likely start fighting soon if they didn’t get the needed attention. He couldn’t afford another brawl on his hands. Each time one occurred, the cost of the broken items outweighed the coins his cousin collected at the door.

Releasing a deep breath, David turned and followed the other men out of the room, wondering what the hell just happened.