Page 113 of The Boy Bride

“It means what it means, brother.” Barda gestured toward the door of the house.

“Lord Vanu,” said Gurti stiffly, arriving where they were all standing at the doorstep. “Will you take some salad?”

“Ma!” Barda groaned. “There’s no time for salad! Lord Vanu has business with Da.”

Gurti’s face drained of colour.

“Not that business,” Vanu signed quickly. Maybe too quickly—he wasn’t sure she caught it. She still looked alarmed. Lill looked curious.

That was when Faru emerged from the gloom of the hall of the great house, face like a thundercloud.

“Da—” Barda began.

“Khatu,” Faru cut him off. “A word.”

“Hey? What is it?”

Faru gestured impatiently toward the inside of the house, then shook his head. “Why endeavour to keep this private now? It is already too late for that.”

“Keep what private?” Khatu asked innocently.

“Should we go?” Lill signed to Vanu.

“Maybe,” Vanu signed, and they stayed where they were.

“They are saying in Sakka,” Faru said to Khatu, ignoring the others clustered around the door, “that the female hunter with whom you have been consorting is with child.”

Khatu’s mouth fell open. “Otoni? Pregnant?”

“Indeed. Is the child yours?”

Khatu shifted his grip on the basket of lettuce and looked around as if he expected someone else to know the answer. “Uh. Yeah. I mean I don’t know. I never asked her whether she was seeing anybody else.”

Gurti gave an audible sigh. Vanu glanced at Barda, hoping he had the sense to keep quiet. Of course he didn’t.

“It’s his! It’s definitely his.”

Lill, beside Vanu, slapped his forehead with his palm.

“What?” Khatu looked at Barda. “How do you know that? What do you know about it?”

“I heard her talking to her friend, you know whatshername, the blacksmith’s widow with the tits? That time you went down the mountain for lamp oil.”

“That was weeks ago! You mean you’ve known about this for that long, and you haven’t told me?”

“Uh … yeah. I guess so.”

“What the fuck, Barda?”

“The whole village is aware that your brother’s whore is expecting a child,” said Faru severely. “If it was you who spread this rumour, Barda, you have brought dishonour upon your family.”

“Don’t call Otoni a whore!” Khatu cried.

“I didn’t!” said Barda at the same time. “All I said was … ” He trailed off as he realized everyone was glaring at him now. “Earth’s pussy, maybe I did! But I was just trying to look out for her—Deru was complaining that she hadn’t brought him any rabbits, and I said maybe she was feeling poorly in the mornings.”

Khatu let out a roar, flung away his basket, scattering lettuce, and ran at his brother. Barda dodged but not far enough. They both went down on the pavement and rolled over several times, pulling hair and howling and trying to throttle each other. Their parents watched, Gurti looking resigned, Faru grinding his teeth.

Vanu touched Lill’s arm and signed, “Interpret for me?”