Page 15

He held her gaze. “I should have known you instantly. Your copper-colored hair is almost as distinctive as the green eyes you inherited from your father.”

“I would contend that at this precise moment, my face is likely as green as this young lady’s eyes.” At the sound of the other man’s voice, Aisley swung around. The ailing gentleman had reappeared and was standing unsteadily with one hand pressed to his stomach. “Given that fact,” he continued, addressing Ealdorman Brecc as though she were not there, “I should like to submit that you will either have to throw me over your shoulder to return me to my chambers or abandon me in this corner of the market so I may die without an audience.”

“How long have you been feeling so poorly, sire?” Aisley asked.

“An eternity.” He moaned.

Ealdorman Brecc cleared his throat. “I believe the symptoms started soon after his meal last evening.”

A sickness likely triggered by something he had eaten, then.

“And have you taken anything that might offer you some relief from your discomfort?”

The gentleman Ealdorman Brecc called Rheged raised his head long enough to glare at his companion. “Nothing more than a walk in the bracing fresh air.”

“Which seemed a far better choice than remaining hunched over a bowl in your putrid-smelling bedchamber,” Ealdorman Brecc countered. “Besides, I’ve heard tell that a short excursion outdoors can be an excellent curative.”

“Indeed,” Aisley said. “But perhaps not the best option when one barely has the strength to stand upright.”

Ealdorman Brecc crossed the short distance to his friend, drew Rheged’s arm across his shoulder, and placed his own around the gentleman’s waist. “He was not so weak as all this when we set off.”

“True.” Rheged grimaced. “Nor so discourteous. Rheged, second son of Ealdorman Bernard, at your service.”

Aisley smiled at the common—and yet currently ludicrous—greeting. It seemed that Ealdorman Brecc had also caught his friend’s unreasoned words, for he chuckled softly. “Rheged, may I introduce Aisley, daughter of the late Ealdorman Kendryek, sister of Ealdorman Wulfhere of Wiltshire. Aisley, this poor sop may be of little service to you for the next day or two, but he is a noble enough fellow to make good on that promise in the future.”

“Of course,” Rheged muttered. “Unless Brecc opts to leave me here after all.”

“Since that is not even a possibility,” Ealdorman Brecc said, tightening his grip and guiding Rheged forward, “you’d best brace yourself for the short walk needed to reach our mounts.”

“An infusion of wormwood and mint is an excellent remedy for an unsettled stomach,” Aisley said.

Ealdorman Brecc paused, and at his side, Rheged stumbled to a halt. “Where might we find those herbs? Are they for sale at the market?”

Aisley looked out at the stalls and carts filling the square. They continued down the adjoining streets for as far as she could see. Even if there were a merchant selling curative plants, there was no telling how far away he was, and Rheged was in no position to comb the area for a stall that may or may not exist. She took a brief mental inventory of the supplies she had brought with her. “I have some dried wormwood in my bedchamber,” she said. “And thyme, which is almost as efficacious as mint.”

If Ealdorman Brecc was surprised, he did not show it. “And you are willing to offer them to Rheged?” he asked.

“Of course.”

Ealdorman Brecc smiled, and Aisley’s stomach fluttered.

“I thank you for your kindness,” he said.

“It is nothing.” She pressed a hand against her middle, offering a silent prayer that the unexpected flurries were not early symptoms of Rheged’s illness. “Fetching the medicine is a worthy reason to return to the royal residence. My sister and I have been at the market long enough. It is past time that we escape the cold.”

“Your sister is here?” Ealdorman Brecc’s gaze traveled across the milling crowd.

“She is.” Battling her inexplicable reluctance to point out Diera and their attending servant to the thegn, Aisley gestured toward the stall where her blonde-haired sister was handing a piece of blue linen to the vendor. “She is speaking with the fabric merchant.”

He nodded. “I see her now. Mayhap if she has completed her purchases, she will be willing to leave.”

Rheged’s shoulders were slumped, and his head was lolling lower and lower.

Aisley offered him a worried look. “I shall ensure that she does,” she said. “She is well used to me quitting an activity so that I might assist with an injury or illness.”

“I am most grateful for your help.” Rheged’s voice was low.

She took a step back. “You’d best be on your way, Ealdorman Brecc. I shall meet you within the half hour at the doors to the great hall.”