Serpent (47 page)

It was a grim assessment of the future. A sense of doom now hung in the air as well as the scent of futility. Bhrodi didn’t like to hear such discouragement even if the man was correct.

“Then what would you suggest?” he asked Kevin. “You are an English knight so you think like one; what would you suggest to triumph over your king?”

Kevin looked at the faces surrounding him; Bhrodi, Edward, and finally Penelope. She was looking at him anxiously and he didn’t like that expression, not in the least. She wouldn’t even be in this peril had it not been for her marriage to de Shera. He was the cause of her fear, of the threat of her defeat
. He struggled not to place all blame solely on de Shera.

But he was weary;
too
weary. He rubbed his eyes, so exhausted he could barely stand. That exhaustion was making him think mad and foolish thoughts.

“I do not know,” he said. “I have not slept in nearly two days. Let me sleep a little and we will meet again to discuss what I think our options might be.”

“Of course,” Penelope said before Bhrodi could speak. “We will not meet to discuss battle strategies until you have had an opportunity to rest.”

“We do not have much time,” Bhrodi said as Kevin headed for the door. “If Edward’s attack is imminent, then we must prepare.”

Kevin merely nodded and quit the room. Now it was just Bhrodi, Penelope, and Edward in the chamber, a chamber that was filled with uneasiness for the future. So much had happened and so much was about to happen. It would have been easy to have become overwhelmed. Bhrodi turned to the two of them.

“Edward is a man who is fond of sieges and I am sure it would be his wish to starve us out,” he told them. “The first order of business will be to make sure we have enough provisions to hold out as long as we can. Before we discuss defenses, will you both see to the state of our provisions? That will be most important in the long run.”

He said it to give them something to do until everyone could be gathered in a complete group to discuss their plans for defense. Penelope and Edward nodded at his request and Penelope kissed him on the cheek as she stood up from her crouched position beside the bed. Bhrodi looked into her eyes, seeing such trust and adoration there. He wished he hadn’t seen it because it was making him feel very guilty about the position she was in, all because of him.

In fact,
all the English were in this position because of him. He thought briefly of asking Penelope to flee but he knew she wouldn’t; she had already demonstrated how loyal she was to him. She would defend him until the death. God, he hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

As Penelope and Edward were leaving, one of the old serving wenches appeared
. She seemed a little flustered as she focused on Penelope.

“
Mae fy wraig
,” she said, twisting her hands. “
Y colli ifanc angen chi. Hi mewn ffordd wael.”

In the entire group of women that Jordan had brought to Rhydilian, only two of them spoke English and this wasn’t one of them
, unfortunately. Penelope looked at Bhrodi.

“What did she say?” she asked.

Bhrodi’s expression was tight with concern. “She says that something is wrong with Tacey,” he said. “Go and see to her, Penny. Hurry.”

Penelope and Edward both bolted up to the upper floors with the serving wench scurrying behind them
. They burst into Tacey’s big chamber only to find the girl writhing on the bed in pain. Penelope rushed to her side.

“Tacey?” she asked, fear in her voice. “What is wrong, sweetheart?”

Tacey was groaning and twisting. “I… I woke up to great pains in my belly,” she grunted. “Something is wrong with my son!”

Penelope had been around her sisters when they had given birth to their children so she knew enough to know that Tacey was in labor.
Terror surged through her and she struggled not to show it. She put her hands on the young woman’s shoulders.

“Your baby is coming,” she explained calmly. “It is his time to come into the world.”

Tacey groaned. “It hurts!”

Penelope nodded and stroked her forehead. “I know,” she said. “I am told it will hurt, but you must endure. We are all very anxious to meet your son.”

Tacey started to cry and Penelope looked up at Edward. The man had two small children with his wife, Lady Cassiopeia de Norville, but he certainly hadn’t been with her when she had birthed them. He’d been kept from his wife during the entire labor and delivery process, only to see her when she and the babies had been cleaned up. To see Tacey groaning on the bed was something entire different to him. He gazed at his sister with some trepidation.

“What do we do?” he hissed.

Penelope stood up and pushed him towards the door, away from Tacey so she wouldn’t hear their conversation. Truth was, Penelope was very frightened. She had no idea what to do with a woman in labor. She’d never been near her sisters when they had delivered; that was left up to her mother and aunts. Now, she found herself in a situation she should have had some knowledge in but didn’t. Knights didn’t usually deliver children and for the first time in her life, she found herself wishing she’d learned something of womanly skills.

“I wish Uncle Paris was here,” she whispered. “He
used to be a Hospitaller. He would know what to do!”

Edward’s expression was wry. “But he is not here,” he whispered back. “What are we going to do? She cannot have this baby now!
Edward is coming!”

Penelope rolled her eyes. “I do not think she planned it this way,” she snapped softly, eyeing the young girl who was weeping softly on the bed. “Tell Bhrodi what is happening and send the surgeon up here. Mayhap he can help.”

Edward nodded swiftly. “I’ll see if the serving women can help also,” he said decisively, rushing towards the chamber door and happy to be leaving the frightening scene. “You must say with her.”

Penelope nodded as Edward fled the room
. Fearfully, she turned in Tacey’s direction, watching the young girl weep and squirm. The old serving wench that had come to tell them of the trouble was beside the girl, singing softly to her in Welsh. Timidly, Penelope approached the bed.

“Tacey?” she said softly.

Tacey twisted and grunted. “This hurts!” she gasped. “I am afraid!”

Penelope leaned forward and grasped the girl’s hand. “Everything will be
well, I promise,” she assured her, though she wasn’t sure if she believed it. “Ask this serving woman if she knows about birthing children. She does not speak any English.”

Between grunts and sobs, Tacey asked the woman, who immediately nodded
. Penelope nearly collapsed with relief. “Good,” she sighed. “Then tell her she must prepare for the baby. Tell her that I will help her. As her what she needs.”

Tacey relayed the information as she wept and the old woman, surprisingly, swept into action. The first thing she did was pull off the coverlet. Then, she tossed up Tacey’s sleeping shift to expose the girl from the belly down
. Penelope got a good look at Tacey’s enormous belly, smooth and perfectly shaped, and her skinny little legs. As she watched, she could see the belly tightening with the contractions as the girl wept through them. It was both fascinating and frightening. The old serving woman put her hands on Tacey’s belly as Penelope knelt beside the bed and held the girl’s hand.

“Do not be afraid,” she said softly. “We will help you. You do not need to fear.”

Tacey held on to Penelope’s hand tightly, so tightly that she was cutting off the circulation in Penelope’s fingers.

“How long will this take?” she wept. “Will it be over soon?”

Penelope had no idea how to answer that. “It will be over soon enough,” she said. Then she tried to distract her. “What names have you chosen for your son?”

Tacey was hit with a rather large contraction and she grunted and moaned until it was over. “I... I will name him after his father,” she said. “His name was Perri.”

Penelope smiled, stroking the girl’s head. “I like that name,” she said. “But what if it is a girl?”

Tacey frowned. “It will not be
a girl,” she said. “My son’s name is Perri.”

Penelope had to chuckle at the confidence. “Perri it is,” she said. “Boy
or
girl.”

As Tacey lay there and tried to recover from the last contraction, more serving women began
to pour into the room, chattering excitedly in Welsh. They were pointing at the girl, discussing the situation, as another serving woman appeared with a bowl of water and a rag. She set it down on the nearest table, soaked the rag, and came over to the bed to wipe down Tacey’s forehead and arms. It was really quite efficient, as if the woman knew exactly what she was doing. Penelope began to feel comforted; it seemed her mother had known what she was doing in hiring these women. They knew what Penelope did not.

Another serving woman entered the chamber and Penelope recognized her; it was Dilys from the kitchens. She spoke English and Penelope waved her over.

“Lady Tacey is having her baby,” she said. “What more can we do for her? She is in pain.”

Dilys looked at the young girl with kindness. “Your mother told us this day would come,” she said to Penelope. “We are prepared.”

“But what can you give her for the pain?”

Dilys shook her head. “She will have to
suffer as all women have since the beginning of time,” she replied. “She will know now what it means to be a true woman.”

Penelope wasn’t happy with the answer but she returned an encouraging smile to Tacey
. As Penelope sat on the floor and held the girl’s hand, the serving women were crowded around the bed, hands on Tacey’s belly and discussing the situation in their native tongue. As she tried to whisper encouraging words to help the girl through a difficult contraction, she heard hissing at the door. Looking over her shoulder, she could see Edward motioning her to him.

She kissed Tacey before letting her hand go and moving to her brother.
She couldn’t help but notice that the man looked concerned.

“What is wrong?” she asked. “Why do you look so?”

Edward’s face was grim. “The sentries have spotted an incoming army,” he said. “They should be here in an hour or so. It is either Father or Edward; in any case, you must come with me.”

Penelope felt a stab of fear as she gave one last glance to Tacey over on the bed. Surrounded by women, Penelope knew the girl was in good hands
. She pushed her brother out of the chamber and quietly shut the door.

“Does Bhrodi know?” she asked.

“He is the one who told me to bring you.”

Penelope sighed. “Then let us find out who approaches,” she said, her tone suggesting caution. “I pray it is Papa because we are not nearly prepared enough to fight off Edward
. God’s Blood; why does everything have to happen all at once?”

Edward
smirked. “Mayhap that is your lot in life, dear sister,” he said. “You are not meant to have a moment’s peace.”

Penelope hoped he was wrong
, but her apprehension was growing by the minute.

⌘
 

“I feel as if we have only just been here,” Paris said drolly as he looked at the walls of the great keep of Rhydilian.

Kieran, weary from the hard ride, sighed heavily. “That is because we have,” he muttered. “I am coming to hate this place.”

William came up behind them, removing his gauntlets as he pushed between the pair. “It hates you
, too,” he mumbled. “Shut your mouth and come with me. I am anxious to see my daughter.”

             
Kieran and Paris followed, their exhaustion evident in their movements. Besides the three of them, they had also brought a little over two hundred men as well as the sons that had accompanied their fathers into Wales.

Taking command of the men and provisions wagons were
Scott, Troy, and Patrick. While the other sons and cousins had escorted the women back to Questing and had remained there to protect the castle, all of the de Wolfe sons had gone with their father. They tended to travel in a bunch, anyway, and it was difficult to separate them so William no longer tried. It was a given fact that his sons went where he did, and they all went together. That bond only grew stronger after James was killed. Now, the de Wolfe sons settled the troops in the bailey of Rhydilian, telling the men to bed down and take a few hours of sleep while they could, as their father and uncles headed into the keep.