Strangclyf Secret (39 page)

Melita smiled at their
by-play. “Well I shall check on Jerold later. Right now I am going
to get food to break Bernon’s fast.”

She went into the buttery
and returned carrying a well-laden tray. The children, except for
Manuel, were chattering and jumping about Aurick and Brianna.
Melita smiled. “Good morning, angels. I am going to wake a bear.
Who wants to come with me?”

Bernon heard laughter and
chatter bubbling about the lord’s tower outside his chamber and
groaned. Genius pushed open the door and Sapphire dashed to the bed
where Bernon lay on his side. “We’re here, Papa!”

Bernon opened his right
eye and looked at the blue-eyed girl. Then he growled and pulled
the covers over his face. Sapphire giggled and climbed on the bed
where Topaz, Karl, Ravyn, and Genius joined her.

“
Mayhap he will wake if you
all tickle him at once,” Melita suggested with a punkish
lilt.

“
Anyone who tickles me will
be tossed out the window,” Bernon grumbled from under the
covers.

“
Mama, is Papa always this
grouchy in the morning?” Topaz asked, wearing a disgruntled
pout.

A hand snaked out from
under the covers, grabbed Sapphire, and began tickling her. As she
took off on a round of silly laughter, Bernon came out from under
the covers and reached for Karl who giggled at his capture. “Aye,
but I can tickle anyone I want.”

The children all began
speaking at once and Bernon chuckled at their
excitement.

“
Everyone settle down now,”
Melita ordered. “Sapphire, move down. You are in my place.” She got
on the bed next to Bernon and set down the tray.

Bernon settled Karl in his
lap then his eyes widened when he finally caught sight of the tray.
“What is all this?”

“
Food to break your fast,”
Melita replied, shaking out a cloth and draping it over their laps.
“Back in the old days, wives fed their husbands grapes, but we
haven’t any, so you get bread, honey, cheese, porridge, and ale
instead.”

“
I have never eaten in bed.
You will spoil me.” Bernon leaned over and kissed Melita’s lips,
inciting a round of giggles. “Who gets the milk?”

“
Me. I am going to share
your meal. I am ravenous.” Melita proved her words by breaking off
a big chunk of bread and cramming it into her mouth.

Bernon shook his head and
chuckled. He really needed to have that talk with his wife about
manners. “I shall share the milk too. Save the honey for
later.”

The children kept up a
steady stream of chatter while they ate. Near the end of their
meal, a hesitant tap sounded on the door.

“
Enter,” Bernon called
above the ruckus.

Betia pushed open the
portal and looked at them from the threshold. Her gaze flitted from
Melita to Bernon then she glanced at the floor.

Bernon rolled his eyes.
Another timid creature. “’Tis all right that you are here, Betia.
Did you want something?”

Betia glanced in their
general direction but refused to make eye contact, and her cheeks
glowed bright red. “Mama just told me that your lady is my sister
and I wanted to tell her... I am glad.”

“
I am glad too, Betia,”
Melita said, setting down her milk goblet and wiping at her white
mustache with the back of her sleeve. “And you can call me Melita
now. Did our mother tell you that you can pick a room in this
tower?”

“
Aye, but I had best leave.
I need to get back to Jerold.” Betia turned toward the
door.

“
Wait, Betia,” Melita
called, and Betia faced her again. “I shall find someone else to
sit with Jerold so you can get some rest. He should not need you
all the time now anyway. Go see Cora sometime today so she can
measure you for some new gowns.”

Betia’s brow puckered and
she pointed behind her in a helpless gesture. “But
Jerold—”

“
What is wrong with
Jerold?” Bernon asked, frowning with concern. “He looked fine
yesterday.”

“
He is surly.” Melita gave
Bernon a pragmatic look that told him she didn’t think much of his
soldier, and then she turned back to Betia. “Let me handle Jerold,
and mayhap we can spend some time together this
afternoon.”

“
I would like that,” Betia
said with a shy smile then almost fell over as Manuel zoomed past
her and jumped on the bed.

“
I’m here!” he yelled,
throwing his arms wide.

“
So we see.” Bernon gave
Manuel a stern scowl. “Apologize to Betia for almost knocking her
over.”

“
I’m sorry, Betia,” Manuel
said with an unrepentant grin.

Bernon shook his head.
“Did you bring me a message?”

“
Nay, ‘tis for Mama.”
Manuel’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “The king wants to know if he
is allowed to talk to Papa after the nooning, ‘cause of he is
taking his queen back to Londontown this afternoon.”

Bernon snorted. Leave it
to William to ask Melita’s permission.

“
Who threw a party and
didn’t invite Uncle Geno? I am wounded,” Geno said from the
entrance, placing a hand over his chest.

“
But not fatally,” Bernon
grumbled. “And ‘tis a sorry day when a man’s chamber becomes as
public as the outer bailey.”

Geno ignored Bernon’s
complaint and flashed his smile upon the brown-headed beauty with
the violet eyes. “Ah. And here is the fair Betia of whom I heard so
much, but no comments have done justice her exquisite face or
form.” He took the young girl’s hand, bowed low, and bestowed a
chaste kiss upon her knuckles. “I am delighted to learn the little
wolf has a sister.”

“
My name is Melita and she
is too young for you,” Melita informed him, using her sternest
voice and most ferocious expression.

Geno winked at Betia.
“Tell me, fair damoiselle, how old are you?”

“
Three and ten, milord,”
Betia meekly replied, stealing a peek at the warrior from under her
lashes as a delicate pink tinge crept over her skin.

“
What do you think, Bernon,
should I wait two years or three?” he asked, keeping his roguish
eyes fastened on the fair maiden.

“
For what, milord?” Betia
asked with guileless confusion.

“
Why, to sweep you off your
feet and into my arms,” Geno said, opening his arms to the bemused
innocent and gifting her with his most charming grin.

“
You will wait at least
three years and talk to our papa first,” Melita ordered.

“
Then I must be off to face
the dragon Aurick,” Geno vowed with a hand over his heart. “I shall
slay the beast if I must to gain this exquisite
treasure.”

“
Go without delay, Geno,
and make your claim before anyone else,” Bernon
suggested.

Geno grinned. “One might
think you are in a hurry to be rid of me, my friend.”

“
I am in a hurry to be
alone with my wife.” Bernon wiped a hand over his face.

“
Ah, then I shall take pity
on you.” Geno chuckled and winked at Melita. “Come, children. Uncle
Geno is going to the shore and you all get to come with
him.”

The children scampered off
the bed and followed the man from the room. Sapphire and Topaz
kissed Bernon and Melita on their way out. As the door closed
behind them, Melita smiled at Bernon. “The children love
you.”

“
They are good children.”
He handed her the honey then set the tray on a table by the bed.
“Now, wife, give me back the honey and get out of those
clothes.”

~ * ~

“
Now, Hugo, remember that
what I am about to do is for Jerold’s own good and do everything I
tell you.”

The brawny warrior
furrowed his brow and looked down at the small woman giving such
big orders. “Are you certain this is the best way,
milady?”

“
I am certain it will
work.” Melita crinkled her nose and winked at the
soldier.

“
I am with you then.” Hugo
returned her grin.

“
So are we,” Rodor added,
standing with five of Jerold’s fellow warriors outside of Jerold’s
chamber.

Hugo pounded on the door
with his fist. Without awaiting a response, he opened the door and
allowed Melita to precede him into the darkened chamber followed by
Jerold’s friends.

Melita crossed the room
and set a tray holding a few phials, a cup filled with water, linen
strips, a bowl, and a flagon of wine on a table near the bed. “Will
you open the shutters, please, Hugo? We shall need all the light we
can get or we might miss.”

Hugo threw open the
shutters and light spilled into the room, pouring across the
injured man who lay abed. Jerold flung an arm over his face and
growled, “Close the damn shutters!”

“
Watch your mouth in front
of our lady,” Hugo ordered in a gruff voice and glowered at the
invalid.

Jerold turned red-faced
and glared at Melita who was mixing a powder from one of the phials
into the cup of water. Satisfied that the potion was ready, Melita
turned with a smile and held the cup toward Jerold. “Drink all of
this, Jerold.”

Jerold fastened a cynical
eye on the cup. “What is it?”

“
A potion to dull the
pain,” she replied, her voice drenched with concern.

“
I do not need no
da...bloody potion,” Jerold hissed.

“
Are you sure?” Melita
patted his arm sympathetically.

Jerold grunted and looked
away from her.

“
Well, all right…if you
insist. You are braver than most men.” She set the cup aside and
turned toward Hugo. “You will have to do the actual cutting, Hugo.
I am too weak to get all the way through the bone in just one
slice.”

“
Be glad to, milady. You
just show me where to aim my blade,” Hugo answered, pulling his
sword and walking to the bedside next to her.

Melita reached for the
covers and pulled back the edge. Jerold jerked the bedding from her
grasp and gripped the linen tightly against his chest. “What do you
think you are doing?”

“
Cutting off your leg.”
Melita turned to the other warriors. “Would you men please hold him
down, so he does not move after I show Hugo where to
aim?”

Jerold batted out his
arms, fending off his friends, and backed up against the headboard.
“Get away from me! Are you all daft?”

“
Nay,” Melita replied in a
voice that sounded as if she were placating one of the children.
“We are here to help you.”

“
I am doing fine without
your bloody help,” Jerold snapped. “Now get out of here and send me
Betia.”

“
Nay,” Melita replied
calmly and felt on the covers for his leg. “You are mean and surly,
and you have not even tried to walk on this leg.”

“
I am a cripple!” he
bellowed.

“
Nay, you are not.” Melita
shook her head and released a sad sigh. “But you will be
soon.”

“
What do you mean?” Jerold
eyed her suspiciously as she turned back to her tray and began
setting out rolled linens and preparing her worktable. “My muscles
are drawn and weak, and my knee will not bend.”

Melita rolled her eyes
then faced him. “Well, of course you have poor use of the leg now.
You have had the thing in the same position for two weeks. ‘Twould
have only taken a few weeks to get your muscles loose and your knee
bending, so you could build the strength again.”

“
You mean ‘tis truly going
to work again?” he asked, his voice tremulous with hope.

Melita gave Jerold a
pitying look and shook her head. “Nay, not now. We are about to
chop it off.”

Jerold paled then glowered
at her. “You must be daft to think I will let you do such a thing
if ‘tis going to start working.”

“
I am not daft,” she
replied in a serene tone then sighed. “I am angry because you are
surly, so I have decided to punish you by taking the
leg.”

“
Bernon would never allow
such a thing!” Jerold insisted.

Melita put her hands on
her hips and turned her ferocious scowl on the invalid. “Aye, he
would, because he is my bear and I am furious with you.”

“
What for?” Jerold asked
with genuine surprise. “I have not left this room since we got
here.”

“
You have been mean and
rude to my sister.” Melita balled her hands into tiny fists and her
nostrils flared. “And you have overworked her.”

“
Betia is your sister?” he
asked, slack-jawed.

“
Aye,” she growled. “And I
cannot let you get away with your terrible conduct, so I am taking
the leg.”

“
I shall apologize,” Jerold
offered, panic underscoring his words. “I didn’t mean to be rude
and overwork her.”

“
Well, I do not
know...”

“
I will start walking too.”
Jerold tossed back the covers, exposing his naked body. Melita
turned scarlet and closed her eyes. Jerold flushed and pulled the
covers back over himself, his expression contrite. “Mayhap I should
dress first. Tyrel will get me some clothes, won’t you, Tyrel? Then
I can start.”