The Arranged Marriage (23 page)

Ison felt the cold run through
him.

“What else did he say?”

“Nothing much, he tended to use that
to try and get me to sway to his thinking. I didn’t do that you
know. I defended you.”

“Yet you lie to me about
it.”

She nodded, her heart hurting. She
didn’t want to tell him anymore, especially about the part about
Yena. That was too far-fetched for her to even contemplate, let
alone believe.

“I would have told you about it
eventually. I am telling you now.”

“
You kept information from
me Rohesia. Important information.” He shouted. She stepped away
from him to move further away from the bush.

“Keep your voice down my lord, you
will scare the horses.”

He followed her.

“I will not keep my voice down. Not
when I hear my wife is content in keeping things from me,
especially serious things from me.”

“I just thought it was petty hatred
for goodness sake.” She shouted back. “I thought he was bitter at
my refusal of him. It was only when you said about the man in the
Foreign Lands that I started to wonder.”

“Wonder what?” He asked suspiciously.
He knew then there was more for her to say. Ison was fuming. He
stopped her as she continued to walk away, forcing himself not to
take her over his knee.

“Tell me Rohesia.”

She let out a large sigh and threw her
hands up in defeat.

“Fine,” She growled, not happy with
giving him what he wanted when he was acting like a total idiot. “I
also noticed a strange emblem on the baron’s ring that was
surrounded with green and black colours. It could have been
anything but it could also have been a snake. Just like you said
the other man wore.”

“Rohesia,” He said, his thoughts
asunder. “Let’s get things straight. You will vow an oath to me
right now that you will never keep anything from me again,
nothing.”

She looked at him simmering in his own
temper before her.

“Oh of course” She tried hard to keep
her angry tears at bay. “I will vow to you right now how many times
I eat in a day, or what books I read, or who I have spoken to each
time. Would you like me to keep a log so you can check it off each
eve?”

“That will be fine, at least then I
will know that you have no habit of keeping me in the dark of
things that could be a danger to the kingdom, or a danger to your
people.”

“Aren’t you forgetting all the hard
work you put in to ensure that it was your kingdom, and your
people? Don’t forget all the eves you are away from me, pushing me
out of the picture and how well you planned for all of
that.”

“I did not have to fight very hard
please note, and when are you going to understand the notion of
throwing that in my face doesn’t exactly help our situation?” He
growled at her but she stood firm.

“I will understand that when you
realise that acting like you own me will get you nowhere. I will
not bow down to your whim just because I am your wife.” She shouted
before continuing to walk back to The Loyal, glad when the old
building came into sight. She quickened her pace before she sensed
him pass by her.

Ison needed to sort out this mess, he
thought as he stomped passed. If this Baron Minley was indeed Denta
Couben from the Foreign Lands, he needed to know why he was here,
why he had almost been betrothed to his wife, and why it was him
who was intent in fuelling the rumours with the villagers. He
couldn’t look at Rohesia right now. His feelings were all over the
place. He raised his voice so she could hear him as he continued
on.

“We’re going back now so get
packed.”

“Fine,” She threw back at him as the
pain of what she had just lost hit her full force. “Get my mount
ready.”

Chapter
Thirteen

“
What do you plan for us
to tell everyone about cutting our wedding moon even shorter?” She
enquired, speaking for the first time on since starting their
journey back to Ecripian. They had both packed in silence since
their feud.

“We shall tell them you fell ill and
nauseous and needed bed rest. They should be too busy gossiping
about the fact you could be with child rather than question our
return.”

She sat quiet on her mare as she
looked at him in disbelief.

“Very well my lord; that is a good
notion.” She managed to say.

He nodded his head in response and
returned to their silence. She hid a smile at the wonderful image
of throwing him off his horse at the very same moment.

After being fussed upon for the
hundredth time, Rohesia managed to shoo off Nani and Kaya in order
to get through the remainder of the day. She had decided to spend
her time in the library, avoiding Ison and leaving him to brood. It
also helped being absent to aid in the pretence of being
ill.

After doing a lot of reading and
thinking over their arguments, she retired early, sad and
disappointed that Ison hadn’t come looking for her. Her father had
called in to see her but he hadn’t stayed long. He had explained
Ison was busy preparing for his visit to Dondayas and he would be
finished shortly. He had apparently brought his trip forward seeing
as they had returned to Ecripian early. However, it must have been
late when he came up to their chamber as the bed was still empty
when she had finally drifted off to sleep.

The next day when Rohesia woke, the
bed was still empty and she decided enough was enough. Surely a
husband and wife were allowed to argue and then talk about it. This
avoidance thing was just cowardice. He would be leaving for
Dondayas today and she would not have them part as
enemies.

She rose to summon Kaya for dressing
when a feeling of nausea suddenly overcame her. She quickly sat
back down on the bed and shook her head at the irony of starting to
feel the same symptoms as her fake ones; just her luck she thought.
Her stomach was starting to churn and she felt incredibly hot, but
she managed to push the feeling aside as she found the strength to
summon Kaya to help her dress.

“You still don’t look so good my lady;
you should rest for a while longer.”

“I am well Kaya do not fret. I must
get ready to say goodbye to my husband.”

“Oh,” Kaya let out as she turned to
face Rohesia, her expression one of surprise. “I am afraid he has
already left my lady, he advised us not to disturb you as you
needed your rest.”

“What?” She practically shouted,
quickly remembering her pretence of her being unwell; something
that was fast becoming fact.

“He said you shouldn’t be disturbed
with your state of health, and they would need to set off early if
they were to chaperone Princess Yena to the borders of
Dondayas.”

“What?” She repeated as she did a
quick mental check to ensure that she wasn’t still asleep.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t.

“The Princess has apparently been
asked to attend the opening of a new Convent of Peace on the
borders of the Foreign Lands and thought it made sense to travel up
with Ison, my lady.”

Rohesia tried to make sense of what
was being told to her, an unexpected jealousy taking hold at the
thought of Yena travelling so close to her husband; especially
after the poisonous thoughts the baron had tried to manipulate her
with. A horrid image of them together naked in the back of the
carriage came to mind and she felt the sudden urge to be sick. She
held it back as long as she could whilst waiting for Kaya to get
her into her dress.

“Thank you Kaya, that will be
all.”

“Are you sure I can’t get you a tonic,
you look mighty pale?”

“I am fine Kaya. You may leave
now.”

It seemed an age before she
disappeared and Rohesia was able to make her way into the
corridors. She hadn’t made it far down the halls when the nausea
hit her again, this time with force. She knew she wouldn’t make it
back to her chamber in time and crashed into the nearest door
available.

The door led into Yena’s study
chamber, and she was thankful that Yena wouldn’t present to see her
throwing up in her basin. She had remembered Yena insisting she
must have one present at all times to wash any ink from her hands
after she had been writing. Something else just to emphasise her
laziness, Rohesia thought as she hurriedly made her way over to
empty the minimal contents of her stomach.

After what seemed like forever, the
shivers subsided and she was able to seek out a cloth to wipe her
mouth, tucking it away to take to laundry. She would make sure to
return it before Yena came back and blamed the servants for
thievery.

She took a few deep breaths, and
before leaving she placed her hands on either side of the wooden
casing around the basin. She would go and get some water soon to
wash it out to save disturbing anyone. It would also save being
pestered back into bed.

Rohesia was about to make her way out
of the room when she noticed the glint of a ring behind the small
pot of lavender resting on the edge of the casing. The ring had
been threaded onto a piece of twine and the size of it would too
big for Yena’s fingers. She picked it up out of curiosity and
turned it around to see the emblem decorated on its front. The
green and black emblem of the man with the snakehead jumped out at
her again and she felt the whole of her body go rigid at the
realisation of whose ring it was.

Putting it back where she found it,
she took extra care in ensuring there was no trace of her in the
chamber. After clearing out the basin and returning a clean cloth
she made haste from the room, still a little in shock at what she
had found.

On her way to find her father, she
thought over whether she should have taken the ring to fear Yena
into a panic. However, she quickly dismissed that thought, knowing
the advantage of such knowledge. She was now aware that there was a
strong link, maybe one of a passionate nature, between Yena and the
baron.

* * *

“
Here you are father; I’ve
been looking for you.” Rohesia managed to catch the look of stress
on her father’s features before he hid them at her
presence.

“Aren’t you supposed to be resting, I
hear you are not well?”

“And I hear you sent your ghastly wife
off with my husband without either of you letting me know about
it.” She sniped as she noticed him reach for the brandy
decanter.

“It was necessary and made sense,
would you like some?” He offered her the brandy but she shook her
head as her stomach rumbled in rejection to it.

“No thank you, and isn’t it a bit
early in the day for you?” She lectured him in a stern
manner.

“I have my reasons thank you, and I am
also your father don’t forget, not your child.”

She looked at him in sudden
concern.

“Are you well father?” She asked,
sensing a large amount of worry coming from him.

“I am, thank you, and I hear that you
may also be with child my dear? I hope it is so.”

“Oh I don’t think it is that, just
some, bad salmon.”

“That’s what your mother said.” He
murmured.

“Pardon?”

“You’re the result of what your mother
thought to be bad eggs in this case, didn’t think she was with
child until you were half way here. Stubborn soul.” He smiled at
his wife’s memory and Rohesia revelled in it.

“Well I doubt I am but we shall see,”
She didn’t want to get her hopes up. “What are you doing
today?”

“I have some papers I need to
conclude. What are you doing today?”

“I think I am going to feel a little
sorry for myself and read some books in my room. I really don’t
want to give myself anymore reason to be ill.” She advised, making
her father laugh at the sight of her rubbing her
stomach.

“I think you’ll find your reason soon
enough. Why don’t you let Nani take a look at you to make
sure?”

“I will when it’s time,” She said, as
a sense of something not right in air made her go to her father
before leaving. “I do love you.” She told him, giving him a kiss on
the top of his head before leaving and closing the door behind
her.

“And I love you daughter.” He
whispered back to the quiet room.

* * *

Ison was looking over plans of the
tunnels with his father in Dondayas when the knock on the door
disturbed them.

“Come in,” Roscaar ordered, neither of
them bothering to look up as the steward entered the chamber. “What
is it Uny?”

“A red seal message has just arrived
from Ecripian. I thought you may wish to read it straight
away.”

Ison looked up at the mention of the
red seal, knowing the colour was only used on correspondence of
urgency. He felt the sense of dread wash over him as Roscaar took
the message and excused Uny from the room.

“What is it?” He asked as he noticed
his father’s face change colour.