Maud scowled as she watched Matilda slowly come up the road with her servants. It was a long walk from Nothelm. Why did she come? To flaunt her belly, no doubt. Never mind if she did the baby harm—Matilda could not resist a chance to make Maud miserable.
“Send Her Grace up when she arrives,” she called out to a servant. Meanwhile she would figure out what she could say to her.
“Here is my favorite girl!” Father Brandt cried as Witburga ran at him and threw herself into his waiting arms.
“I’ve been waiting for you, and waiting and waiting!” she scolded. “You never come play with me!”
“Oh, my, Matilda!” Alred whistled. “This is neither a boy nor a girl—it’s a warhorse! Feel him kick!”
“Quit touching him then,” Matilda growled. “His kicks hurt me more than they do you.”
“Well?” Brandt said gently when Cenwulf came into the firelight and he could more clearly see his face. “Art thou come to see thy Father or thy brother?”
“My brother, I suppose, Brandt. I need to speak to you about Colburga.”
Alred looked up from his letter with a smile. “Good morning, my beauty.”
“I’m not disturbing you, am I, Alred?” Matilda asked shyly.
Cenwulf walked softly into the bedroom, hoping not to disturb his son if he were sleeping. But he found him lying in Colburga’s arms, drowsily playing with her long auburn hair.
“So you like to do that too?” he said to the baby, who smiled up at him.
Egelric’s head nodded with fatigue, but he was not yet ready to go to bed. This was perhaps the last night he would spend in this house. Sigefrith had asked him to stay at the castle, but Egelric had preferred to go home, preferred to spend this last night with the ghost of his wife. He knew that when he returned—if he ever returned—she would be gone.
Githa Selle sat on the edge of her bed, listening for the sound of hooves outside. It was so late, and yet when she had asked one of the hands where she could find Theobald, she had been told that he had taken his horse and gone out. Where could Theobald be going so late that would require a horse? And why hadn’t he said anything to her?
Lately, she thought, there must have been many things he didn’t tell her. They spoke, of course, and slept in the same bed and ate at the same table, but except for the children there seemed to be nothing that brought them together. She had often regretted some of the things she had said to him, but somehow they couldn’t talk about that.
“Good evening, Theobald,” Sigefrith said as he rushed into the hall. “I am sorry for keeping you waiting, and sorry I haven’t much time to spare you.”
“I thank Your Majesty for seeing me, then,” Theobald said in his deep voice. “I shall be quick about it. I would like to come with you.”
Bertie came hopping in from the barn to find Egelric sitting on the floor with Baby’s doll in his hands.
“Hallo, Egelric!” he said. “That Baby is still sleeping, you know.”
“It’s our last alone together I mean,” she said with her sweet smile. “Soon we shall be three. You’re growing as superstitious as I, my darling boy.”
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