Patience gasped and then hissedthrough her teeth, but Lara smiled.
“I might have takenoffense as you intended, except I know you speak from jealousy.”She rubbed her hand over her round belly, remembering the feel ofTalon’s hands on her skin.“I can’t say I blame you.The captaintruly is a man to be jealous over.”
“Bah,” Ravenna huffed.“You’re nothing more than a cheap camp follower whose soldier isoff to get himself another whore before getting himself killed onsome battlefield.”
Lara’s breath caught, and it wasPatience who answered Ravenna’s taunt.
“You may be jealous of thecaptain’s attentions,” she said, “but you so do not knowhim.”
“All I need to know is heleft her pregnant with his bastard.”Ravenna sniffed and wrinkledher nose.“My father will be so pleased to learn the rumors aretrue.The witch is breeding.”She gave a toss of her long blackhair and turned on her heels.“Come, ladies.We’ve seen all weneeded to.”
Lara let her breath out in a low hiss.“Talon was right to name them a pack of curs.”
“Aye.What abitch.”
Lara laughed and gave Patience ahug.
“Hey now.”Willem walkedup to them with Wilric in his arms and Wyatt by his side.“Tryingto steal my wife, are you?”
Lara gave Patience a wink.“I mightbe.I could use a good wife.”
“Speaking of wives.”Patience indicated Denys and Marta as the couple headed towardthem.“When is that lad going to turn man and make a wife ofher?”
“He says not until he canbuy a patch of land and build her a proper house on it,” Larasaid.
“They’ll have to move fromhere then.”Willem spoke out loud what they all knew but werereluctant to say.“No one but Nithard has land enough to sell here,and he won’t sell.He’d rather starve out the few of us who do ownland here, so he can have it all.”
“He can try,” Lara saidfiercely.“He will fail.”
“Have you seen this?”Patience asked hopefully.
“No.But I feel it.”Before Lara could say more, Denys and Marta approachedthem.
“There’s to be musiciansand a dance tonight,” Denys told Lara as Marta eyed her withanticipation.“Will you stay?”
“I plan to be sitting by afire with my feet up by nightfall,” she told the crestfallencouple.“But that doesn’t mean you have to leave, Denys.Stay,enjoy the dance with Marta.”
“Are you sure?The captaintold me to watch over you.”
“I’ll be fine for onenight, Denys.”
The lad glanced from Lara’s reassuringsmile to Marta’s pleading one.“If you’re quite sure?”
“Go.”Lara waved them off.“Have fun.Stay as late as you like.”She grinned as they skippedaway hand in hand.
“I don’t think Denys isgoing to get his land and house before his marriage,” Patience saidas the young couple stopped to kiss.“He keeps that up, and Marta’sgoing to be as full of child as you next spring.”
***
Lara
Lara trudged up themountainside, her feet sore and her belly heavy with child.Shemade her way through a thicket of brambles into the glen where hermother was buried.A doe-eyed woman with curls of gold stood besidethe rose-covered byre with a swaddled babe in her arms.
“Who are you?”Laraasked.
“I was Isabeau.”Thewoman’s voice sounded as sweet and trilling as a lark’s.She heldthe babe out to Lara and laid it in Lara’s arms.Lara gazed down atthe head of soft auburn curls and wide gray eyes staring back up ather.“She is Isabeau.”
Lara looked from the babeto the woman, whose hair grew white and her skin wrinkled.She wasno longer staring into the woman’s eyes, but intoSophie’s.
