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“I am pregnant with Cleve’s child. Do you doubt that, Kerek?”
“I don’t believe you. He kept you at a distance. He kept yelling at you to begin your monthly flow so you could wed William of Normandy.”
“But you knew I didn’t want to marry Ragnor or William. You knew, Kerek, that I wanted only Cleve, thus my lie about carrying Ragnor’s child. All believed it. I was safe, at least for a while, but Cleve held firm, you’re right about that. I became desperate. I came to him at night and he came awake only enough to feel a man’s passion. When he reached his climax he awoke fully and saw it was me. He cursed, then took me again and many times after that because the damage was already done. You said to him yourself that you were sorry since he loved me.”
Kerek looked as if he’d cry at any moment. He smote his forehead with the heel of his hand. “I am cursed,” he said low, and began rocking back and forth on the stone bench. “From the moment I first saw you fishing in the Liffey, I’ve been cursed. You spin tales and then you make them come true. By all the gods, I don’t deserve this. You revile me, then you protect me. It is too much for a mortal man to bear. Tell me you’re lying, Princess. Tell me this most recent pregnancy story of yours isn’t true.”
“Aye, it’s quite true. Send me back to Cleve. Leave us in peace. My lady, as I said, you can rule openly when the king dies. Kill him. Or would you like me to poison him for you?”
“He has tasters,” the queen said absently. “It wouldn’t work. I tried it once a while ago. The taster died. The king doubled his tasters. Also the concubines taste everything before it goes into his toothless mouth.” She paused, staring at Chessa. “If Kerek believes you then I must. Very well, I will rid you of the babe. Kerek, take her inside and I will do it now.”
Chessa said very quietly, “If you touch me, lady, I will kill you. Doubt me not.”
“Mayhap the child will be a girl, my lady,” Kerek said, looking as dejected as a dog who’d just released his bowels in front of his master’s guests. “Then no one will care.”
The queen sighed. She leaned over to pick another rose, this one a soft pink. She inhaled deeply. “My flowers always agree with me. They give me difficulties, but I can measure their moods and do the right things. But with this girl? I don’t know, Kerek. Perhaps we should send her to the Saxon court and let her wed one of Alfred’s grandsons. Let her create havoc there. Let her poison all of them.”
But she’d done nothing, Chessa thought. She’d only realized the truth about the queen, then she’d been stupid and told her what she realized. Then she’d lied. She’d not done well so far this morning. At least the queen was thinking about her differently now. Just perhaps they’d send her back.
“Actually, my lady, I came to tell you that the king has remembered the princess.”
“Someone must have reminded him,” Turella said. “That, or the old fool remembers touching her and wants to do it again. Aye, my girl, let’s see how you deal with it now when you’re alone with him and there’s no one to pull him back.”
“I’ll stay with her. He won’t do those things again.”
The queen looked at her. “Don’t kill him openly, else I couldn’t save you.”
“I won’t. But Ragnor is another matter.”
“He has always been another matter,” Turella said, and rose from the stone bench. “His father took him away from me when he was born, I told you that, and it quite ruined him. Now, Kerek, take her to the king and stay even if the king orders you to leave. I can’t trust her to tell me the truth.”
Kerek said to her as they walked down the narrow passage to the king’s chamber, “Please, Princess, you must begin your monthly flow.”
She just laughed. “Oh no, Kerek, I very much want Cleve’s babe. It will be a boy, I know it. My stepmother has four sons. She always said that boy babes made her puke up her guts. I’ve not been feeling very well.”
Kerek stopped in the hallway and stared down at her. “Perhaps Turella is right. Perhaps we should send you to the Saxon court.”
She just laughed. “All you have to do is send me back to Hawkfell Island.”
Kerek just sighed. “There is so much to think about. I cannot allow you to ruin my plans. They’re good plans. They encompass the future. They cover all possibilities save your character, Princess. It’s your character that brings chaos to my plans.”
“Good,” Chessa said.
Hawkfell Island
Cleve kissed his daughter’s nose, gave her another bite of roasted sea bass, one of Entti’s specialties, and said, “Just keep eating. I’m leaving tomorrow for the Danelaw, and no, you’re not coming with me. If you stop eating this time, you just might starve to death and both your first papa and your second papa will be forced to stretch out on each side of your skinny little dead body and die themselves. Do you want that?”
“No, Papa.”
“Good. Then eat and keep eating. Keep talking to your aunts and uncles so they won’t worry. Keep playing. Keep learning how to weave from Erna. She’s very good and kind. If Gunleik whittles you another knife, take it and thank him sincerely. I’ll return when I can. I don’t know the number of days. Can you just believe that I’ll return with Chessa?”
“It’s hard, Papa. You won’t leave her in the Danelaw, will you? Even if she makes you very angry?”
“Nay, I promise to bring her home, then I’ll spew curses at her head.”
Kiri chewed the sea bass, licked the oil from the tartar leaves, and smiled. She nodded.
“Now, here’s your aunt Mirana and aunt Laren. Promise me again in front of them.”
