Highland Promise by Hannah Howell

Author:Hannah Howell
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: ereads.com
Published: 1999-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Bethia grimaced as the maid entered the room to help her dress for the evening feasting. Court was not proving to be very exciting. It consisted mostly of gossip, ceremony, and eating. And women who did not seem to understand that adultery was a sin, she thought crossly. She had only gotten to dance once as well.

She slowly sat up from where she lay gracelessly sprawled on the bed. Sitting very still, she clutched the edge of the bed tightly and took several deep breaths to still the nausea and dizziness that briefly assailed her. They had been at court for almost a month, and in the last week, this illness had struck every evening about the same time. Bethia wondered if she was being made ill by too much rich food and intrigue.

“I can get ye a potion for that, m’lady,” said the maid as she helped Bethia into her deep blue corset and skirt.

“A potion?”

“Aye, to rid yourself of the bairn.”

“The bairn?” Bethia’s eyes widened as she considered that possible explanation for her strange malady.

“Oh.” The maid blushed. “’Tis your husband’s child then, is it?”

Bethia looked at the plump young maid and shook her head in amazement. That the girl would so blithely offer her a potion to prompt a miscarriage and, worse, seem a little surprised that she might actually be carrying the child of her rightful husband said more about the immorality at court than Bethia really wanted to know. This was not a way of life she could ever become accustomed to. She was a little surprised that Eric seemed so comfortable, but began to suspect that he simply paid it all very little attention. Men, she decided, often showed a true skill at being oblivious to what went on around them.

“I fear there is no delicious intrigue here,” she told the maid, Jennet, smiling faintly. “’Tis my husband’s child. It could be no other’s.” She frowned as Jennet tugged hard on the laces of her pale blue surcoat. “That is, if I am truly with child. I am nay sure.”

“Have ye had your courses as ye should?”

“Nay. Not since before I was married.”

The maid nodded as she gently pushed Bethia down onto a stool and began to force her hair into one of the intricately braided hairstyles so popular at court. “And ye feel sick and light-headed every day at about the same time.”

“Aye, right now. Although last eve, when they set that oddsmelling egg dish right in front of me, I certainly didnae feel too weel.”

“Some women do find that some smells and foods are verra hard to endure when they get with child.”

“It seems too soon.”

The little maid giggled. “Some women get with child on their wedding night.”

Bethia placed her hands over her stomach. It was certainly possible that she was with child. She felt excitement course through her veins, then fought to control it. It was still too soon to know for sure. A great deal had changed in her life lately, and she was living under a constant threat.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.