Squabbling voices outside their door caught both their attention.
“You are not to disturb them,” Finch ordered.
“I don’t care what you say. I will make sure, Lady Elysia is not harmed,” Lendra argued.
“I am well!” Elysia called out, feeling her husband’s body grow taut against her.
“Do you need anything, my lady?” Lendra asked with a shout.
“No, Lord Odran and I do well and I will be with you—”
“When I’m ready to let my wife go,” Odran called out. “Now both of you be gone.”
“Now leave!” Finch ordered sharply.
“I will have a hot brew and honey oat cakes waiting for you, my lady,” Lendra called out.
“Leave!” Finch ordered again.
“I’m going. I’m going.” Lendra said, though called out once again. “Freshly made honey oat cakes.”
Odran chuckled. “I can hear your stomach begging you to hurry and get them.”
She buried her face against her husband’s chest. “They are a weakness of mine.”
“Eat as much as you want of them. You have gotten thin since I’ve been gone and it worries me,” he admitted.
“I think worry over losing you stole my appetite more than being as busy as I was, but,” —she sprang up— “you’re back now and so is my appetite.”
“You’re eager for those oat cakes, aren’t you?”
Her grumbling stomach responded for her, and they both laughed.
“Let’s go feast on honey oak cakes,” he said and sat up, swinging his legs out of bed.
Elysia hurried across the bed to him, her arms going around him, her chest pressed to his back, and her cheek next to his. “I was foolish for thinking you any different than Saber. You are the same and I am proud to call Odran my husband.”
He turned to hook his arm around her waist and swing her around to his lap. “I regret not telling you, Elysia. It was not right of me. But I do not and will never regret marrying you. You are the best thing that ever happened in my life.” He kissed her gently, avoiding her wound. “Now let’s get those oat cakes.”
“Are you sure you’re all right, my lady?” Lendra asked refilling Elysia’s tankard.
“I am more than well, Lendra. I am happy,” Elysia said with a smile, glancing at her husband standing by the large fireplace speaking with his da and Finch.
Lendra winced. “Your lip looks sore.”
“A bit, but it’s of my own doing,” Elysia said, keeping an honest tongue, since her lip was swollen and sore because of her distractedly biting at the wound. “Lord Odran did not hurt me. he would never hurt me, so you can rest easy.”
“I wondered over it since he looks at you with even more love than when we knew him as Saber. His love seems to grow for you by the day. I only hope others see it as well.”
Elysia turned a puzzled look on Lendra. “You sound concerned.”
“Aye, I am. Tongues have wagged mightily with so many seeing Lord Odran carry you through the village. They saw your bleeding lip and his angry scowl and they believe his madness caused you harm.”
“Then I will make sure people know the truth,” Elysia said.
“It is not only that, Lady Elysia. I heard mumblings that all pray you do not bear Lord Odran a bairn so the curse can die with him. I fear for you if you get with child. Though I heard say Lord Odran has sworn he would never seed a child. Still, many fear the curse will see it done allowing its evil to live on.”
Fear robbed what appetite Elysia had left. How was she ever going to tell her husband that she carried his bairn? And how could she keep the curse from touching their innocent child?
Chapter 20
Odran watched his wife talk with Dorrit by the kitchen garden. She leaned down and plucked a leaf off a plant and rubbed it between her fingers before bringing it to her nose to sniff. She smiled with delight and he was surprised to see Dorrit smile along with her. Though it was almost impossible not to smile when Elysia smiled, there was so much joy in it. A smile was also a rare sight in the clan and no doubt people hungered for it.
His wife was due praise for making her presence known to the clan after the incident in the woods a week ago. Her smile, her kind words, snatches of laughter, and offers of help to anyone who might need it had begun to endear her to the people. His wife was giving to them what she had given to him—hope. Yet skepticism remained, for the curse while dormant for now would surely strike again. His greatest fear was that it would strike his wife and his stomach knotted at the horrific thought.
“Your wife has worked wonders with your mum in such a short time.”