In Which Nora Is Alarmed by the Bitterness

August 9, 1173

"My father's not going to make it home for my birthday, is he?" Viridis had spent the last day or so bedridden and she was still looking pale, but here she was--awake, dressed, determined, as hell-bent on an answer as any petitioner Nora had seen that day. It seemed a shame to tell her what she didn't want to hear, even if she already knew it.

And yet, her birthday was tomorrow. Severin hadn't known how many stops he would have to make, but the first of his planned visits was the keep at Beretrin in Dovia, and that was a week's journey; even if he managed to achieve his ends there, then it would still be another few days yet. And what if he didn't find what he was looking for right away? What if he ended up riding all over Europe for weeks on end--or months, even?

Months... no. No, she couldn't think it. It figured that he would have left the day before Arydath's visit, really--one fucking day before the suspicious lack of course and all the cravings for foods she didn't even like had been verified by the resident pregnancy whisperer. March, Arydath had said. What if Severin didn't make it back before then? Welcome home darling, here's the baby you didn't even know you left me with--even in her head, the words left a vile taste. Or maybe that was just the nausea.

"Well... probably not." As she could have predicted, her stepdaughter's face fell. She must have had some hope in her after all, the poor girl. "He did leave you a present, though--and he said he'd bring you back something nice."

Not that it helped much. Viridis wasn't the sort of girl who cared much for material possessions. She would be fifteen tomorrow and all she wanted was for her father to come home. As far as Nora knew, it was the first time Severin had ever been away for one of his children's birthdays; shame that it had to be sweet, sensitive little Viridis who would be the one. "He wanted to be here. You know that, right?"

"I know." The girl tried to smile, achieving that goal only beneath the nose. Her eyes remained wicks of newly-snuffed candles. "Why did he have to go, anyway? There are plenty of girls around who would marry Searle."

Nora shrugged. In truth, Severin hadn't given her the details apart from the fact that it had been at Searle's own request, but she thought she had a reasonable guess. "You know how your father feels about arranged marriages. If he has to settle off one of you, then I would imagine he'd at least try to find someone compatible."

"But Searle would be compatible with pretty much anyone."

"Yes, and that might be part of the problem." Feeling the urge to fidget, Nora picked at the stitching of her bodice. According to Arydath, she was not quite at two months; funny how she was starting to feel fat already. Maybe she was just inadequate in general today. Viridis seemed to be proving her so. "The poor boy is so in love with the idea of love that he might end up as someone's emotional punching bag if he's not careful. Your father has to be picky--and even if that wasn't the case, why wouldn't your father want the best for all of you?"

"I don't know." Viridis pursed her lips, blowing a stray curl of blond hair forward and wincing as it fell back into her face. "What if what's best for one of us isn't what's best for another? He's missing my birthday to find that perfect wife for Searle, isn't he?"

There was a bitterness in her voice that Nora hadn't heard before. Viridis was not a bitter girl. Perhaps she was cranky from her illness? "Look, Viridis..."

"Yes, yes, I know--it's Searle's whole life, but it's just one day for me." She placed her hands on her hips and straightened her posture. Nora's husband was a tall man, and his first wife had been downright towering for a woman. Their children would all be tall as well. Viridis would probably be the shortest of the lot, but she would still be taller than Nora--hell, she was almost as tall now. "It still hurts, though." She turned around and reached for the doorhandle, tails of blond hair bouncing behind her. "I think I'll go lie down."

"Are you feeling all right?" Nora's eyebrows collided as she watched Viridis shuffle out of the study, each step labored and slow. "Viridis?"

Her stepdaughter didn't even bother with a backward glance, whether out of annoyance or sheer lack of energy. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Are you sure about--?"

Thud!

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