In Which Nanalie Gives an Exit

October 12, 1177

"Everyone's fine!"

Pandora's enthusiasm was enough to make Nanalie cringe. It had felt right to let the baroness's eldest be the one to tell the rest of the family, but maybe she ought to have walked the girl through it first. Yes, the baroness was doing well--and yes, so was the baby. But the birth was barely over. There was still time for some problem to arise.

Two younger boys dropped their pretend swords and Thallie looked up from the toddler she'd been entertaining, wide grins on all three young faces, but the baron and his eldest seemed to sense that they weren't out of the clear just yet. Sparron bit his lip and stared at the opposing wall in some silent, open-eyed prayer. The baron took a second to collect himself before looking up at Pandora. "Your mother?"

"Smiling and laughing with Arydath and Camaline."

"And the baby?"

"Fat!" She practically giggled the word, as younger onlookers tended to do. Nanalie had attended enough births by now to realize that the concept of 'fat' as a positive was lost on young maidens. "The good kind of fat, though. Healthy fat."

"Boy or girl?" piped up one of Pandora's little brothers from behind Nanalie, prompting an eye-roll from their sister Thallie.

"Boy."

Nythran and Farilon raised their hands and leaned in to clap them together. The girls shared a glance and snickered--like they wouldn't have done the same thing if they'd been that age and had a new sister. "Does he have a name? Can we name him?"

"Mother wants to name him for Uncle Oswald." Pandora shot her little brothers a warning glare, then turned back to her father. "What do you think, Father?"

The baron stood, his heir following suit. "I think your mother can name him what she likes. Mistress Indruion? Is it all right if I bring the children in to meet their brother?"

"I don't see why not, although Mistress Indruion was my mother."

"Very well." He glanced toward his younger children and nodded toward the door. Thallie abandoned the small boy on the floor and took her sister by the hand, practically dragging her back into the room. Nythran and Farilon followed, a little less enthusiastic but grinning nonetheless. "Thank you for your assistance, Mist--Nanalie."

"My pleasure, my lord."

He shook her hand, then proceeded to the room, Sparron at his heels. That left Nanalie with the toddler.

Odd. She could have sworn that until today, seven-year-old Farilon had been the baron's youngest. This boy was barely more than a baby, not even old enough to get excited about the new family member. Still, she wondered why he'd just been left here. Surely someone would have thought to pick him up...

"Oh, that one's mine."

Startled, Nanalie wheeled about to find a young man sitting on the couch, an amused grin the smooth oasis between the angular nose and the rock-crushing jaw. Thick brown brows peaked to let the twinkling eyes beneath shine unobscured--hazel eyes like the baron's and the new baby's. "Just wait until he turns his head; poor boy could have taken that castle with his chin if he hadn't been taking things easy on Cousin Thallie. Isn't that right, son?" The boy edged to the side, prompting a chuckle from his father. "Don't mind him. He's a little shy around pretty ladies, but you can probably tell he didn't get it from me."

His laughed with a rich baritone that put the songs of bards to shame. Nanalie squinted. He was broad-shouldered, certainly not lacking in distinctive facial features... how on earth had she missed him? "Have you, uh... been here this whole time?"

The man stood, nodding--though that smile never left his face. "Don't worry about it. I'm pretty enough to be mistaken for a timeless statue, after all."

Nanalie sniffed. "You do realize that most timeless statues have rather small--" Wait... what was she thinking? She couldn't say that to a stranger! "...noses."

He laughed again, even more heartily than before. She had to cover her mouth; she suspected it contagious. "Only if the sculptor is stingy with the marble. Anyway, I'm Garrett. The baron is my uncle; I used to be a squire here."

"Nanalie." She held out her hand, expecting him to shake it like the baron had--but instead, he kissed it. For a man with such a craggy nose his lips were surprisingly smooth. "If you used to be a squire, wouldn't that be Sir Garrett now?"

"Technically--but for you, I'll make an exception." He let go of her hand and winked at her. Nanalie frowned. Was that appropriate behavior for a man with a son? Wary, she glanced down at his finger; sure enough, he wore a wedding band. "I don't think I've seen you around these parts before. Are you new to the area?"

That seemed innocent enough. She supposed she'd give him the benefit of the doubt for now. "I was born in Naroni, if that's what you mean. But I live in Veldorashire and I didn't get out much before I started working with Lady Arydath."

Garrett's brows arched, the line of his mouth still curved, but a little more muted, a little more thoughtful. Nanalie almost found she preferred it. "You know, I have a sister in Veldorashire. Perhaps I'll stay a little longer next I visit her?"

Hmm. That not so much, maybe. "Perhaps you and your wife ought to make a day of it."

"Perhaps we would, if she were still alive."

Well. That penis joke was looking to be good form now. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's all right. It's been over a year now." Regardless, he sighed. "It was an arranged marriage. We weren't quite in love, but if we'd had a while longer I think we might have gotten there."

What was she supposed to say to that? Her littlest sisters would have known. A grown woman, standing here in need of a child's help to say something about love. She swore never to let her father learn of this. "Again, I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have--"

"It's all right. You couldn't have known." That was true, she supposed. It did little for the guilt, but it was true. "Besides, I have my son, and my sister and her family, and our family here. And--" he hesitated, untying the knotted word with his tongue "--my mother-in-law."

There was more than a hint of distaste mingled in the phrase. "You don't say."

"You might have met her, actually." He sniffed. Somehow it was not the ground-shattering noise she had expected from such a nose. "She had a baby last month. Charming woman--so our king seems to think, anyway."

Oh. Charming indeed. "Well, now I'm really sorry."

A snicker escaped him. It was oddly good to hear him laughing again, even if she'd never heard it before today. "Likewise; given how she is when she isn't shoving an infant out from between her legs, I'd hate to see her while in the process of doing so."

"To be fair, you're a man; you probably couldn't handle the sight of anyone in the process of doing so."

Garrett smirked. "True enough."

Nanalie's mouth twitched in response. What was she doing here, though? The poor man was here to meet his new cousin, after all; he shouldn't have been out here talking to her. It was rude of her to be keeping him like this. She had to give him an exit. "Well, I hate to just rush out on you, but if I don't get home soon, my family will be at the mercy of my stepmother's cooking--and believe me, they won't forgive me for that."

"Likewise, I won't forgive you if you don't invite me some time."

That hadn't been expected. Nevertheless, she nodded. "I'll get back to you on that. Anyway, it was nice meeting you."

"You as well--and I shan't forget about that invitation."

He took her hand and kissed it once again. Why he was willing to do that after she'd just helped deliver a baby, she couldn't quite guess.

NEXT CHAPTER: