June 13, 1178
"So let me get this straight."Searle swallowed. It had taken him the better part of a month to work up the courage to approach Arydath, a month that hadn't been made any easier by Lettie's annoyed looks and Sparron's refusal to grant him even that. But of all the seasoned midwives, Arydath was the one nearest Tetran Keep, the one who would almost surely be called when it when 'Camaline' began to labor; someone had to tell her before Lettie's date drew too near, and since it had been his idea in the first place...
"Your friend's wife can't have children and you wanted to help him out."
He nodded.
"So you pestered him and your wife into sleeping together."
Another nod, even if that part had been largely abridged.
"So Lettie is now carrying Sparron's baby, while Camaline is only carrying a couple of pillows."
Well, it sounded pretty stupid the way she said it. "Yes..."
Arydath shook her head. "You're a fucking idiot. Did you know that?"
Yes--Sparron had made that much clear. Lettie too, even if her methods were a little more subtle. "Do I at least get points for good intentions?""Not where Lettie is concerned, no." She cracked her knuckles and he cringed. She'd probably only done it because everyone knew the sound bothered him. "Seems to me like you care more about your friend than you care about your wife."
To that, the only reasonable response was to press on. "Look, can you work something out? Lettie and I will be staying at Tetran that week; would people believe it if you tended to her and Camaline at once?"
"I doubt it. I would have to let Nanalie in on the secret. She knows enough by now that I don't think anyone would raise an eyebrow if I send her in with Camaline while I deal with the actual birth."Another person. Sparron wouldn't be happy about that. Still, Arydath was the expert here--and after all he'd put Lettie through, he figured he owed it to her to at least ensure a safe, scandal-free delivery. Well... at least, he could try. "Yes, that's fine. So... you'll actually do this, then?"
She sniffed. "What sort of person would I be if I didn't? Doesn't change that fact that you're an idiot, though."
"I know.""And I want twice my usual fee."
"You'll get it."
"And Nanalie's tip should be at least triple."
"Of course."
"And you'd better not ask for any dead babies to fill that fake coffin."
Well, at least he'd been spared the awkwardness of bringing up Camaline's morbid request. "I wouldn't think of it. Anything else?"
"Yes." Her brow twitched, black eyes sharp as a newly-forged dagger and hard as the anvil on which it had been worked. "If your wife ever lets you back into her bed, let me know. I've always wanted to see a herd of flying pigs."NEXT CHAPTER:
7 comments:
My bad knee (which I have probably bitched about before, but I bitch about a lot of things and sometimes it's hard to keep track) has been absolutely ridiculous this week, today in particular. I had to miss my morning class because I didn't think I could walk that far, and I sort of regretted going to my afternoon class too--even though it's much closer. The knee's still throbbing away, even post-liquor (hey, Thursdays are my day off!).
If this keeps up, I may have to waste my free day waiting around the clinic :(
Oh no! :( I'm so sorry to hear about your knee! That really sucks! I hope it'll get better really quick! *hugs* *sends loads of good karma*
I love Arydath! She's just awesome!
Thanks Ann. *hugs* I've got it braced right now--here's hoping that can maybe work its magic while I sleep :S
Arydath is just so deliciously blunt :D
This post made me loooooooool
So things are going to work out - kinda. I wonder how they're going to explain the dead baby then - or more so the lack of one :S
I have a question-- How will Camaline know that Lettie is giving birth? They'll have to send someone from Searle's place, yes? Won't that look at all odd (particularly to Octavius)? The more I think about it, the more this plot only seems to benefit Camaline. For everyone else, it is completely effed. Searle has done less than nothing for Sparron here. I still don't know how Sparron was convinced to go through with it, what with his mental illness fear (which is a pretty enormous deal) and his Lettie hating and his Searle avoidance. Searle can't get him to go fishing but he can convince him to have a foursome? I am glad that someone finally told Searle that he's a fucking idiot though.
EkhoGirl: Heh... I wouldn't count on things working out just yet :S
Pen: Oh! It was sort of alluded to here, but not in detail. Camaline will "invite" Searle and Lettie to stay with them, probably on the grounds of her and Lettie having near-identical due dates and wanting a fellow sufferer around.
Sparron is... kind of unpredictable at this point. The most likely explanation for his compliance is some combination of Searle's puppy dog eyes and Camaline's nagging and any voices saying "You need a son", but there may possibly be more too it. He might have opted in because of Lettie too, since she's a woman he's never had to think about in a sexual context; he might have some deluded hope that he'd be attracted to her (which... if that's the case, it definitely didn't work out).
Yeah, I think Searle needed an outsider's opinion, especially an outsider with a professional understanding of just what he's dragged everybody into.
Oh, he did need to hear that :S
If only he'd bounced this idea off of Arydath in the first place. None of this ever would have happened.
Thanks. The knee is a little better today.
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