December 14, 1178
Raia had told Falidor that she'd be upstairs in ten minutes, but that was twenty minutes ago now.She wasn't sure what was taking so long. It had been her routine for years now--put the kids to bed, then take a couple herbs from the jar on the highest kitchen shelf and brew herself a weak tea before turning in herself--but tonight, something was off. She'd never had any trouble drinking the tea before, but every time she thought to reach for the mixture, her hand resisted. She wasn't quite sure why.
She had been thinking about it--it was a bit difficult not to, given all the nieces and nephews that practically rained from the sky--but she was no closer to concluding the matter than she'd been when Leara had first posed it. She did want a third child, she had decided... but she wasn't sure if she wanted one now. She had a wild daughter and a finicky son and now she had the business too. She was still young; it wasn't as if she couldn't conceive a couple years from now if she wished.But Alina and Sev were getting older. They were out of the house as often as they were in it, off running about with their friends, wreaking plenty of havoc but not that baby havoc that required immediate containment. And it wasn't as if a fat stomach would prevent her from whittling. In fact, wouldn't it give her an excuse to do practically nothing else?
Of course, once the baby actually arrived...She wanted more time to think about it, even if she did have all the time in the world. She knew that Falidor didn't mean to pressure her when he got that twinkle in his eye, but he did--just as Leara did when she came over with her bulging belly on display, just as Raia's father did when he sighed over the antics of the most recent additions, unwitting and unselfish but vexing nonetheless.
Raia shivered. She'd have to get to bed soon, if only to snuggle up next to Falidor beneath the cover of a warm blanket. But if she was going to Falidor, then she would need to drink the tea. Or maybe she wouldn't. Then again, maybe she would.Maybe. What did that say about all of this if that was the most concrete answer she could find?
NEXT CHAPTER:
