After his bath, Alys was able to get a full bowl of porridge flavored with butter, cream, and honey into him. He managed to keep it down and even asked what was for dinner.
“Would you mind getting me a book from the library?” Jeremy asked. “I’ve a mind to read.”
“Of course,” Alys replied, and promptly realized that she’d spoken too soon. How would she find the book he wanted if she couldn’t read the titles? She was too embarrassed to tell Jeremy she couldn’t read. She only knew how to write her name. Matthew had taught her, and she’d scratched it out in the dirt again and again until she remembered how it must look. She’d ask Master Robson to help her, Alys decided.
“Coriolanus,” Jeremy said.
“What?”
“That’s the name of the play. Shall I write it down for you?”
“No, I’ll remember it. Just say it one more time,” Alys replied.
Jeremy did, and Alys left the bedchamber and headed toward Master Robson’s study, hoping he was there and not somewhere out on the estate. She could ask Lady Marjorie or Mistress Ashcombe, but she’d rather not.
Master Robson looked up and smiled when she knocked and entered the study. It smelled pleasantly of wood polish and old books. The walls were lined with shelves that held ledgers, and there was a map pinned to the wall. She supposed it was of England.
“Is everything all right, Alys?” Master Robson asked.
“Jer—His lordship wants a book. It’s called Corio-lanus,” she said, tripping over the unfamiliar word.
Master Robson nodded. “I know just the book you mean. Wait here, and I’ll get it for you.”
Alys sank into the visitor’s chair and stared out the window. It was a fine autumn day, the sun streaming through the still-green canopy of leaves of the great oak just beyond the window. She loved that tree. It made her think of survival. That oak must have been there for hundreds of years, withstanding storms, fires, and the woodman’s axe. It would still be there long after she was gone. There was something comforting in that.
Alys sighed and turned away from the window. By tomorrow, she’d have to return to her normal duties and leave Jeremy. The thought of not being near him was more painful than she could have imagined. She cared for this man, and the sight of his body had roused something in her. She wanted to touch him, to kiss those full lips and to run her hands over his chest and taut stomach. Even in sickness, he was beautiful, and so kind. She’d never met anyone like him and likely never would again. How could Marjorie Lockwood not see what a good man providence had granted her? Why did she resent him so?
Alys sprang to her feet when Master Robson returned and handed her the folio. He watched as she stared at the title, printed in thick black letters.
“Can you read, Alys?”
Alys shook her head and fled.
“May I leave you for a short time?” Alys asked once she handed Jeremy the book. She was desperate to wash and change her chemise, which smelled of stale sweat and was bloodstained, since she’d got her courses that morning. She’d wash it out, and it’d be dry by dinnertime if the weather held.
“Of course,” Jeremy muttered, his attention already on his reading.
Alys brought up a basin of water to her room. Millie wouldn’t be back for hours, so it was safe to remove her clothes and wash properly. She used a rag and some evil-smelling soap to wash her body, then put on a fresh chemise and used the same water to wash and rinse her hair. It was less than ideal, but at least she felt fresher. Alys put on one of her mother’s gowns, then washed her things, hung them to dry outside, and returned to the sickroom.
“You look beautiful,” Jeremy said, eyeing the damp hair she’d plaited into a thick braid and the clean gown. Alys’s hand flew to her head. She’d forgotten to put on her cap. “I’d like to see you in a fine silk gown with your hair adorned with precious gems.”
“I’m no great lady, my lord,” Alys said, embarrassed.
“You’re more of a lady than most ladies I have met.”
There was a knock on the door, and Marjorie Lockwood entered the room, a tight smile on her face. “I’m told you’re much recovered, my lord.”
“I am better, yes,” Jeremy replied, the warmth seeping out of his voice.
“Leave us,” Marjorie said, glaring at Alys.
Alys curtsied and fled.
Chapter 36
Jeremy
“I’m glad to see you’re on the mend,” Marjorie said, perching on the chair Alys had just vacated.
“So, now you think it’s safe to be near me?” Jeremy asked. He hated that her indifference hurt him, but even a less than loving wife could pretend to care about her husband’s health.
“I was afraid to get ill, my lord,” Marjorie said.
“So I gathered.”
“I believe I’m with child,” Marjorie said, and for the first time, Jeremy saw a genuine smile tug at her lips. “Are you pleased?”
“Of course,” Jeremy said, but the thought of this woman as the mother of his child did little to lift his spirits. “Do you feel well?” he asked, feigning interest.
“I do,” Marjorie said. “I’m very pleased. I pray it will be a boy.”
“As long as we have a healthy child, I will be happy,” Jeremy said. “May it be the first of many.”
“If it’s God’s will,” Marjorie said, her eyes glowing with fervor. Her cheeks pinked as she lowered her eyes. “You need no longer visit my chamber if you don’t wish to.”
“Don’t worry, Marjorie. I won’t be troubling you until after the child is born.”
The look of relief on Marjorie’s face was even more telling than her words. Jeremy hadn’t
