Leofric came up the stairs and stepped through the open door into the King’s study. “Evening, runt. Oh! my lord Baron.” He shook Theobald’s hand and then went to pour himself a cup of wine.
“Let’s go easy on that this evening,” Sigefrith suggested.
“You invited me here to not drink? What kind of friend are you?”
“I had other reasons for inviting you tonight. Theobald, would you be so kind as to send Lady Eadgith up to us?”
“Eadgith?” Leofric asked, pausing with his cup halfway to his mouth. “What now?”
“Theobald has brought a letter from Sigefrith.”
“Sigefrith! What does he say?”
“You will hear about it along with Eadgith.”
“Why? You couldn’t tell us separately? I’m in no mood to see her crabby face tonight.”
“I don’t doubt she feels the same about yours. But I expect you two will want to fight over this, and I want to be here to mediate.”
“Then you’re the one who should be drinking, runt.”
“I would rather keep my head clear and my reflexes quick.”
“Speaking of, how’s Maud?”
Sigefrith sighed.
“How’s little Cubby, then?”
“Oh, he’s much better. I even took him out to see the horsies today, as a treat.”
“I suppose Leila and I shall be heading home in a few days, if the road dries up a bit. The babies are well enough, and I’ve had enough of Alred and Matilda’s hospitality.”
“What’s the problem with Alred and Matilda’s hospitality? If anything, he’s more generous with the wine than I am.”
“Matilda’s being a bitch with me at the moment.”
“What did you do to her?”
“Oh, fine! Very fine! What makes you think she didn’t do anything to me?”
“That wouldn’t cause her to be a bitch with you.”
“If I have done anything to her, her bitchiness is not the result, but the cause.”
“So what did you do to each other?”
“Oh, nothing,” he muttered. “We just had a little too much to drink and exchanged words.”
“Why do all of your misadventures begin with ‘I had a little too much to drink’?”
“All of my adventures, mis– or otherwise, begin that way,” Leofric laughed.
Eadgith appeared in the doorway then, and for a moment her face was as radiant as a moon. But the instant she saw Leofric, it puckered as if she had bit into something sour.
Leofric smirked into his cup. She had been expecting a little tête-à-tête with her beloved cousin, and not a meeting with her detested husband. She was as transparent as a sheet of ice. It was a wonder Sigefrith didn’t notice.
“Eadgith, come in, come in,” Sigefrith coaxed gently. “Sit down. We’ve had word from your son.”
“My son!” Her face lit up again, and she hurried past Leofric to sit in the chair Sigefrith had offered her. “What does he say?”
“He’s coming home, dear.”
“Here?” She clapped her hands together in joy. “With the baby?”
“Naturally, with the baby. They won’t leave until the spring, of course, but you shall see your grandchild before he’s quite grown up.”
Leofric took a swallow of wine and then nodded sagely. “I knew he would come back.”
Eadgith looked up at him, her eyebrows slanted in annoyance. She seemed to expect a tête-à-tête despite his presence, and did not appreciate that he disturb it.
“I can’t believe he even spoke to you,” she snapped.
“We got along fine after we had our words out, woman. Men don’t hold grudges for eight years.”
“You shall have more words when he learns what you did to me before you left.”
“I can’t believe you haven’t told him worse lies about me already.”
“I should not have needed to lie about you to make him hate you. But I did not tell him about you, because one does not speak ill of the dead. However, now that you are alive, I shall not deny myself the pleasure.”
“Children, children,” Sigefrith soothed.
“Do you see what I mean about her?” Leofric asked. “Some women simply beg to be slapped.”
“Enough!” Sigefrith barked, leaping to his feet. “I told you I was here to mediate, but I had hoped it was a joke. I can’t believe you two don’t have enough natural pride—or shame—to want to avoid snarling at one other before your cousin and your lord. Please, at least until we have decided what we are to do about your son, pretend to get along. I already have four and a half children of my own, I do not need you two babies. And don’t think you’re too old for me to spank you!”
Eadgith tittered. Leofric scowled at her. There was no doubt she would enjoy being spanked by her cousin.
“Now, the boy will be home in the spring, and we need to decide where we mean to put him.”
“I thought you had offered him land behind the church?” Eadgith asked.
“Just a moment—” Leofric protested, but Sigefrith interrupted him.
“I did, but there isn’t a house there yet. I am certain Sigefrith is happy enough sleeping under the stars, but I would hope he wouldn’t ask his wife or baby to join him.”
“Why must he go there?” Leofric asked. “Why can’t he come to me? I can spare a few hides.”
“Because he’s my knight, not yours.”
“Can’t I knight him?”
“I can’t stop you, but given—”
“Oh, no!” Eadgith cried. “You shall not steal him away from me, too! You already have turned my daughter against me!”
“Nor have I!” Leofric protested. “You simply think that her loving her father is a direct insult to you!”
“Enough!” Sigefrith cried.
“It is!” Eadgith persisted. “After what you have done to me, it is!”
“What happens between you and me has nothing to do with her!” Leofric barked.
“Enough! Enough! Enough!” Sigefrith shouted. “Damn the both of you! The boy is mine now. I shall be his lord and you two can simply line up behind me.”
“But I shall live with him, shan’t I, Sigefrith?” Eadgith pleaded.
“Don’t you want to stay here with your cousin?” Leofric sneered.
“I certainly hope you will live with him,” Sigefrith said. “I don’t like the idea of leaving a sixteen-year-old and his fifteen-year-old bride in charge of a household.”
“The baby’s clever enough to manage it for them,” Leofric said.
Eadgith sent him a vicious look, and Leofric snickered. She was jealous that he had already seen the baby.
“Don’t be offended if I don’t take a doting grandfather’s word for it,” Sigefrith said. “As I said, I hope you will live with him, Eadgith. But I would—”
“Then my daughter can live with me,” Leofric said.
“Never!” Eadgith hissed.
“You think you will have both our children living with you, do you?”
“Aren’t your two little black babies enough?”
“Eadgith!” Sigefrith scolded.
“You leave them out of this!” Leofric growled, and he realized he must have lunged forward, for he felt Sigefrith’s hand come to rest a moment on his shoulder. The little runt was strong.
“Leofric,” Sigefrith said, “I would imagine that young Eadgith would like to stay with her mother, as she always has. She will have a young woman her age with her if she lives with Sigefrith and his wife.”
“I’m not certain Hilda would serve as an ideal example for her.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Eadgith asked, as if personally offended.
“She can’t keep her two feet on the floor, that’s what!”
“Leofric!” Eadgith cried, aghast.
“Come, Eadgith! I don’t blame Sigefrith at all. I would have tried the same thing. Heaven knows, I did try the same thing! But a noble girl isn’t a kitchen slut to spread her legs for the first pretty boy to come along. At least, I hope he was the first!”
Eadgith only moaned into her hands, but Leofric thought he saw a twinkle in Sigefrith’s eye, though he tried to look grave.
“Enough, you two. I’m certain she’s grown into a wise old housewife by now, and anyway, Eadgith, you yourself will be there to protect the virtue of all and sundry.”
“Better leave Sigefrith and Hilda out of it, Eadgith,” Leofric warned. “You don’t seem to realize it, but a man is permitted to bed his wife.”
“That does it!” Sigefrith said. “I see I have erred in inviting the two of you here tonight. God help me, I thought I was making things easier for myself by avoiding running between the two of you as you fought it out through my proxy, but I see I would otherwise have saved myself a large amount of grief, even if I lost a large amount of time. Leofric, get yourself back to Alred, and don’t show your face here until I send for you. And Eadgith, you likewise. Get to bed and leave me in peace.”
“But Sigefrith—” she protested.
“Enough! You go first, Eadgith, and I shall send Leofric out shortly. And if you aren’t clever enough to hide yourself someplace where he won’t meet you on the way out, don’t come crying to me!”
“I never did anything!” she wailed into her hands as she ran outside.
“Son of a serpent!” Leofric said, half-admiringly.
“Son of a slew-footed sow! Hold your forked tongue, you!”
“Damn. Have a drink.”
“I believe I shall,” Sigefrith grumbled as he went for the wine.
Leofric only chuckled and drained his cup of wine to make room for more.
You will love him someday, I can almost promise. Grudgingly, but you will. 
Chapters
Oh my, they are cats and dogs, arent't they! But then again, the closest thing to love is hate, both are passionate enough