Britamund and Eadgith have a talk

Eadgith let out a great sigh of contentment before the fire. “How good it feels to get out for a nice, long ride after breakfast and then come in to a warm fire.”

Britamund sat on the couch and looked up at her back. Eadgith seemed to be in a much brighter mood this morning. All the time that her Papa had been here, she had seemed a little nervous and shy. Britamund wished she could make Eadgith understand that her Papa was a nice man, even though he was a king, but she had already observed that some people never could seem to feel comfortable around a king.

But her Papa had only stayed one night, and he had gone home after dinner the day before, and now Eadgith seemed her old self again. Perhaps better. Perhaps this was the moment to have the talk that Britamund had been planning.

“Eadgith?” she said.

“Yes, dear?” Eadgith said breezily and came to sit on the couch next to her.

“I want to ask you, when will you come home?”

“Do you mean to my brother’s house?”

“Yes. Because I miss you.”

“Well, you’re with me now, aren’t you, silly?”

“I know. But I can’t stay here very long. And anyway, I shall miss my Papa and my brothers and sister and my nurse. And if I go home, then I shall miss you. But if you come home, too, then I shan’t miss anyone, and we shall all be happy.” There! That was a neat solution.

“I don’t know,” Eadgith said awkwardly. “This is my home, too. I have two homes: one with my father, and one with my brother and mother.”

“But you’re always here.”

“Well… I suppose I like to be here at the moment because it is quiet. And because of the new baby.”

“Emmie is almost like a baby.”

“She’s almost two!” Eadgith laughed.

“But she still wears diapers.”

“That’s not my favorite part of babies, you know,” she giggled.

Britamund would have to think of something else. “Is it because you don’t like your sister that you don’t come home?”

“Now… who told you that?”

“I don’t know. Malcolm.”

“Malcolm?”

“He doesn’t like Lady Hilda at all, because she is mean to him. But I think she is mean to you, too, isn’t she? My Papa said.”

“He did?”

“I think so. So, is that why?”

“I don’t know…”

“Because, you know why? Because, if you don’t like to live with Lady Hilda, then you can come and live with us at the castle, like before.”

“Oh, I can’t do that, Brit.”

“Why not?”

“Well… because I’m still a young girl, and I must live with my Mama or my Papa.”

“That’s not what my Papa said!”

“What did he say?”

“He said the opposite thing. He said it was because you are a big woman, and he is a man, and so you can’t live in the same castle because you aren’t married. Unless Father Brandt comes.”

“Oh… well, that’s true, too, I suppose. But why did you ask me if your Papa already told you I couldn’t, you naughty girl?”

“Because… if you said you could then I would tell Papa you could. And perhaps he would change his mind.”

“I don’t believe he would have.”

“But I miss you though.”

“I miss you too. No matter where I am, I am always missing somebody,” she sighed.

“I miss my Mama all the time, because she isn’t anywhere.”

“I know, Brit,” Eadgith said, and she gave her a squeeze. “I’m sorry.”

“But I miss her less here, because you are here.”

“That’s sweet of you.”

“But I miss her more at home, because you aren’t there either, and I feel lonely.”

“But your Papa is there.”

“I know. But he drinks lots of wine and then he is not so nice.”

“Oh, dear.”

“But I think you should come home, because then perhaps he would not.”

“I don’t know…”

“Because he does not like to drink before ladies, except Matilda because she drinks more than a man. And because he misses you too. And perhaps if he didn’t miss Mama and you, then he would not be so sad.”

“Oh, dear.”

This wouldn’t do. Eadgith appeared to be getting nervous again. “Don’t worry – he isn’t mean like your Papa when he drinks too much wine. He wouldn’t yell at you, even if he drank too much wine.”

“Well, that’s…”

“So will you come home with me when my Papa comes to get me?”

“I… don’t… know…”

“You must stay with your Mama at Sir Sigefrith’s house, but you can come to the castle and play with me all day. Then you won’t need to see Lady Hilda much. So will you?”

“Well… we shall see.”

Britamund looked down into the fire, well satisfied. She knew that with a bit of pestering, a “we shall see” from Eadgith was as good as a “yes.”