Githa tells the latest news
“There you are, Githa!” Theobald cried as he came into the kitchen in the winter twilight. “I had thought the house was empty. Where are the children?”
“I left them at the castle. It was snowing so hard I didn’t want to take them out into it.”
“Then why did you go out into it?”
“To keep you company. I couldn’t let you come home to an empty house, poor man.”
“I’m surprised you could tear yourself away from them – or them from you.”
“Oh,” she laughed, “As for them, they were too busy with the Prince and Princess’s toys to notice me. Ethelmund makes different animals for every ark so the children seem to think it’s entirely new.”
“As for you?”
“As for me, I would like to know when was the last time you and I had a night alone together.”
“It must have been before Athelis was born,” he said, taking her hand and leading her into the other room.
“The house will seem terribly quiet tonight without them,” he said as they stretched out on the bed.
“Don’t get used to it, because it’s going to get even noisier before long,” she said happily, snuggling into his shoulder.
“Oh, the hungry wails in the dead of night! The echoes had only just stopped ringing in my ears.”
“What are you complaining about? You can simply roll over and fall asleep again.”
“But my heart aches for you, my dear,” he chuckled.
“Oh, Theobald, listen to this,” she said, patting his belly and putting on the voice that meant the day’s news was coming.
“I’m listening,” he smiled.
“Do you want the bad news first or the good?”
“Bad first.”
“Colburga said that Alred is nearly gone. He doesn’t even go out of his room any longer. You don’t mind if I talk about Alred, do you, dear?”
“No, Githa. I’m not sorry I broke his nose, but he doesn’t deserve to die so young.”
“How old is he?”
“I believe he’s thirty.”
“The same as you,” she whispered and stared at him a while, her lips parted but silent, suddenly comprehending the dread uncertainty of living and loving.
“Now the good news,” he prompted gently, hoping to bring back her smile.
“Oh,” she blinked. “Maud told me today that she is going to have another baby, do you know? And so I told her about ours. You don’t mind, do you, dear?”
“Not so long as you tell me first.”
“Oh, Theobald! Don’t be silly. Now listen to this: our babies are going to come at the same time! Won’t that be fun? We can watch them grow up together.”
“My, that will be fun.”
“Oh, Theobald, you’re laughing at me.”
“Not at all,” he said, slipping her down his arm and onto the pillow. “I think it will be quite amusing to see how our baby measures up to a royal baby, don’t you? With a clever mother like you, and a handsome father like me, it will be quite amusing to see how poorly the young prince shows.”
“Are you making a joke?”
“If you can ask me that, it must be because you do not find me handsome, Githa, because I know you find yourself clever.”
“Oh, Theobald!”
“Oh, Githa! Oh, Githa!” he mocked gently, and he kissed her.
