Lady Eadgith justifies herself
“Mother?” the young Queen quavered.
“Where’s that little dragon?” Lady Eadgith asked, though the baby was quite obviously in his mother’s arms.
“Here he is. Mother?”
“Let me see him a moment. Oh, my darling Drageling!” she sighed in ecstasy as her daughter passed him over. “My handsome boy! Don’t you have your darling Papa’s eyes? And who is five weeks old today?”
“Tomorrow, Mother.”
“Almost! Who’s a big boy like his Papa? Won’t he be a fine man?”
“But, Mother, are you ill?” Eadgith gasped when Lady Eadgith paused for breath.
“Ill? Why should I be ill?”
“They told me you slept here last night, and you never told me – and you weren’t at breakfast – ”
“I went home for breakfast, Eadie. When do you mean to start smiling at Grandmother with your little toothless dragon mouth, Drageling? Hmm?”
“But why?”
“Oh, Eadie!” she sighed. “I shall simply tell you. I stayed with your father last night.” She lifted the baby to her face to hide her blush and began to kiss him all over his naked belly.
“You – my – Mother!” Eadgith wailed.
“Well, what, Eadie? He’s my husband, isn’t he? And we would be grateful if you could have Leia’s and your father’s affairs moved into a room with a bigger bed.” She laid Drage across her shoulder and walked to the window so that she need not face her daughter.
“Mother!” Eadgith sobbed. “How could you?”
“How could I do what?” Lady Eadgith could turn back to her now that she had her indignation to give her strength. “And why shouldn’t I? He is my husband. I am the only woman who has any right to be in his bed. I am the only woman whose presence there should not be a shock to you.”
“But – but Leila is here – ”
“And what of it?” she snapped. “You are aware, Eadie, that your father and Leila are living separately now.”
“But she – I don’t know! Oh, Mother!”
“Oh, Eadie! For the love of heaven! You’re too sensitive. You have your own ideas about how things ought to be, and when your ideas don’t fit reality you twist them around to make them, and so – do you see the result? Your father drops his mistress and returns to his wife, and you’re outraged! A fine, honorable daughter I have raised!”
“Mother!” she cried. “But why?”
Drage began to whine.
“Why?” Lady Eadgith gasped. “Because it is right! Eadgith! We belong together! For everything – blood, tradition, honor – by divine law – he is mine and I am his!”
“But he has – Mother! after all he has done to you!”
“Eadie, Eadie,” she sighed. “You’re too young to understand. He’s only a man. He has gone astray, but now he is tired and wants to come home. What kind of love is it that can’t forgive?”
“Give me the baby.” Her eyes were angry and her mouth trembled.
“It’s not because of me that he’s crying!”
“Give him to me, please!”
“Oh!” She stalked back across the room and returned the wailing Prince to his mother.
Now her daughter turned her back to her as she tried to soothe the baby, and Lady Eadgith grew furious at this seeming slight.
“A fine lady you are, to sit in judgement of your mother and your father! For doing what is right!”
“Mother!” Eadgith huffed and turned back to her.
“Oh, you! You and Edris and everyone sighing because your husbands have been away for a few weeks! And I! I have been alone for fourteen years, Eadie! Pensioner to a Norman, and pensioner to Sigefrith, and pensioner to Hilda! And nobody wants me and nobody needs me! It remains only for you all to decide where you will keep me, like your husband deciding where he should stable some old nag of his!”
“Mother!” Eadgith gasped and shrank away from her anger.
“How do you suppose you will feel if your husband doesn’t return to you for fourteen years – God forbid! How do you suppose? I suppose you think you’re the only woman who ever loved her husband! I suppose you think you’re the only woman who ever liked to lie with a man!”
“No! Never!”
“And yet you asked me: ‘Why?’ And yet you asked me: ‘How could I?’”
Her daughter did not have an answer to that. She knew she would not. Lady Eadgith left her with a strident laugh of bitter victory.
She went no farther than the little sitting room down the hall, where she locked the door, leaned against the wall, and sobbed.
