55

THE PERFECT PLAN

Felicitas slowly took a sip of the mild wine and put a purple bunch of grapes in her mouth. She kept her mouth slightly open so that the lips looked inviting enough that the young servant ran behind me towards Henry who was just coming into the hall.

"Forgive me, sir!" His cheeks turned red.

Henry rolled his eyes and kissed my forehead. The love mad idiots around us made him very grumpy. "Meal, madam."

She thrust her breasts out. "I wish you the same, my lord."

Henry scowled at me. "Why do I have to be here?"

"Because you don't want to miss this, believe me." I leaned back in my chair and crossed my legs. "So Felicitas..."

"-For you still Madame, you peasant dirt!"

Henry started to say something, but I put a hand on his forearm. That heckling made my triumph so much sweeter! I smiled amiably. "Excuse me. Madame. How long have you had pubic lice?"

Henry's eyes widened imperceptibly. Felicitas first became stiff, then her nose turned slightly red. "What are you thinking of!?"

"Oh, I have proof!" God, my glee was unmistakable. I called the village midwife. "Christine!"

The young woman came into the room with some young men, all extremely handsome. At least two dozen. Henry smiled freely now and regarded me. The men, on the other hand, were extremely ashamed and angry. "Gentleman" I began. "What's your diagnosis?"

"Crab lice, my lady." Christin trilled and slapped a bear on a man's shoulder. "What, fat? It was worth it!"

Felicitas, a shadow of her dignified self, swallowed. "I... I don't have..."

"Don't deny it, bitch!" A man yelled while unabashedly scratching his sack. "Thank you, I have these creatures!"

I got up and went to the door. "And just so you all know that it really was Madameit who was carrying those little creatures." I pulled Jeremy into the hall. "You were a virgin before her?"

"Yes, my lady." His ears turned red.

"Well, would you let Christin examine you too?"

"Yes maam..."

He followed the midwife. Felicitas jumped up as if bitten, but I pushed her back onto the bench and bent to her ear. "Don't you want to know the end of this investigation?" I slapped her skinny shoulder. "Have another grape!"

Until Christin came back, I basked in her shame. Jeremy hid behind the hulky guy when they came back out of the room. "Youngster has the same diagnosis, my lady."

"Hm..." I put a finger to my chin. "How can that be? What do these men all have in common?" Then I snapped and pointed deliberately indelicately at Felicitas. "You, isn't it, Madame? Shouldn't we examine you too?"

Zack, she stood again. Henry smiled darkly. "Objection? Do you have something to fear?"

Christin was so polite and held the door open for her. "Come, Madame. I promise I'll be careful!"

After her, it was Henry's turn. "What I?"

I nodded, not taking my eyes off my prey. "Of course, love. We don't want to be unfair."

Felicitas sat down silently. Without saying anything, the whole room knew she was infested as well. Henry came back, sat down and leaned back. "My lord is completely lice free. Besides," Christin paused for a moment and eyed him lasciviously. "a great man. My respect!"

Henry's eyes widened in surprise. I grinned, but for a different reason. "Aren't you going to tell us how long you've been pregnant?"

Felicitas fought for her honor. "I'm in my fifth month!"

I cocked my head and took in her slim figure. "Christine?"

"Madame Felicitas is only a few weeks pregnant. Maybe two months."

I nodded and pursed his lips. The affected men didn't understand it, but they noticed that something important was happening right away. "Could Lord Henry be the father?"

"Hardly, my lady. The lady's lice are full grown and fat, she's had them for a while. Lord Henry hasn't got a single louse on her body. On the very considerable body..."

A little suspicious, Henry shifted in his chair. I, on the other hand, got up and acted stupid. Like the peasant dirt that I was. "How contagious are these critters?"

"Highly contagious. Very few people know it, but you can transmit it with the slightest physical contact. Do you use the same washcloth, or..."

"...or have sex with each other?"

"Yes, my lady."

"And Lord Henry doesn't have a louse, does he? How can that be, Madame Felicitas? How could Henry be the father of your child?" I tapped my fingers on my chin. "Bottom line I guess that means it's impossible that Henry was with you and fathered a child and didn't get infected?"

Felicitas was naturally pale, but I had never seen her so pale. Henry rubbed his chin, smiling. "How quickly can you get rid of the little animals, Christin?"

"It takes a long time to kill the animals with herbs and special combs. I have an effective powder and there are also good creams, but the eggs and individual small surviving lice would still be clearly visible in five months."

I widened my eyes and looked down at the French whore. "But that long?"

"Enough!" she suddenly shook.

I leaned across the table towards her. "That's it. Take your bastard and your louse infested ass and get it away from my family. And make sure I never see you again. Because this was just a taste."

Lady Felictas left us on the spot. To our boundless regret, Theo disappeared the next morning. He doesn't have lice, but he wouldn't be associated with this story.

And before he got on and was gone, he threatened Henry that we hadn't seen each other last.

FOUR YEARS LATER

The snow kept falling, it was bitterly cold. The snow was so high that we could hardly leave the castle walls. The fire crackled, the thick skin I was lying under was brand new. My limbs were numb.

Henry looked at me desperately. "I'm fine, Henry." My voice sounded strange. So he looked down at our new bundle.

He carefully stroked the little nose. "He is cold." Without needing instruction, he grabbed a blanket and rolled it up again. The baby grimaced, but didn't cry. Not even complaining.

"A quiet baby." I smiled and forced myself to stay awake. My instinct told me that if I fell asleep I might never wake up... "What shall we call him?"

Henry shook his head. He did not know. Suddenly my world tilted a bit. As if she were crooked. I was getting hot and cold, my vision blurred... When Henry raised his head, he jumped up in panic. Only now did the child bleat... "Elizabeth!"

His voice sounded muffled. "Christine!"

There stood Henry. Outside his bedroom door while the maids and midwife fought for Elizabeth. He looked at the small, silently crying baby. And he felt nothing. Nothing but anger and helplessness. He, a grown man, could do just as much as the infant.

Dazed, he marched into his study. But he didn't sit down in the armchair, but stood at the wall-high window and watched the snow. The night was black.

The child was sobbing, so he looked at it again. "You don't have to complain... it's not my fault that you can't have her." Henry felt a deep dread. "Yes. It was my fault."

He slid to the ground. Elizabeth was so weak that she didn't even hold the child in her arms. only henry She didn't know a name and left it to Henry. It had been he who had chosen Avan's name, it had been Elizabeth ever since.

The boy whimpered bitterly, so Henry gave him his index finger. Immediately he greedily sucked on it. What was Henry supposed to do with Elizabeth gone? He would lose his mind without her...

"You're hungry... Unfortunately I can't help you." Despair rose in Henry. The last birth had been difficult for Elizabeth. But she was always able to hold and breastfeed her children herself. But not this one.

For the first time in years, bitter, desperate tears rolled down Henry's face. He was also shocked that he felt nothing but bitterness and despair. No love, no protective instinct. He thought of Theo and his words when Henry became commander and wanted to distract himself.

"You need a name." He looked up at the black sky. The room was dark except for three candlesticks. The castle was silent, all the children were sleeping. "We are all alone."

He looked at the child and almost flinched. Dead serious, it seemed to him, he returned the look. The round eyes even already open and black. "Wow." Henry raised an eyebrow. "How are you doing? Well, who can blame you for a start like that, huh?"

He went through the names of the others to see what would be appropriate for this guy. But he couldn't think of anything that he liked.

At some point the sun started to rise. The child had first fallen asleep and now woke up bitterly angry and hungry. He seemed too weak to scream. And yet Henry felt not a shred of emotion. Why not?

"I could name you after me. None of my boys have anything to do with my names. But do I really want to do Henry to you?" The birds were chirping softly outside the window when Henry had the idea.

"I actually quite like Arin."

Henry examined the round eyes again. Would Elizabeth make it through this night?

A soft knock pulled him out of his thoughts. Suddenly Avan was standing in front of him. The eleven year old boy, who looked exactly like Elizabeth, crouched down in front of his father and looked into his arm in surprise. "Wow, you're a giant. May I?"

Avan already had him in his arms and smiled happily. "Father, he's looking straight at me! That's unusual, isn't it?"

"Arin."

"I beg your pardon?"

"That's his name."

Avan kissed Arin's forehead. "So small and already traveling? Is mother so exhausted?"

Henry hoped it was just that...

Eric's eyes widened. "Give it to me, Avan!"

"You're freezing from outside! Warm up first." Avan didn't think about passing the hungry Arin on. He was already on his way to the kitchen to ask a cook what he should do.

He also held the one-year-old Taran on his hip. Kora trotted after him. He was like a mother duck. Unfortunately the kitchen was empty so he had to improvise. Michel hopped onto the worktop next to him. "May I hold Arin?"

"You are too small."

"I'm already six!"

Avan wanted to say something when Ben leaned in next to him and peered into the bundle. "He won't pass it on today, forget it Michi."

He didn't have to listen to that. Besides, Arin was hungry. Taran was sometimes given a liquid goo before bed. He only knew that because Eric was often there and Avan reported everything. Luckily. Because Avan had many tasks to take on.

Anyway, he found some of the porridge, let Ben warm it up, and fed Arin. With a few sips, the glass bottle was empty. The four big brothers stared at the bottle in bewilderment.

Eric laughed first and casually smacked Joe on the shoulder. "Wow, what a guy!" He picked up Taran. "Look how cute your little brother is, Taran."

Avan was satisfied and took him back to his parents. He knocked softly on her door, but nothing came back. So he quietly opened it. His mother lay still, his father sat by the window. Well, he crouched.

"Father?" But he didn't even hear Avan. For a moment he considered whether he should still put Arin in the cradle. But take him with you again. His parents needed rest.

He quietly closed the door again and looked at Arin. He seemed to be looking straight back. What was already there in the other two little ones stirred in Avan. But Arin was worse, alone as he seemed.

"Get used to me, Arin. I'll take care of you from today."

THE PROBLEM IN THE BUD

Avan sat by the window and looked at his parents' bed, with the hand-carved canopy frame and the delicate curtains. His mother lay thin and calm under the heavy blankets. Arin lay in his cradle and slept. Avan had kneeled him long enough.

"Avan..." She was awake!

Immediately he took the cup and rushed to her. "Here, water..."

"Where is your father?"

"Pee, he's coming soon." The corners of his mouth turned up. "The baby's name is Arin."

"Give him to me please. Is he still so quiet?"

Avan handed her Arin. She stared at him for a long while, brushed back two small tears and hugged Arin tightly. "Such a tough start, my poor Arin. You must be starving."

"I gave him Taran's porridge, but he ate so quickly. He's definitely not full."

Mother's warm, white hand cupped Avan's cheek and stroked him gently. "You are a very special brother, Avan. I'm relieved they have you."

That sounded ugly to Avan. It conjured up a strange feeling in him. "What do you think?"

"Didn't your father help you?"

"He probably wanted to, but he was so nervous."

His mother brushed back the blond strands and kissed Arin's little black head for a long time. "Leave me alone for a bit, Avan. Thank you for the help."

Avan was grateful. He couldn't be alone with any of his brothers right after he was born. It was exciting and very special. He slipped out the door so as not to frighten them both and marched into the study. He had left a few things that he should look at again.

He didn't decide anything, but his father said that Avan was smart. He wanted to hear his ideas and proposed plans. For small things, he let Avan handle it, with failures and successes. And Avan loved it.

When Henry came back he looked a shadow of his former self. He hadn't shaved yet, his hair was frizzy and he looked like he hadn't slept yet. "Henry, there you are at last!"

He came to me without a word, fell to his knees and clutched my stomach. I was sure he was crying. "I'm fine. I was just tired."

"Stop doing that."

"With what?"

"Pretending it was a normal birth. You know you fought for your life tonight."

She buried my fingers in his thick hair and remained silent. He was right. I was scared of dying without seeing my youngest again. To die and leave Henry and my children. Fear was still choking my throat. "You're right."

"I'll never touch you like that again."

"Oh, Henry, we've had that before. You know we'd both be miserable."

His head jerked up. "Without you I would lose my mind!"

"You're scaring Arin, shut up!"

He looked at the cradle with an impassive look. Then he got up, sat at the end of the bed and leaned against the beam. "What if you get pregnant again? Pregnancy alone could kill you."

"Then we have to be more careful..."

Henry gritted his teeth angrily. "How veil better than that? I'll pull out beforehand and there-" he pointed to the cradle. "Now there is Arin!"

"It's not his fault, right!?" I felt dizzy again.

Henry growled softly. "I never said that either. Just that I'm careful, but it doesn't help. You're very fertile and I always aim right." He growled again. "I can't let you go, but if I don't I'll kill you. But I can't be with you and I can't get you pregnant. We both know it. We have nine sons, dammit!"

I nodded exhausted. This isn't the first time we've talked about it. And we never found a solution. "I don't know what we can do, Henry. But you should still get some sleep and something to eat. You look worse than I feel."

Again he just growled, but trundled onto his bed, wrapped his strong arms around me and fell asleep.

It was a full three weeks before I could get out of bed and out of the room. Eric was here almost every minute, grabbed Arin and cheered me up. Henry's mood was slow to recover. But at least.

He still had that impassive look though. I didn't understand what Arin could have done wrong. Henry wasn't usually a bad person either, but he couldn't manage a warm look for his child.

The brothers loved Arin and were a great help to me. Most of the time I didn't see him again until he was hungry. But my milk was barely enough. So I fed Taran's porridge. Then he became much happier.

I sat at the board working on a new shirt for Avan, it grew as fast as the mushrooms. It was soon noon, time to eat. Nevertheless, Henry came to the table earlier than usual.

"To me?"

"avan."

He nodded and called for wine. "I've been thinking about having a picnic in the spring."

"A picnic?"

"We've had peace from Theo for four years, the war is on but calm and you're half healthy again."

I laughed at that little snappy addition and agreed. "You want me to plan that?"

"Of course. But I want you to leave the billing and orders to Avan. You should choose and decide, he has to implement it."

"So he's supposed to learn to keep a time span?"

"Exactly. There are a few things he has to consider and where he has to compromise. He has to decide for himself where to do it and how to do it."

"Organizing a spring picnic in winter is...a task. Can he do it?"

Henry smiled proudly. "He has to. Otherwise it's his fault."

I didn't get involved. Henry already knew what he was doing. "Have you heard from Raven?"

"He's a proud grandfather. Adam's second daughter."

"When is he coming and showing it to me!?" I was already planning a dress as a gift in my head.

Henry grunted. "Aren't nine children enough for you?"

"More little hurricanes. Lots more!"

Henry kissed me a little hard. "I never want to hear that from you again!"

PICNIC

The preparations for the picnic went more smoothly than expected. Avan acted like he'd never done anything else. He often asked Henry's opinion since he was only eleven, but his calculations and ideas were exceptionally good.

When the time finally came, Avan didn't sleep the night before. So Henry took him on a night ride. In the morning he was very calm.

We went to the meadows between the castle and the grove. There were blankets with baskets filled with goodies. Flowers were blooming everywhere and there was a smell of fresh air and meadows. The guests laughed and enjoyed football and tennis. The ladies sat together and gossiped.

"He did well, didn't he?" Henry put an arm around my waist and watched the picnic progress.

"He did extremely well. You have to think of ways to reward him. He was so disciplined for his age."

"I will." He sighed contentedly. "Do you think we finally have some peace?"

"Hopefully!" I looked at Taran, who kept trying to take Arin's hand. But he wanted to touch the completely new world in the grass. "We're breaking the silence, Henry. We've finally earned it, haven't we?"

"More than deserved."

Henry kissed me again and stood up. "I still have to prepare something for the strategy in Calais. We still hold the castle, but nobody knows when the war will finally end. And that's my top priority."

"But it's Avan's party! Isn't there time?"

"Unfortunately no. I have to think this through before it gets dark and I can no longer decipher the map. See you in a minute."

"Don't miss the party, Henry!"

Raven met Henry as he walked toward his study. He was standing at the top of the stairs with his five-year-old grandchild. He held her in his arms and adored her just as he adored his children. "Well, grandpa? Nostalgic?"

"I just showed Rina the castle where her father was born."

Rina had auburn hair and smiling green eyes. "Hi!"

Henry winked at her and patted Raven on the shoulder. "Will you help me with a strategy?"

"You still want to work now? Henry, there's a party going on outside."

"I know I paid for it."

"Come on, Grandpa! Michel and Joe will be waiting for me!"

Raven laughed heartily. He was always the type of person who couldn't have a child too many. He got that from his mother. Henry was different. Sometimes he felt bad when he was happy when he was quiet in his study. He felt particularly bad when he looked at his last three and hardly felt anything...

Raven walked away, leaving Henry to his work.

Henry looked at his papers. On the map. On the comic circle. But all he kept thinking about were Theo's words from back then. "You are like me!"

He wanted to deny it. But how believable would that be? He looked to where he had been sitting with Arin when he was born. Arin had been lonely and hungry. Henry should have felt the urge to protect him. Avan thought of giving him the porridge, Henry didn't even bother making sure Arin got some himself. That wasn't the case with the first. But since Kora...

"Who's doing their homework there?"

Henry's blood froze. When he looked up, he realized the voice wasn't in his head. Theo really stood in front of him. Old, gray haired and bitter. "What do you want here?"

He heard a sword scraping from its sheath and knew. "You were always a great disappointment. But after your betrayals... that was unforgivable."

Henry got up. "And now, after four years, are you coming to kill me?"

"When could it have been better? Now that you're happy and have a good life, I'll take it from you."

Henry drew his sword from the sheath that had hung over the chair. "You're an old man. I'm not a child anymore. What do you think your chances are?"

"I taught you everything you can."

He thought of the many exercises with Raven. "You're crazy."

Theo raised his sword because of this impertinence. "Today I'm going to teach you respect for the last time."

Eric arrived immediately and took Arin when he saw me standing up. "Where are you going?"

With Taran on my waist, I walked to the castle. "It's chilly. The little ones are brewing a vest."

Avan has been here too. Sometimes the boys were worse hens than me. He took Taran with him. "Leave them with us. We'll take the little ones to football."

I had learned to just accept it. Because I remembered how I treated my little sisters. I also felt responsible for them. That's why I treated my children to the same.

It was surprisingly quiet in the castle. Because the servants were free. Usually they sat at the blackboard and played the dice. But not today... Where was everyone?

Theo staggered back and looked at his bleeding left forearm. Growling, he immediately threw himself back on Henry. Theo had certainly not undeservedly held the position of commander. Henry noted that even though his father was old, he was incredibly good at fighting.

Theo parried, ducked, and punched Henry in the face. Blood ran to his eyes.

The father wanted to use this and execute a fatal blow. But Henry ducked, parried, and dodged. When he found a gap, he stabbed. But Theo also avoided it.

Suddenly Theo tripped him. Henry fell forward, caught himself, and immediately threw himself onto his back. His father was already standing over him, aiming for his throat.