Page 165 of Bloom
“Do you want to take Hemshire?” asked Lord Wenton. “Your husband is in line to take over for Lord Monet.”
“We’ve already discussed this, and we decided that if he can have Hemshire, we’ll move here.” Aleric rested a hand on his stomach, and Foofy, sitting on his shoulder, made a small noise. “My younger brother Zacharie can have the position in Soleil instead of me.”
The Castle might feel more like home after a while, especially if they had a child. Not that they’d be living there anytime soon. Lord Wenton had to be nearing sixty, and he likely had some good years left, although Jaime didn’t want to ask. It wouldsound like he was hoping for the man to be near retirement or death.
“Very well,” said Lord Wenton. “I can officially put Jaime down as my heir. King Alton can ratify it later when the time comes.”
“Of course.”
The child in Aleric’s stomach might be an adult before they took the position, not that Jaime minded.
“You do look like your Mother,” said Lord Wenton.
“You knew her?”
“No. There are portraits of your family in the attic.”
Jaime’s heart nearly stopped. “There are portraits? I thought those would be gone.”
Lord Wenton shook his head. “Everything had been taken down when I moved in except for others. Nature, one of the city, that sort of thing. A couple of people from Hemshire had been hired to…I don’t want to say erase the evidence of others living here, but that’s basically what they did. They didn’t want to have me move into a home that felt as if the previous residents had only stepped away and might come back soon.”
Especially after the horrible way they’d died.
“They gathered some personal things and the portraits in crates, and they asked me what to do. With no one to give the items to, I still didn’t feel right about having it all thrown out or sold off in bits and pieces. Storing it in the attic was also odd, but…” He spread his hands. “It was better than throwing everything in a midden. For the most part, I’ve forgotten about it all. I went up to look around after I received Lord Monet’s letter and unwrapped a few of the portraits. There are a few singles and family ones.”
“I want to see them.”
“I can have the servants bring them down. I’m sure you want to take those things home with you too.”
“Let me go up,” said Jaime. “I want to check the passage first.”
“Let’s go do that now.”
Jaime gave his hand to his husband to help him up. Aleric said he felt huge at six months, especially with his pecs already swollen to later produce milk. To Jaime, not much had grown on him except for those and his round belly which looked absolutely adorable to him. Pregnancy had made his complexion brighter, and even his hair was brighter and fuller.
Aleric said his distrustful thoughts weren’t entirely gone. After so long, it made sense they wouldn't all vanish in a second, but he did seem easier overall around Jaime. With Gautier gone, it was as if he could finally thrive, like a flower seeking the sun after darkness.
In Jaime’s eyes, Aleric had bloomed.
Foofy was practically obsessed with Aleric to the point that Delphine said he wasn't her pet anymore. He always wanted to be around Aleric to pat his stomach, and they had a feeling their future child might have a friend from birth. Foofy had come along in the carriage too. They’d tried to leave him at the Castle, thinking he wouldn’t like the trip, but they’d barely gone past the gate when they heard a squeal, and Foofy had jumped on the moving carriage to climb in through the open window. Aleric said they couldn’t possibly go away without him if he’d gone through that much trouble.
He must have been waiting for the baby to eventually make its appearance. Fortunately, Lord Monet didn't sneeze when the minky was around or mind their new, unusual pet.
Aleric held his arm as they went to the back passage. It was hard to believe dead bodies had once been strewn about the Castle, including servants. Of course, no one would guess by walking down it. Jaime remembered the spot where Mother had opened the wall, and they all paused by it.
“I didn’t think to look for passages in here,” Lord Wenton said. “I knew about the fireplace one, and that’s it. Can you open it?”
“Yeah.”
Foofy watched with bright eyes as Aleric stepped back. It took some force when Jaime pushed. The section clicked, and he was able to open it. King Alton made a faint noise of surprise.
“I never would have guessed.”
“I doubt the servants did either, and they walk by it daily,” said Lord Wenton.
Jaime didn’t like the dark passage any better as an adult, and he took a crystal lantern from the ceiling. “I’ll be back. Aleric, stay here, all right? It’s dusty, and I don’t want you climbing the ladder.”
“We’ll wait,” said Aleric, and Foofy patted his head.
