Page 80 of Bloom
Jaime sat in the armchair. “If he’d come after you with a sword, what would you do? What would you do if anyone tried to attack you?”
“Fight back if possible. I’d likely kill them.”
“He didn’t try to stab you, but he did attempt to murder you, so if you’re not feeling bad about letting him croak, it’s pretty obvious why. He’s a guilty man. I think you’re kind of in shock. You don’t normally see people die of a heart attack right in front of you, especially the guy who’s supposed to take care of everyone’s health. He knew why you didn’t get anyone. The fact that he immediately thought of Gautier riding to get another physician shows proof they were working together, so we’d best remember that. Why else would he ask? I wonder if he was feeling ill all morning.”
“He might have taken something and told himself it wasn’t a big deal.” A man might not say anything if he’s not feeling well in the hopes that it’ll pass or it’s only a minor issue.
Aleric took the plate that contained sliced cheese, crackers, a pastry, and pickled ginger which was an odd choice for a midmorning snack in his opinion even though he liked it. Ginger was good for the stomach so he started with that first. The little strips were easy to eat and better than breakfast.
“If you want anything else, let me know,” said Jaime. “I picked things you might want to nibble on, and ginger’s easy on the stomach.”
“This is fine. Normally, I wouldn’t feel relief over a man’s death, but that’s one down. A new physician won’t be snagged by Gautier too fast.”
“It was almost too easy.”
“It was shit luck for him. Or the Goddess frowned upon him. It’s about time she did something. You still need to go off alone again at some point to see if Gautier finds you.”
“I know. He’s down an ally now.”
The suspicious part of Aleric’s head said Jaime and Gautier were already plotting against him in secret. The commoner would get a fat reward for helping to kill him. The thought wasunsettling to say the least even though he couldn’t name a single piece of evidence that proved his suspicion.
Jaime rubbed his chin as he stared at the empty fireplace. “Do you know what? I just thought-it might be stupid. What else does your Father own? I forgot the name.
“Narter. It’s much farther west. We haven’t been there in years, and barely a thing happens in that village.”
“Do you have a proper house there?”
“It's a small home. It’s kept up to a point, and we haven’t been around in years, so I’m sure it needs a good cleaning and a few repairs. I didn’t much like it there because the kids didn’t want to play with me and kept calling me city boy. It also smelled like an old fish, and the servants kept serving us fish for every damn meal.”
“What if we could make Gautier and Zacharie go there?”
“I don’t think Zacharie would appreciate that.” Aleric finished the ginger and figured he’d try the crackers. “A smelly fishing village? Why don't we put him in a box by the docks?”
“If it’s made to sound marvelous…it's quite nice to have your own home, and he’d be sort of like a Baron. Lord Monet would likely allow him to make most of the decisions. It’s a fishing village, so I’m sure nothing major happens for the most part. I’m sure Gautier would prefer an Earldom, but if Zacharie goes, it’d be odd if he didn’t. They’re in love, right? Zacharie might like the idea of having his own little place.”
“Hmm. We’ll see. Father probably wouldn’t like sending him away. We also can’t bring that up right now since Olivier just died, all right?”
“I know.”
***
Olivier had a few family members elsewhere, so the body was sent away to be buried. Fortunately, they meant they didn’t haveto attend the funeral. Instead, Father held a dinner in honor of Olivier two days after his death, and he gave a speech. When he said they’d all miss Olivier and how he’d been a good, loyal man who had selflessly devoted his life to helping others, Aleric was tempted to loudly scoff.
That would smear his image beyond belief. He settled for looking appropriately mournful. Zacharie and Lord Gautier had most unfortunately decided to sit at the High Table for that meal, and Zacharie kept fiddling with the edge of the tablecloth while he sat like a stone.
They’d have to find a new physician, and whoever filled that post wouldn’t be someone Gautier could snare within a month or two. Aleric wondered about the wise woman, Delphine. She might be decent enough to say something if Gautier or anyone ever approached her. Fully trusting anyone was foolish, but she was better than a complete stranger.
Father might not be keen on a person who hadn’t received formal schooling. Still…perhaps he and Jaime should take another ride.
***
That night, Aleric woke up with a faint cramp in his midsection. He rolled over and managed to fall asleep again, although not for long. The cramping was worse when he next woke up, and his first horrified thought was that he had heat fever again.
He rubbed his eyes and rolled onto his back. It wasn’t the same or nearly as bad, although the cramping was around where his uterus was. It wasn’t stabbing like when he’d had heat fever, so he wouldn’t be begging Jaime for his ass to be bred.
Dinner had been roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, greens, and bean salad. His appetite hadn’t been very good in the past couple of days although he hadn’t fainted. He’d been forcing himself toeat at meals and figured it was just a minor issue. Last winter, something had gone around for a couple of days and left quite a few feeling poorly in the privy. At first, they’d thought the cook had messed up the food until a servant mentioned that a few people in Côte had it too. They hadn’t been eating at the Castle, so a minor illness was going around. Aleric hadn’t caught it.
Maybe it was similar, and he needed the privy now. It would also explain his lack of appetite.
