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«I fear that it may be, Sire», came the reluctant reply. «We must make him as comfortable as may be, and pray mat God may spare his life».
«But — can nothing be done?»
Richard laid his hand on his brother's sleeve, shaking his head. «Only to entreat heaven for a miracle», he said. «Having kept his leg on this same road, however, I fear he may not merit a second miracle, in this life. I have seen these signs before».
They sent a rider ahead to the abbey at once, Richard taking the returning army on to make the next night's camp in the abbey's vicinity. Donal and Sir Ke
Ahern's condition, meanwhile, had continued to deteriorate, his fever now accompanied by chills. The sister who examined him before they loaded him into the wagon looked no more hopeful than the battle-surgeon had been, and tsked to her companion as the stricken man was lifted up and settled, groaning.
«Such a handsome young man», she murmured regretfully, shaking her head.
«Is there no hope?» the king asked her, suddenly convinced of the seriousness of the situation.
«There is always hope, Sire», the sister replied. «But you must prepare yourself, as must he…»
They reached the Abbey of Saint Bridget's just at dusk, where the sisters ensconced Ahern in their infirmary and did what they could to ease his pain. When the king and his officers had taken a hasty supper for which few had appetite, they conferred outside the stricken man's door.
«I regret to inform you, Sire, that he is not likely to survive», the battle-surgeon told them, after conferring with the abbey's sister-chirurgeon. «He has a sister, I believe? She should be told».
«And brought here to be with him», Sir Ke
«And your daughter had hopes of a future with him as well, did she not?» Donal said quietly, for the word had gotten out, in the course of the campaign, that Ahern was much taken with Sir Ke
For answer, Ke
Go, Ke
Chapter 23
«And he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers».[24]
Two days later, on a su
«Is it ill news from Meara?» the man demanded. «Shall I summon the council?»
«Nay, there's naught amiss with Meara», Sir Ke
On learning that the latter was likely to be in the castle gardens with some of the children, he headed there first, following the page who scampered on ahead of him. Unshaven and stinking from two days in the saddle, he slicked at his hair and tried to make himself more presentable as they passed through a side door of the hall and along a cloistered walkway toward the wider spaces of the parkland beyond. In truth, however, with the news he brought, Ke
Indeed, she did not notice him at all at first, lounging in the shade of a fruited pear tree and deeply absorbed in a book, the Princess Xenia and a large black-and-white cat sprawled with abandon amid Alyce's skirts — a splash of vibrant lavender against the green of the lawn.
Farther beyond, at the edge of the duck pond, a squawking of waterfowl marked the location of two more maids of honor crouched down beside young Prince Nigel, turned two the previous February, pointing out the line of newly hatched cygnets strung behind a pair of swans gliding toward them on the water. Behind the three, various ducks, several aggressive geese, and a pair of peafowl were squabbling for scraps of bread that the boy had cast along the water's edge.
Ke
«Sir Ke
«Alyce, I am so sorry», he said, reeling as she flung herself into his arms, searching his eyes for some sign of hope. «He was uninjured in the campaign, but he's taken ill. «The king bids me bring you to his side. He lies at an abbey near Cùilteine. He bade me bring Zoë as well. Ahern had asked for her hand when the campaign was finished, and I — had given it», he finished, faltering at his own last words.
«He isn't going to die, is he?» Alyce demanded, desperate for details, but not daring to probe for them — not Sir Ke
«Dear child, I don't know», he murmured, embracing her awkwardly, a detached part of him desperately aware of his disheveled state, concerned that she was ruining her lovely gown.
Alyce left Princess Xenia in the care of the two girls with Prince Nigel. On the way to the queen's chambers to find Zoë, Ke
«I have occasionally seen men recover from this, but the outlook is not good. It is an inflammation of the gut, which often ruptures — and then the belly fills with corruption, and the victim dies».
«How long?» she asked breathlessly, as they raced back along a cloister corridor.
«God willing, he will recover. But if not… another week or two, perhaps — no more».
«Sweet Jesu, no…»
They had crossed almost the width of the formal part of the gardens as they spoke, and were approaching a set of double doors opening onto the gardens from the queen's summer apartments. Within, in the su
Jessamy sat attentively beside her, hands busy with a drop spindle as she and the queen chatted. Behind them, in a su
24
II CHRONICLES 35:24