The Blacksmith’s Son

Chapter 18

I was sitting up reading when Penny returned, and I was welcome for the distraction. As interesting as it was, A Grammar of Lycian was not the sort of book to keep you awake for long. I had been searching it and experimenting with some of the words I found there, trying to speed up my recovery. Inner exploration had shown me that while my lungs were both functioning now there was a lot of blood around one of them. I had spent considerable time trying to get the blood broken up so that my body could remove it more easily.

That turned out to be quite difficult, and I wasn’t sure what effect my efforts had produced, so I also worked on making improvements to my ribs and the muscles supporting them. I really wasn’t sure but I thought that I had them in good shape. They seemed to be aligned properly now and I had them fused better. I also experimented with some of the words I found in the book and they might in fact be stronger than normal ribs should be, but there was no good way to test the theory.

I resisted the urge to try anything with my brain. That way lay madness. I could tell however that the swelling was gone, and I did fix a small crack in one of the bones of my skull. Surely that couldn’t cause any unforeseen problems.

“You’re home early,” I said, trying to sound domestic. I’m also quite funny in addition to being brilliant. Honestly I am, I tell myself so all the time.

“Did you take that bath?” she asked. Penny seemed to have a one track mind sometimes.

“Have I mentioned how lovely you look?” My skills in the subtle art of noble discourse had been improving lately so I thought I might try a distraction. If only Penny would cooperate with my cleverness.

She leaned in, sniffing, and wrinkled her nose, “You stink.” The conversation went downhill from there and before long she had servants bringing in a large copper tub and buckets of hot water. Knowing all the staff made it terribly easy for her to find the people she wanted quickly. I would have been impressed with her efficiency if it hadn’t been directed at me.

Once everyone had gone (you would be amazed at how many people it takes to draw a proper bath), she gave me a hard look. “Strip,” she said. Somehow the way she said it managed to take all the sexy out of the word.

“Yes ma’am,” I replied, waggling my eyebrows at her. I’ll be damned it I let her take the fun out of the conversation. I was feeling quite a bit better at the moment, so I got my clothes off unaided and eased myself into the tub. The water was very warm, almost steaming.

I have to admit, it was the best bath I’d ever had up to that point in my life, especially considering I had a lovely woman to scrub my back. She even washed my hair; something I had never known could be so pleasurable. I closed my eyes and relaxed, I was in heaven. A splash caught my attention and I opened one eye, apparently one of the angels had come down to join me in the bath. Things got rather more interesting from there.

A while later we lay between cool linen sheets, recuperating. I couldn’t believe the good fortune lady luck had handed me. At that point I was too happy and contented to remember that lady luck is also a brazen bitch. I would regret that later.

Despite the covers, the bed seemed cold. I pulled the blankets up further. Penny snuggled beside me. “Mort, you seem awfully hot,” she said.

“That would be entirely your fault my little minx,” I pulled her in for another kiss and the room spun a little. “I do feel a little woozy though,” I added.

I had a fever. Not to point any fingers, but looking back I suspect it might have had something to do with my efforts to help my body reabsorb the excess blood in my chest. Messing with mother nature can be a mistake sometimes, she and lady luck are probably good friends. Penny was the very picture of concern and empathy. She pulled the sheets back, exposing me to the cold air. She must have been taking notes from mother nature and lady luck. They’re all in on it together I tell you, one big female conspiracy.

“What? No, no, it's cold! Gimme those back!” I’m a skilled debater when I put my mind to it.

“You have a fever and you need to cool off.” She refused to let me get the sheets past my waist. Without a doubt it’s because she wanted to gaze upon my chiseled muscles.

“I bet you tell all your fiancees that.” It made sense to me, but obviously I wasn’t quite as clear headed as I thought. Penny draped a wet cloth across my forehead. She didn’t seem too impressed with my attempts at humor.

After Penny had satisfied herself that I wasn’t in imminent danger of an early demise we lay uncovered on the bed. She still wouldn’t let me have the covers, but she did permit me to borrow some of her warmth. I rather liked her warmth. “Mort,” she asked, “I have a question.”

Even in my fevered state that set off my warning sensors. “What sort of question,” I replied guardedly.

“If I ever did something bad, something really bad, that made everyone else hate me. Would you still love me?”

What the hell kind of question is that? I thought, but I was wise enough to frame a better reply. “I would still love you. I know you well enough to know that you would have your reasons, even if they didn’t make sense to everyone else at the time. Why?”

“I just wondered, the past few days have changed so much in my life that I guess I need a little reassurance,” she said.

“A few days ago I didn’t even realize I loved you, so it’s a little early trying to figure out ways to get rid of me,” I smiled at her. Stupid never dies, looking back I can hardly believe I was so naive. I went to sleep dreaming of open skies, chasing a crazy tomboy of a girl through verdant fields. That has always been my best memory of Penelope Cooper. Even now as I look back I realize that was when I first fell in love with her. Somewhere in my heart she will always be that silly girl with grass in her hair.

Penelope woke early as was her habit. Mordecai still slept but his temperature had cooled so she drew a thin sheet over him. The ball was today. She looked at the dress hanging in the corner of the room. It was a beautiful combination of blue velvet and lace. She had tried it on with Rose the day before; amazed at how lovely it was when she looked in the mirror. It showed her bosom off to great advantage without being tasteless and the fabric draped gracefully down to accent her figure, exposing just a hint of her ankles. It was ironic that this would be the only day she would ever get to wear such a garment, and that Mordecai wouldn’t be there to enjoy seeing her in it.

I don’t want him there, she thought. That’s not how she wanted him to remember her. Considering that, she decided that perhaps she should write a letter. She couldn’t explain herself, but at least she could make sure he didn’t blame himself. She checked to make sure he was still sleeping soundly before going to the writing table.

Unlike some of the maids at Lancaster Castle Penny was perfectly able to read and write, partly because of Mordecai, but in large part because she had always had a strong curiosity and a desire to learn. Unfortunately her penmanship was not the equal of her wordsmithing, but he would just have to deal with her bad handwriting. She took up pen and carefully wrote out a long letter. Several blots and misspellings forced her to start over a few times, but at last she had a letter she wouldn’t be embarrassed to have him read. Except for the content of course, but there was no helping that. She folded it carefully and put it away, she wouldn’t want him to see it until later.

That accomplished Penny began brushing her hair. ore It wasn’t easy, she had a lot of curls in her long dark hair and they had a tendency to tangle. It took quite a while to get it smoothed out and when she was almost done she felt my eyes on her. I had woken half way through the process and lay quietly watching. It was fascinating to see her working the brush slowly through the long tresses. I could have watched her all day.

She smiled at me in the mirror, “Are you feeling better?”

I was. We ate breakfast and I took up my books, being ill had provided me with more time to read and I decided it would be foolish to waste it. Penny got dressed and went to see Rose again, more preparation for the ball. I really hated that I would miss it, but at least Penny wouldn’t have to suffer through my imitation of dancing. There would be more balls though, and maybe I could get some lessons before I had to expose my limited dancing skills to Penny. Ariadne had offered to teach me in the past so I thought I might take her up on it, but that would be for another time.

The day went smoothly but after lunch my fever came back. Penny returned and made sure I didn’t have too much in the way of covers. She obviously didn’t believe in ‘sweating’ out a fever. At least she didn’t try to bleed me, so I probably shouldn’t complain about feeling a bit cold. A long nap made the afternoon more pleasant.

Around six Penny started getting ready. She was kind enough to let me watch, so I kept my lurid fantasies to myself while she dressed. The dress was stunning when combined with her curves and graceful features. I couldn’t help but wonder how I had lured such an enchanting beauty into my bedroom. My careful gaze caught her strapping something odd to her left arm.

“What’s that?” I asked wide-eyed.

“A dagger sheath,” she answered, as if it were the most common thing in the world. She finished adjusting the straps and slid a deadly looking seven inches of steel into it.

“Are we expecting trouble or should I be concerned for when you return later?” I half-joked.

“Rose has been most helpful educating me on the matter of protecting myself. After this past week I am no longer as trusting as I once was. Plus I have an excellent man to keep myself unspoiled for…” she gave me a charming smile, batting her long lashes at me. That should have warned me, her most frequent use of feminine wiles seemed to be distracting me from important issues.

“I thought I spoiled you quite thoroughly last night,” I leered at her.

“There is always more spoiling to be done,” she answered, then she leaned over and gave me a long kiss. “I have to get going, I’ll need Rose’s help to get my hair done up properly.” She stopped at the door and gave me a long look, “Don’t forget I love you.” Then she was gone, but for a second I could have sworn I saw a tear in her eye.

I convinced myself it was my imagination, but it took me a long while to get back to my reading. Women are never simple. I however, am as simple as they come.

Penny found Rose in her apartments, still getting ready, “Shouldn’t we be hurrying more?” she asked.

“It won’t hurt them to wait a few minutes. Besides, the best arrive last.” Rose laughed. She finished what she was doing and began working on Penny’s hair. With sure hands she worked it into a delicate braided design piled on top of her head, exposing the younger woman’s graceful neck. “You’re going to garner a lot of looks tonight.”

“None that I’m anxious for, but I suppose a little attention will be nice,” Penny answered.

“Enjoy it while it lasts, we won’t be young the rest of our lives,” Rose remarked.

You might not, but I probably will be, Penny thought to herself. The two women rose and headed downstairs. The ball was already beginning.