The Devastation (Unexpected Circumstances #7)(26)

I was actually beginning to get a little jealous of the amount of contact between the lad and my wife’s full breasts, especially since Sunniva informed me I was not to touch Alexandra or attempt to lie with her again for many weeks.

Weeks!

I felt as though I had been sent to the stocks. Actually, that option might have been more comfortable. If I had not been so bone-weary from having the child wake us both in the middle of every night, I would have been more distressed over it. As it was, Alexandra and I were both equally exhausted after caring for our little one throughout the nights, not that either of us would have had it any other way. We insisted on keeping him with us each night though Sunniva often suggested letting another care for him so we could sleep. I would not have it. Dealing with the interruptions was a small price to pay to keep him close and safe.

Besides, I still slept better than I ever had in my entire adult life.

Alexandra was near me, warm and invitingly close to me, even if we were mandated to nothing more than holding each other and sleeping. My son was in the room with us; my people were increasingly content, and their security was established. My most trusted soldiers made sure of it.

A handful of guards, organized by Dunstan, began to make regular patrols between Silverhelm, Sterling, and the lands formerly known as Hadebrand, which the people now simply referred to as South Silverhelm. Very few skirmishes occurred after the fall of Edgar and his family, but there were still a few supporters who attempted to hide out in the forests and ambush my guards as they traveled. I wanted to be sure the new citizens of Silverhelm felt safe to travels the roads.

And travel they did.

Every day, dozens of serfs showed up at the castle gates to pay tribute either to their new king or to the infant prince. The child seemed to have collected enough clothing by the second week of life to allow him to never wear the same thing twice as long as he did not outgrow it first.

Alexandra’s fame also grew, and she dutifully received the praises from her people and was recognized for the part she played during the war. It weighed heavily on her when she discovered the number of serfs who had died fighting for her. She made it her personal mission to make sure every family was compensated for their losses and even organized a team of widows to distribute winter supplies to those families whose fathers and sons had perished defeating Hadebrand. She also helped those who had been ruled by Hadebrand and were now within our borders. So many of them had been abused by Edgar’s reign, and Alexandra seemed to think it her duty to restore their faith in royalty.

She succeeded.

“I do not understand,” Alexandra said as she shifted in the throne she now occupied. She turned to face me better as another of our subjects left their tribute and returned to their own lands. “Edgar took more from them than was necessary, and when we try to lower their tribute, they still bring more than they must.”

I smiled, knowing that she already had the answer in her head; she just could not bring herself to accept it as truth.

“You are worth it,” I told her. “They know that. They also hope you will remember them if they fall into need.”

“How can I remember so many?”

“You remember more than I.”

Alexandra met my gaze and pursed her lips.

“You are lucky to remember your son’s name at times!”

I laughed, knowing she referred to the previous day when I had called for one of the hunting dogs, and when he had returned to my heel, I had patted his head and accidently called him Branny. Alexandra had been horrified, sure I would refer to our son by a dog’s name next.

“I should go check on Amarra’s pups.” I stood and reached for my cloak, for the air had turned wintery cold again.

“I will check on Branny,” my wife said as she wrapped her hand around my arm.

I rolled my eyes at the nickname.

“That is not a fitting name for a prince,” I said—again. It was contagious, however, and I found myself using the name more often than not.

“It suits him,” Alexandra said with a shrug. She kissed my cheek and made her way up the back stairs to tend to our son.

I smiled to myself as I thought of them both and realized he was now a month old. I tried to count back the days since his birth in the now-sealed dungeons of Sterling Castle. After the third time Alexandra woke up in the dark from nightmares about the place, it was the only thing I could think to do that made any difference. If nothing else, she slept better afterwards, and it had been more than a week since she woke up crying.

A full thirty-four days since my heir was born. I selfishly wondered if Alexandra was still recovering from giving birth or if I might try to pursue her more physical affections once again. Sunniva had warned me to leave her be until Alexandra approached me, but knowing my wife, I could wait for years before such a thing occurred. Throughout our marriage, she had summoned up the courage to initiate physical love between us exactly three times.

And she blushed every time she did so.

Beautifully, demurely seductive was my wife.

She was glorious.

I walked outside, through the marketplace, and toward the stables and dog run. Before I managed to reach any of the structures, I was hailed by Dunstan. I turned to walk to him where he stood on the road with a handful of other men.

“Look what I found,” Dunstan said as he hauled Sir Leland out from behind the other guards. “He was creeping up behind Sterling Castle just as I was leaving.”