Read Online The Midwife's Tale by Sam Thomas - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sam Thomas
Ads: Link
with pride. With Joseph at war, Edward had begun to give Will some political responsibility. The change pleased Will to no end, but I feared that when Joseph returned to York, Edward would push Will to the side once again.
“Well, that explains the clothes, at least.”
His ears turned red at the compliment. “Are they too much?” he asked, suddenly worried. “I just had them made. They cost me a pretty penny.”
“And it was money well spent,” I assured him. “You cut an authoritative figure. Dare I ask what the mission is?”
“I’m to be one of the city’s representatives at today’s parley with the rebels. A minor role, I’m sure, but I wanted to look the part.” Will seemed to be the only one in the city who believed that the talks were anything more than a delaying tactic by both sides. The King’s men hoped to put off an assault on the city until the King could send assistance, and the rebels, I was quite sure, were using the time to tunnel beneath the city’s walls. But he was so enthusiastic, I held my tongue.
“God be with you,” I said. “As you go,” I continued, “would you mind seeing Martha to the Shambles? Capons are so dear, and I was hoping she could find one at a reasonable price for our supper.” He agreed, and I saw the two of them off.
Within an hour Martha had returned, capon under her arm, but I could tell that the journey had not gone as planned. The blood had drained from her face and her entire body shook as if she suffered from an ague. Perhaps it was because my mind had been much on Birdy, but Martha’s pale and feverish appearance reminded me of nothing so much as my daughter on the day that she died.
“Martha, are you all right?” I exclaimed. “What happened?”
“My lady, it was…” She groped for words. “I thought I saw the man from that night, the soldier,” she whispered. “In the Shambles, peering at me from an alley.”
I didn’t know what to make of this. Obviously she had not seen the same soldier, but it was equally clear that something had given her a terrible fright. I led her to the parlor and asked Hannah to bring a glass of wine. In her fear, Martha suddenly seemed like nothing more than a girl, far from home and afraid for her life. My heart compassioned after her, and I swore to myself that I would do everything in my power to save her.
“You are safe now. Tell me what you saw,” I said. She took a deep breath and drank some of the wine. It seemed to calm her nerves.
“It was him,” she said, and then paused. “I mean, I know it wasn’t, but it looked like him. He had the same broken teeth and the same horrible look in his eyes when he smiled.”
“Listen to me, Martha,” I said. “The city is full of soldiers like him. It may even have been a brother or cousin, but you know it wasn’t him. It can’t have been.”
“I know,” she said, gazing into the bottom of her glass. She seemed to have regained herself. “But he gave me such a fright. I’ll be seeing him in my sleep. My lady, could you send Hannah to the market for a few days? I think I’d rather not go back for a while.” Her hands still shook. I could not refuse.
“Of course,” I said. “I’ll let her know, but you’ll have to pick up some of her duties. Now why don’t you go help her in the kitchen. I’ll take her with me to the churching this afternoon, and you can have an evening here.” She nodded and went back to work, but I could see that something still weighed heavily on her mind, and I sensed that there was more to the story than she had told me.
* * *
After we had dined, I changed into a more elaborate skirt and bodice, and Hannah and I walked to Susan Dobson’s house. Susan and Francis had married about a year before, and as we all had hoped, she soon became pregnant, giving birth to a girl in May. Today marked the end of her lying-in, and she would leave her house for the first time since giving birth. We met the rest of the
“Well, that explains the clothes, at least.”
His ears turned red at the compliment. “Are they too much?” he asked, suddenly worried. “I just had them made. They cost me a pretty penny.”
“And it was money well spent,” I assured him. “You cut an authoritative figure. Dare I ask what the mission is?”
“I’m to be one of the city’s representatives at today’s parley with the rebels. A minor role, I’m sure, but I wanted to look the part.” Will seemed to be the only one in the city who believed that the talks were anything more than a delaying tactic by both sides. The King’s men hoped to put off an assault on the city until the King could send assistance, and the rebels, I was quite sure, were using the time to tunnel beneath the city’s walls. But he was so enthusiastic, I held my tongue.
“God be with you,” I said. “As you go,” I continued, “would you mind seeing Martha to the Shambles? Capons are so dear, and I was hoping she could find one at a reasonable price for our supper.” He agreed, and I saw the two of them off.
Within an hour Martha had returned, capon under her arm, but I could tell that the journey had not gone as planned. The blood had drained from her face and her entire body shook as if she suffered from an ague. Perhaps it was because my mind had been much on Birdy, but Martha’s pale and feverish appearance reminded me of nothing so much as my daughter on the day that she died.
“Martha, are you all right?” I exclaimed. “What happened?”
“My lady, it was…” She groped for words. “I thought I saw the man from that night, the soldier,” she whispered. “In the Shambles, peering at me from an alley.”
I didn’t know what to make of this. Obviously she had not seen the same soldier, but it was equally clear that something had given her a terrible fright. I led her to the parlor and asked Hannah to bring a glass of wine. In her fear, Martha suddenly seemed like nothing more than a girl, far from home and afraid for her life. My heart compassioned after her, and I swore to myself that I would do everything in my power to save her.
“You are safe now. Tell me what you saw,” I said. She took a deep breath and drank some of the wine. It seemed to calm her nerves.
“It was him,” she said, and then paused. “I mean, I know it wasn’t, but it looked like him. He had the same broken teeth and the same horrible look in his eyes when he smiled.”
“Listen to me, Martha,” I said. “The city is full of soldiers like him. It may even have been a brother or cousin, but you know it wasn’t him. It can’t have been.”
“I know,” she said, gazing into the bottom of her glass. She seemed to have regained herself. “But he gave me such a fright. I’ll be seeing him in my sleep. My lady, could you send Hannah to the market for a few days? I think I’d rather not go back for a while.” Her hands still shook. I could not refuse.
“Of course,” I said. “I’ll let her know, but you’ll have to pick up some of her duties. Now why don’t you go help her in the kitchen. I’ll take her with me to the churching this afternoon, and you can have an evening here.” She nodded and went back to work, but I could see that something still weighed heavily on her mind, and I sensed that there was more to the story than she had told me.
* * *
After we had dined, I changed into a more elaborate skirt and bodice, and Hannah and I walked to Susan Dobson’s house. Susan and Francis had married about a year before, and as we all had hoped, she soon became pregnant, giving birth to a girl in May. Today marked the end of her lying-in, and she would leave her house for the first time since giving birth. We met the rest of the
Similar Books
