The Storyteller

The Storyteller Part 9 chapters 24 - 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

PAIN

When Raif had told Lyrra that he was leaving, it ripped deep inside, hurting her more than the bruises from the attack in Canters Alley. He told her that he loved her, that he would come back. He told her she was the most precious thing he had ever had. That she would always be his woman.

Nothing he could say could calm or reassure her. She cried that it was her fault because she'd ignored his warning about going to the harbor alone. She said that he'd decided he couldn't trust her any more. He held her in his arms as her body shuddered with sobbing.

Finally he had to let her go. Isobel was there, she too was torn by the despair that she saw, and felt. She almost hated her husband for asking Raif to go on this mission. She understood that he thought it vital and perhaps he was right. But did anything warrant causing so much pain to two lovers?

She took the sobbing girl into her arms and, talking over Lyrra's shoulder, told Raif that she would take care of her. Though, at the time, she had no idea how she could. She had never experienced the depth of feeling that she saw and heard. She almost felt a pang of jealousy that a girl could feel so deeply for her man. Isobel loved her husband and respected him but knew that the marriage had been based on political necessity rather than love.

It took a long time but finally Isobel persuaded an exhausted Lyrra to drink a little poppy juice and go to bed. Once she was lying down the poor girl drifted off into a troubled sleep. Isobel ordered for a servant to stay with Lyrra at all times. She worried that in her disturbed state of mind she might do something desperate and harm herself.

Lyrra slept for a whole day and when she awoke she was frighteningly calm. She refused all food and drink and just lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling while tears streamed down her pale cheeks.

After two days with Lyrra lying there, not moving, not eating Isobel was really worried. She insisted that the Duke came and talked to her. He resisted, not knowing what to say and guilty that he had caused this by insisting that Raif took the mission.

Finally he came. It was a shock to see the girl, who had been so incredibly beautiful and full of youthful vitality as the banquet not that long ago, thin and drained. To his horror he saw her halfway to the grave. He knew he would not forgive himself if she died. He knew too that Raif would never forgive him and he would have turned his closest friend into his worst enemy.

The Duke sat by the bed and talked about Raif. He talked about how hard it had been to persuade him to leave even though it was so important for the country. He said how much Raif had talked about what he would want to do with Lyrra once he came back. He talked about Raif wanting to have children and that he'd mentioned that Lyrra had talked about their family to be.

He saw that the girl stirred a little as he spoke about Raif coming back and how he should find her healthy and ready for their future life together. If she wasn't well he said how guilty Raif would feel and how it would hurt him. If she loved Raif she should get better and eat and drink and be ready for him when he came back.

Finally he managed to get Lyrra to sit up and drink a warm herbal tea and to eat a little. He said  that, if she promised to get better and to wait for Raif, he would tell her all about her man.

That had been the right thing to say. Lyrra had always wondered about Raif's past and had been rather frustrated when he turned all her questions aside. He said that all that interested him was today and tomorrow. Lyrra had said that it wasn't fair as he knew everything about her and it wasn't very much. As she sat up in bed she smiled to herself remembering that he'd said that she would always be a mystery to him, he never knew what she'd say or do.