Children of the May (Children of the May Book 1)

Chapter Eighteen: Castle Eudaimon

The baby woke twice during the night, demanding food. The first time it happened I picked him up and went to look for something for him. There was nothing in the room, so I decided to take him down to the bottom of the tower and see if I could find the kitchens. But when I opened the door I found a jug of milk on the stairs, as warm as if it had come straight from the cow’s udder. I looked up and down the stairs, trying to catch sight of the person who had left the milk – whether it was one of Lady Bertilak’s unseen and silent servants or the lady herself – but I neither saw nor heard anyone.

I was curious about it the first time, but when the same thing happened the next time Christian woke me I was unsurprised. Lady Bertilak seemed as good as her word; she was good at providing what we needed when we needed it.

The third time I woke a long shaft of sunlight was pushing itself through the gap between the window and its rich cover. I climbed out of bed, noting that the fire was still burning even though I had neglected to keep it alive during the night. I crossed the thick rug between the bed and the window, and pulled the hanging back. The sky was blue and clear and the sea glistened under the sun, which was already high in the east. We had slept late.

Christian was still asleep, so I dressed quietly, and washed my hands and face with the warm water over the fire. Then I lifted up the baby and gently washed him. When we connected through the water I felt how much he enjoyed the sensation of the warm liquid on his skin. I dressed him and carried him downstairs, looking for the others.

I found them in the great hall. They were breaking their fasts on breads and jams, boiled eggs and smoked fish. I was taken aback when I first saw them, because they had all changed their clothes. They were no longer dressed in those things that had been submerged in the sea, trailed through the forest, in Elia’s case filled with sand, and in Bellina’s covered in mud. Instead they wore freshly pressed items that fitted them perfectly. Mordred was in a new set of black clothes that accentuated his height; Agravaine a tight white and sky-blue tabard that emphasised his broad, well-defined chest; and Bellina a fine, heavily-jewelled green dress, with a fox fur slung over her bare shoulders. Aglinda wore mischievous green ribbons in her hair.

‘Oh Lord,’ said Bellina loudly as she saw me enter. ‘He’s in the same ugly dress as before.’ She turned to Accolon, whose new deep blue coat had a luxurious fur collar. ‘Though I imagine Lady Bertilak would struggle to find anything to make a misshapen troll look normal.’ She said it as if she was in private and I couldn’t hear her. Her words stung me.

‘Morning, Drift,’ said Agravaine, who was in the same place as the night before. ‘Do you not have a chest in your room, pal? Lady Bertilak’s servants have found new clothes for us all.’

There was a chest in the room at the top of the tower, but I had not looked inside it. I shrugged.

‘I-I-I-I like these just f-f-fine.’ I nodded at Accolon. ‘Has h–h-h-h-h-he said anything about l-l-last night?’

‘Not to us,’ said Agravaine. ‘He smirked at Mordred, but he isnea talking.’

Agravaine took the baby from me while I broke my own fast. I had eaten so little the previous evening that I was ravenous. I found it easier to eat without Lady Bertilak watching over me. 

The woman herself glided into the room before I had quite finished my breakfast. Like me, she was wearing the same clothes as the night before.

‘Good morning,’ she said, beaming at us. ‘I am glad you are here. I trust you have all had sufficient to eat this morning?’

There was general agreement with the idea that the food she had provided was excellent, but the voice that sang out on top was Accolon’s: ‘Top notch, Lady Bertilak. A most excellent feed.’