Nobody's Child (complete)

Chapter 9 - Eberswald Assizes

Chapter 9 - Eberswald Assizes ©2018CarolynAnnAish 

Boy gladly handed the smelly baby to his mother, and took his turn at rowing. Felicia had a more powerful tug and control upon the oars than Boy, who had discovered that for all her seeming maturity, Felicia was only sixteen years old. She had been married for two years! When Boy told her he was fourteen, she said that he had looked even younger with his long hair, but now he looked more her age. "Sixteen, at least." To which he had puffed his bony chest out and taken up the oars once more, feeling proud of himself and his fanciful maturity.

"Some milk from our cows, a few good feeds of my beef hot pot and you'll be a different width!" Felicia told him, smiling. When they had crossed the lake, and entered the wide outlet river, Felicia spoke without caution, sharing all kinds of memories of her life.

Blade was more lucid and gladly swallowed water from the rag, having now absorbed over half of the contents of the flask. Felicia examined his wounds and was most worried about the slit in his stomach, saying that he needed stitching urgently if he was to mend together properly. The young woman told Boy that she could 'sew him back together' and he would be 'almost good as new'. She added, she hoped his brain was not affected by the terrible blow on his skull which had cracked the bone. Giggling unreasonably, she added, "Though any husband with half a brain would be kinder than my first." To which Boy wondered how badly she had been mistreated. Her love was obviously for her babe, not for the dead husband. Boy had asked how Landric, the husband, had died, and her reply was that he had been thrown from a horse he had been trying to break.

Felicia spoke seriously, "I was in the city at the time or I'm sure my brother would have had me blamed. Sheldon did try to pin it on me, but, thankfully, there were several witnesses who spoke the truth of Landric's accident. He broke his neck in the fall. Thankfully, the Shrieve gave the verdict, his death was accidental." She shuddered. Death for a woman who killed her husband was most bizarre.

When another morning dawned, the two had discussed several schemes for the day, as well as having obtained some necessary sleep. Felicia desperately needed nourishment, "Protein, you know, milk, cheese, meat!" she demanded of Boy, agreeing that she must keep herself out of sight. Boy was less likely to be recognized than she, as her brother had many of his men-friends as well as the city officials helping him in his hunt for her and the baby. Felicia had lived in this city before she had been married, and was well known.

They moored the boat under a bank that Felicia assured Boy was close by the road to the city. Boy broke off branches and lay them over the vessel until it was concealed. With enough coins, still in Felicia's leather purse —the rest left with her in case Boy was accosted by thieves —the lad followed Felicia's directions and walked in through the city entrance, moving directly to the city's Hospice, arriving just after the sun had risen in the misty sky. In a city, the size of Eberswald, there was a market every day and Felicia had persuaded Boy to spend some money to purchase better clothing for both himself and Blade, whose garments were torn and bloodied so much she said they should be turned into cleaning rags or burned.

The Hospice door was unbolted by a woman, mumbling about the earliness of the hour. Boy swiftly reeled off the supplies needed by Felicia, both for the baby and to attend to Blade.

The woman asked suspiciously, "You ain't heard naught of that young woman wot they say is breaking the law? The one keeping the baby wot is not proper ... 'specially when her bro'ver wants to help her." At Boy's frown she laughed and questioned, "You haven't found a baby, have you?"

She counted the breech-cloths on to the table. At the lad's deepened frown, she shrugged and said, "Ain't my business, but I say the lake took them both. Don't know why they seek them in the city here. She was heading for the capital!" The woman quickly placed the rest of the requested items on the table and fetched the medicine and bandages. "Mind, that's not the only upheaval! Soldiers in all directions! Wot for?" She spoke with her face close to Boy's. "Wot for? You tell me and we'll both know! They say they have rescued Sir Thaddeus from he's kidnappers, so wot's the bo'ver?"