The Dragonlady

Chapter Fourteen

Sayrah was delighted to stay at the mansion and was charmed by the room allocated to her. Shella was pleased that it was far enough away from hers so there was no chance of any scent reaching her, although Sayrah seemed to smell pleasant enough at mealtimes. Clara surprised Shella by taking Sayrah into the garden, and spending time collecting and arranging flowers. Sayrah seemed to be enjoying the activity and allowed Shella to pursue interests of her own. As the days passed, the visit appeared to be having a profound effect on the girl.

Tobias received Sir Van in his office. Van was a very different person when he left the mansion, stripped of his title. His resignation from the council was noted the following day, although Tobias made no comment. Lady Unis retained her title and home, while the staff speculated on Sir Van's absence.

Parmer spent most of the next few days at Rin's bedside, leaving in the evening only to feed Blue and Seafoam and to sleep in his bed. Eno took his turn sitting with Rin from late afternoon until late when Tobias relieved him. Rin made steady, but slow progress, getting stronger every day. Clara had allocated an experienced young maid, Kitty, who ably assisted in Rin's toileting and keeping the room clean.

At the end of the week, Rin was strong enough to walk to the enclosure to see Blue and Seafoam, using Parmer's arm for support. Blue was ecstatic to see her, dashing to the gate to sniff and lick her in greeting. Seafoam ambled her way to the gate to give her own greeting, returning to the nest quickly. Parmer led Rin to close to the nest and Seafoam shifted just enough for Rin to see an egg or two beneath the dragon's belly.

"I'm sure they must be close to hatching." Parmer said. "Hatchings take place two weeks after laying, so it should be soon."

"I should be stronger then." Rin smiled. "Able to sit for longer too. I've missed the sun."

"If you ache, we can return whenever you wish." Parmer said with concern.

"It gets easier each day." Rin replied. "Almost all of the bruises are fading now. I was very lucky I didn't break anything."

"It was quite a tumble, but I think trees broke some of the fall."

"The sun will fade most of the bruises quite quickly, now that I can get out into it." Rin smiled. "I'm glad you came for me."

"It was Blue who found you. He seemed to know where to look. You have a good bond."

Rin petted her dragon and Blue gazed at her with affection, both basking in the much-missed attention. Rin enjoyed the sun, staying for an hour, until she began to tire. Parmer helped her to her feet and they walked back to the mansion. Rin sank tiredly onto the bed on her return.

"Take a nap." Parmer said. "You don't want to undo all the progress you've made so far."

Rin nodded and curled up to sleep, still fully clothed. Parmer covered her with a blanket and pulled the curtains over the window to darken the room. When he turned, Rin was asleep. Over the past couple of days, Parmer had left Rin to sleep, leaving her for up to an hour. She had insisted once she had discovered how long he had sat while she was recovering. Usually, he found Eno or his father, but today Tobias was conducting an interview with yet another council member. Sir George had followed Sir Van in resigning and yesterday Lord Charles had left Tobias' office in a foul temper. Parmer had been further surprised at almost colliding with his mother as she left his father's bedroom earlier. She had blushed, but had made no comment. Parmer wandered into the garden and found Eno cutting a hedge.

"You've almost completed this area, Eno." Parmer commented.

"It's looking much better." Eno agreed. "I shall move on to the kitchen gardens next."