A Princess' Tale

Chapter Sixteen

"Surely, you are not believing in that stuff now, are you?" Fayre asked me as I paced my bedchamber.

I sighed and paused near my dressing screen. "I am unsure what to believe. That... that plague Edward spoke of did happen. It didn't occur when he said, but it did happen." Then I gasped. "Oh, no... Fayre, no one must ever speak of that plague. No one must ever know about it. I want it vanished from history, so there is no trace of Edward's words."

"Anna, no one would ever connect that to him," she promised. "He only said it to us."

I shook my head. "It does not matter!"

Fayre widened her eyes. "You are serious about this, aren't you?"

I turned away from her, doing my best to steady my heartbeat by taking deep breaths. "I..."

How mad I must have sounded. I blinked hard and faced her again.

"There are certain matters I don't wish for my daughter or any future generation to know about. This plague ruined many lives, Fay. It is part of our history now, but it does not need to be remembered." I exhaled slowly and bit down on my tongue. I still could not shake the idea that Edward had caused that plague. That he did something. After all, it had mostly attacked the northern region.

Could he have done something to me so I could have a child with brown eyes?

"How will you prevent it from spreading?" Fayre questioned, moving over to the window. She leaned against the wall there and folded her arms across her chest. "People will tell their children, their friends, travelers—anyone, really."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Forbid everyone from speaking about it. Should they utter a word, they will be punished."

Fayre gaped at me. "What sort of punishment? This sounds completely out of character for you."

"I haven't decided yet." I walked up to my bed and sat down. I didn't want to believe my daughter's eyes meant anything. Still, I prayed Edward would never find out.

If nobody spoke of the plague ever again, he would believe it meant nothing. It was all for nothing. I couldn't say for certain if he was out there, lurking and waiting, or if he'd gone far, far away. But I couldn't take my chances. I refused to allow anything he had said to come to light. I despised myself for ever entertaining him.

"Stay here a while and rest," Fayre said. "It has only been a week since you gave birth to Elouise. You must still be exhausted. Dr. Rolfe mentioned you lost a lot of blood, more than most do."

"You are saying I'm not thinking straight," I whispered.

"Yes, I am. Because you are not. I know you well, Tatianna." Before I could form a response, Fayre made a beeline for the door and left me alone.

There I sat in silence until Philip returned with our daughter. He entered humming a soft tune to her and smiled at me as he headed for her bassinet. I watched him carefully set her down and kiss her forehead as he always did.

"She truly is a dream," he said, standing upright. "My mother warned me about wailing babies, but Elouise prefers the quiet and peace." He turned to me, widening his smile. "Fortunately for us."

Yes. I had yet to be awoken in the middle of the night.

"Is there something bothering you?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You are as quiet as our daughter."

I let out a small chuckle. "I must still be exhausted. Perhaps I will also sleep a while. I've decided to make an important speech tomorrow."

"Oh?" Philip sat down beside me and took my hand into his.