This time when I approached the castle in Gilvary, I was viewing it as my future home. It was massive compared to the one in Aisling. The gray building had been added on to so many times, there was little room for expansion within the protective barrier surrounding it. The few small trees that dotted the front garden were dressed in the beautiful colors of autumn. I loved the view of the ocean back home, but there was no relief from the constant noise of the waves crashing. Here I could enjoy the quiet peacefulness.
It was a surprise to see Reagan waiting for us out in the stables. When he pulled me into a hug I was thankful that I had taken the time to stop and freshen up right before we arrived. I had wanted to make a good impression for my first day on the job.
He seemed more affectionate than usual toward me, but it was easy to figure out. He obviously felt more like his old self now that he was home. He had always been a big flirt. He was very charming, and his good looks did not hurt either. No doubt more than one woman, being mesmerized by his golden-brown eyes and dark features, had gladly given in to his every whim. I knew of his ways and was determined they would have no effect on me.
He seemed anxious for my reaction about the infirmary, but I could not have been more pleased. I expected to have my work cut out for me to get everything in proper order. It had been in a gloomy state when I saw it last. I had caught a glimpse of the room on the occasion of the one time I had tried to interact with Gilvary’s healer. I never caught his name, but he had unceremoniously ordered me out of his presence. I wondered why he abandoned his position but did not ask. Whatever the reason, it had opened things up nicely for me.
I had not known what to think of Arlana. She had been in my presence twice, and we had not been introduced. She acted matronly toward Reagan, which I could tell he did not appreciate.
I turned my attention for a time to Clare. I knew from the start that I was going to like her. “So, how did you become interested in herbs?”
“I started out working in the castle gardens with my mom. I always liked the herb garden best. I loved the way they smelled, and I started noticing the way they added flavor to the food I ate. Then I learned that some of them were grown just for their medicinal purposes. I wanted to know more, and there was no one willing to teach me, so I searched the library. I found several old manuscripts and started my own study. I’m excited that I might be able to take that knowledge further.” She had been very animated while she spoke on the subject, and her enthusiasm was contagious.
“I would love for you to show me those books sometime. I have no doubt you can teach me a thing or two. I can tell we will get along just fine, and I have no problem taking you on as an apprentice. By no means do I know everything about medicine, but I will gladly share the knowledge I do have.”
The smile on her round face grew even bigger. “Really? Oh, I’m so happy to hear that. What are we going to do first? What am I saying? You just got here. You must be exhausted. Have you even had dinner yet?”
I laughed a little as I held my hand up. “Slow down. No, I have not had dinner, but I would like to change out of my riding gear first. What about you, have you eaten yet?”
“Sorry, I’m just so excited. I was so nervous about meeting you that I haven’t had a bite all day. Would you like for me to wait so we can go together?”
“Would you? That would be wonderful. I hate eating alone. Just allow me to step next door and change. I will not be long.”
I hurried next door to my bedchamber. I loved the fact that I would be close to the infirmary here. It took a lot to surprise me, but I did not think I had ever been as shocked as I was when I walked through the door to my room.
I had expected a small bedchamber with only the bare essentials. I stepped into an elaborately decorated suite of rooms, much like the ones reserved for royalty. The only difference was every other room I had seen in this castle had been decorated in dull earth tone colors, and this one seemed to be a beautiful blend of earth and sea, Gilvary and Aisling.
The plastered walls had been painted a warm chocolate brown and were dotted with watercolor paintings of the Moya Ocean. The gray floors were mostly covered with a variety of muted-blue woven rugs throughout the suite. I had entered into the sitting room with a couch and matching chair in a navy print on one side with an end table between. The table held an elegant vase filled with every color of roses imaginable. A tangerine colored lounge sat on the other side of the room next to a small bookcase. It was hard to resist perusing the book titles, but I did not want to keep Clare waiting.
I hurried on through to the bedchamber to find a large teak four-poster bed covered with a navy and white star quilt. Another vase of roses sat on the dressing table, perfuming the whole room. The private bathing chamber in the back of the suite had a claw foot tub that I could not wait to try out.
I finally found my trunks in the closet adjacent to the bathing chamber. My clothes had already been put away. I did a quick check for the one small trunk containing my valuables. The lock was still attached, and the key hung on a chain around my neck. I would have to wait until later to really appreciate everything about my new chambers. I quickly slipped on more comfortable clothing and met Clare back in the infirmary.
Over dinner I learned that my new apprentice was sixteen years old, she was the middle child of seven children who all worked in the castle with their parents, and she had never had a beau. She had quite a few negative things to say about her looks which probably had more to do with turning boys away than anything. Her brown hair and eyes were unremarkable, and she was shorter than average and slightly on the plump side, but she was by no means unattractive. With enough confidence, any girl could find a mate if that was her heart’s desire.
I had not seen Reagan since we parted, so I asked her to take me to the queen after we finished eating. I was anxious to get down to the business that had brought me here.
Clare stopped short of the ornate door with the guard standing by it. “There is the door to the royal chambers, and this is as far as I can take you. Everyone knows you do not enter there unless you are invited or commanded to do so.”
I hesitated for a moment. “The main purpose in Reagan asking me to come to Gilvary is to take care of Queen Finelle. I would say that counts as an invitation.”
She backed up a step with a stubborn set to her jaw that let me know she would not be accompanying me. Something about my countenance always made people believe me to be brave, but in truth, my heart hammered with indecision. The guard only nodded as I stated my intentions. I reached up and knocked firmly on the door. After a minute when no one answered, I checked the doorknob to find it unlocked. After one last look at Clare, I opened the door and went in.
I had never visited this suite before, and it was nothing like I imagined it to be. The drab colors I had seen in other parts of the castle were present here as well, but I had not expected to see hunting-scene tapestries and stuffed animal trophies hanging from every wall. I immediately got the impression that there were many more chambers in this suite than any I had been in before.
“You know better than to knock on the door. What has gotten into you, Girl?”
That last word died in the throat of the haggard looking woman who had just emerged from the hallway within the suite. She wore a simple work dress that looked as if it had been slept in, and most of her gray-streaked hair had left its bun. She looked somewhat familiar, but I had only visited Gilvary once every eighteen months, it was hard to keep up with everyone here.
“Sorry Miss, I thought you were someone else. Are you lost? I would be glad to help you find your way.”
She may have been trying to sound helpful, but the suspicion was obvious in the squint of her eyes and her pursed lips. It was no wonder with everything that had happened here recently. Reagan had mentioned a concern with the possibility of someone trying to do his mother harm.
“I am Gwen Alexander. Reagan hired me to take over the position of healer here at the castle. I came to see about Queen Finelle.”
“Reagan, ay? I was told to expect your presence. I just didn’t think it would be today. Well, follow me then.” She motioned with her hand as she turned to head back down the hallway.
We entered through the first open doorway. The style of this room was the same as I had already seen. The most significant feature was the sheer size of the bed in the middle of the room. It was certainly the largest I had ever seen, and it dwarfed its occupant, making Queen Finelle appear smaller than she really was. As I got closer, I realized that was not the case at all.
“Your Highness, the healer your son sent for has arrived. Her name is Gwen. She’s here to make you well again.”
I walked over to stand at the edge of the bed and hoped the shock did not show on my face. Gone was the beautiful queen I had once admired. I had just seen her this past June, and now found her almost unrecognizable. She still had the same pale green eyes, but they looked too big for her sunken face. She had always looked stately, but in her current condition, she was frail and sickly looking.
“You are her friend. Queen Brianna’s friend, I mean.”
I curtsied. “Yes, Your Highness, I am.”
I did not know what else to say. Maybe seeing me as a friend to the queen of Aisling made her doubt my skills as a healer, but I could hardly recommend myself. I would just have to do my best and hope it was enough.
“She took him from me, you know.” I was taken aback for a moment.
“Had you never considered the possibility that King Garrett would one day move from Gilvary, My Lady?”
“I was not speaking of Garrett.” She turned back toward the window without saying another word.
“Do you mind if I examine you?”
She would not look at me again, but she did lift her shoulder in what I took for a shrug. I checked her pulse to find it weak. I did not feel anything unusual when I pressed around on her abdomen. I asked if she was hurting, and she did not respond. Honestly, I could not find anything to explain her physical decline. Gilvary’s original healer had blamed it on her mental state, and I hated to agree with him.
She had been the one to take her husband’s life. When Brianna had shown up here in Gilvary looking for Garrett, King Coman had as much as admitted to his wicked deeds involving their sons. In a fit of passion, Queen Finelle had executed him for his crimes. The question was, if she held Brianna accountable for the demise of her husband, why was she lying here grieving herself to death?
“Poor thing. This is all that’s left for her now.”
I turned to look at the forgotten servant. “When is the last time she had anything to eat?”
“We don’t usually bring food in unless she asks for it. She hasn’t eaten anything since last night, but she did say she was hungry a little while ago. I sent for some soup, which hasn’t gotten here yet. I thought you were the tyke I had set to the task when you arrived earlier. Ah, here she is now. What took you so long?”
Just then a small girl walked slowly through the door, trying not to spill the bowl of soup on her tray. “I had to wait on Glynis to make it.”
The child did not look to be more than six or seven years old. Surely she had not carried the heavy tray the whole way here. I had to remind myself that it was none of my concern. I took the tray from her as I thanked her and sat it on the end table next to the bed.
“Queen Finelle, here is some lovely potato soup. Would you like for me to help you sit up?”
She did not respond. She just continued to look toward the window, completely ignoring me. Maybe it was because she did not know me, or maybe she did not respond because she connected me to Brianna. Hopefully in time she would become more comfortable in my presence.
When I turned back, the servant still sat there, but the little girl was nowhere to be seen. “I am sorry, I do not recall you telling me your name.”
“You didn’t ask. It is Edina. I used to help take care of the children, but they can no longer be called that. Prince Reagan asked me to help look after the queen, and I said I would.”
My first thought was to tell her that Rian was still a child, but I realized here again, it was none of my concern. “See if you can get her to eat after I am gone. I want food brought in five times a day. It does not have to be a large amount, but I want something made available whether Queen Finelle decides to eat it or not.”
She crossed her arms and looked at me askance. “I’m not in charge of the food. You’ll need to take that up with the cook.”
“Forgive me, I am not here to give orders. I think Reagan will agree that it is in the best interest of his mother. I will speak to him about it the next time I see him, and he can dole out instructions as he sees fit.”
“Don’t go threatening me with Reagan. I used to change his dirty behind.”
“Is that so? Well then, I will leave you to your duties.” I did not wait for her to respond. I walked out the door to the sound of her grumbling behind me.
I had not meant to offend her, but it was obvious that she intended to take it as such. Maybe I would have to pay for walking out on her, but I would not be the one to let her know about it. I was not sure she was the right person to be taking care of Queen Finelle. I guess if Reagan trusted her, then I would have to do the same.
Arlana was in the infirmary when I got back, thumbing through an old journal. I had not had a chance to look at it myself but could guess it contained records of patients’ histories. I introduced myself as I reached for the book, closed it, and placed it back on the shelf with similar journals.
Her face turned red with anger while I tried to act as if nothing was amiss. “I know who you are, and I have already witnessed your disrespectful nature. The important thing is for you to know who I am. My name is Arlana Kelly. I am the castle stewardess. I can see I need to set you straight on a few things. You should know the only one with more authority in Gilvary than me is Prince Reagan.”
“What about Queen Finelle?” I knew it was the wrong thing to say, but I could not help myself.
Several things came to mind. For one, she could rightfully say that I was disrespectful after this meeting, but I did not remember displaying this trait before now. Secondly, I could not imagine my father making this claim of authority. And what about the rest of Reagan’s family and his advisors? Would they not also have more power than this woman?
She blared her dark eyes at me. Her nostrils flared, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. The image of a bull came to mind, and it was all I could do to keep from laughing.
“How is it that you show respect to our queen but you have not addressed Prince Reagan in a proper manner since you arrived here? Everyone in the castle is talking about how you practically threw yourself at him, hugging him, and holding his hand. I know Aisling is not as civilized, but I would think a servant like you would have been taught how to react to royalty.
“Let me guess, you have grand dreams of becoming a princess. If that is the case then let me warn you, I will never allow that to happen. Do I make myself clear on the subject?”
I walked over and stood by the door. “You have made yourself perfectly clear. Now if you could see yourself out, I have plenty of work to do, and I am anxious to get started.”
She stood there staring at me for a full minute before leaving. I was careful to keep my face devoid of all emotion until I closed the door behind her. She could not be further from the truth in thinking I wanted to become a princess, especially one who would most likely end up being a queen. I came here to carry out the post of healer and nothing more.
She had been right about one thing. I had not addressed Reagan correctly since I had arrived. Things had been so familiar between us in Aisling, I had forgotten myself. I had only been in Gilvary a few short hours and had already managed to make two enemies. I would have to tread carefully in the future.
Colossians 3:22-25 came to mind, pricking my heart with the way I had dealt with Gilvary’s stewardess. I was a servant here, and the Bible was very clear on my position. My stubborn nature had gotten me into trouble more than once in my lifetime. These were some of the first verses my father had taught me to memorize as a child, and he had been known to make me recite them during times like this. I would try to keep his teachings in mind at the beginning of any future encounters with Arlana.