Chapter Twenty-eight

Gwen

 

 

Gareth and Gwen sat cross-legged on their bed facing each other. They were finally in their own home, for the first time in a month, having made the journey from Aber Castle that very day.

The last miles home, Gwen could barely keep her eyes open. Now, though all she wanted to do was sleep, Gareth had spent the last quarter of an hour telling her about his plans for the next few days, as full summer had finally come. Every day would see them working from dawn to dusk on their land. Finally, Gwen leaned in and put a finger to his lips.

Gareth stopped talking. “What is it?”

“I have something to tell you.”

“Is it about Mari and Hywel?” Gareth said. “Before they rode to Rhuddlan Castle, Hywel swore to me that he loved Mari and would do everything in his power to make her happy.”

“I know he will,” Gwen said. “This isn’t about Mari and Hywel. This is about us.”

“Is the upcoming journey to Ceredigion worrying you?” Gareth said. “I don’t want to be parted from you either, but perhaps if you kept Mari company, it would make it easier to be separated from me? You can be sure that Hywel will want to settle his affairs in Ceredigion quickly, either to prepare for Mari’s arrival, or to hurry home to her before the harvest.”

“Gareth—”

“I had a thought, also, that you might enjoy having Llelo and Dai stay with you for the summer if their uncle grants them leave,” he said. “I know you’ve grown fond of them—”

“We’re having a baby.”

Gareth’s last words had overlapped hers, so Gwen wasn’t sure at first that he’d caught what she said. Then he gave such a whoop that she feared he might wake everyone in the village.

“You are with child? Are you certain?”

“I desperately wanted to tell you sooner, but with everything that happened at Newcastle, and the wedding immediately after, I thought it might be better to wait until it was just the two of us, and I was sure. It’s been weeks since I began to hope, and now I believe.”

First Gareth laughed, and then he threw his arms around Gwen and rolled with her to the blankets, ending up with her resting on top of him. She lay with her cheek on his chest, reveling in the thudding of his heart.

“You’re happy about it, then?” she said.

Gwen felt the laughter bubbling up in his chest before she heard it. “Happy? Gwen—” Gareth hugged her tighter. “I’m terrified, of course, but how could I not be happy?”

Gwen sighed and snuggled against him. He released her only long enough to draw a blanket over both of them.

“It’s Prince Hywel who won’t be happy,” Gareth said.

“Why is that?”

Gareth raised his head, and she lifted hers, so they could see into each other’s eyes. “I won’t go so far as to forbid you to be involved in any more of Prince Hywel’s investigations, but I must tell Hywel that he’s not to call upon his best spy for a good long while.”

Gwen patted her husband’s chest reassuringly but didn’t reply. She tucked the blanket under her chin, thinking but not saying, since it seemed wise to humor her husband in this instance: We’ll see.

 

 

The End