right hand.
“Gerta sent us with this for Mother,” he said.
Gart looked at the sack. “What is it? And who is Gerta?”
“Gerta is our nurse,” Romney said, looking back to his mother as he lowered the sack in his hand. “She told us to bring this to mother. It will help her.”
Gart stepped forward and took the sack, a rough thing sewed from crude plant fibers. Peering inside, he could see tied off bunches of herbs and weeds. Making his way over to the oak table near the bed that Emberley was lying upon, he began to pull the ingredients out and lay them on the table. He sniffed them one by one.
“Mint,” he set down a green bunch and pulled out a few more, sniffing them in succession. “Lemongrass, and I’m not sure what this is. This looks like white willow.”
The children were clustered around him, watching him remove the ingredients. “Gerta says we need to mash them up and put them on her hurts.”
Gart asked the question even though he was fairly sure he knew the answer. “Why is Gerta not here to help?”
Romney looked sad. “Father told her she could not come.”
“But he said you could come?”
“He did not tell us anything. We just came.” He looked up at Gart, his expression somewhat fearful. “Does he know you are here?”
Gart shook his head. “Nay,” he said seriously. “He does not know I am here. He must not ever know or else he might hurt your mother again. You must never tell him. Do you understand?”
He looked to all of the boys as he spoke and received two serious nods from Romney and Orin. Brendt had no idea what he was saying until Orin snapped at the little boy and he finally nodded his head. Little Lacy, a gorgeous child who looked just like her mother, stared up at Gart with a thumb in her mouth. She was too young to understand in any case, but after several moments of staring at Gart, she wandered over to her mother and climbed onto the bed next to her.
Gart watched the little girl snuggled down next to Emberley, who was in such a deep sleep that she didn’t even stir. His gaze lingered on the pair a moment before he turned back to the herbs and began to pull them apart.
“Gerta said we must mash them up?” he asked Romney.
Romney helped him pull apart the mint. “She said to mash them and put them on Mother’s hurts,” he repeated. “It will make her feel better.”
Gart looked around for a vessel to put the herbs in but could only come up with the bowl he had used to pour water in. Collecting it off the floor, he poured the water out and placed the herbs in the bottom of the bowl, mashing them all together with a little rosewater and the bottom of an earthenware cup he had found. Being that this was the children’s chamber, it was full of clutter both useful and garbage. It looked like a pack of wild animals lived there and not three little boys.
When the weeds were mush, he turned to Emberley. The three boys followed him and began jumping on the bed when they drew near their mother. Gart softly admonished them to stop jostling her around, so Brendt and Orin contritely climbed off. Lacy was lying next to her mother, sucking her thumb and looking up at Gart with big blue eyes. Gart took the paste of herbs and began to smear it on Emberley’s swollen ear.
“Can I help?” Romney wanted to know.
Gart held up the bowl and the boy put his fingers in it, very carefully putting it on the exterior of his mother’s ear as Gart talked him through it. Orin and Brendt saw what they were doing and wanted to help, too, so Gart had them smear the stuff on her bruised hands. As the four of them carefully rubbed on the goo, Emberley began to stir.
Her dark blue eyes fluttered open and she quickly realized that there were more people in the room. Dazed, she began to move around but Gart put a big hand on her shoulder to steady her.
“Be still,” he murmured. “You are being well tended.”
Emberley blinked, catching
“Gerta sent us with this for Mother,” he said.
Gart looked at the sack. “What is it? And who is Gerta?”
“Gerta is our nurse,” Romney said, looking back to his mother as he lowered the sack in his hand. “She told us to bring this to mother. It will help her.”
Gart stepped forward and took the sack, a rough thing sewed from crude plant fibers. Peering inside, he could see tied off bunches of herbs and weeds. Making his way over to the oak table near the bed that Emberley was lying upon, he began to pull the ingredients out and lay them on the table. He sniffed them one by one.
“Mint,” he set down a green bunch and pulled out a few more, sniffing them in succession. “Lemongrass, and I’m not sure what this is. This looks like white willow.”
The children were clustered around him, watching him remove the ingredients. “Gerta says we need to mash them up and put them on her hurts.”
Gart asked the question even though he was fairly sure he knew the answer. “Why is Gerta not here to help?”
Romney looked sad. “Father told her she could not come.”
“But he said you could come?”
“He did not tell us anything. We just came.” He looked up at Gart, his expression somewhat fearful. “Does he know you are here?”
Gart shook his head. “Nay,” he said seriously. “He does not know I am here. He must not ever know or else he might hurt your mother again. You must never tell him. Do you understand?”
He looked to all of the boys as he spoke and received two serious nods from Romney and Orin. Brendt had no idea what he was saying until Orin snapped at the little boy and he finally nodded his head. Little Lacy, a gorgeous child who looked just like her mother, stared up at Gart with a thumb in her mouth. She was too young to understand in any case, but after several moments of staring at Gart, she wandered over to her mother and climbed onto the bed next to her.
Gart watched the little girl snuggled down next to Emberley, who was in such a deep sleep that she didn’t even stir. His gaze lingered on the pair a moment before he turned back to the herbs and began to pull them apart.
“Gerta said we must mash them up?” he asked Romney.
Romney helped him pull apart the mint. “She said to mash them and put them on Mother’s hurts,” he repeated. “It will make her feel better.”
Gart looked around for a vessel to put the herbs in but could only come up with the bowl he had used to pour water in. Collecting it off the floor, he poured the water out and placed the herbs in the bottom of the bowl, mashing them all together with a little rosewater and the bottom of an earthenware cup he had found. Being that this was the children’s chamber, it was full of clutter both useful and garbage. It looked like a pack of wild animals lived there and not three little boys.
When the weeds were mush, he turned to Emberley. The three boys followed him and began jumping on the bed when they drew near their mother. Gart softly admonished them to stop jostling her around, so Brendt and Orin contritely climbed off. Lacy was lying next to her mother, sucking her thumb and looking up at Gart with big blue eyes. Gart took the paste of herbs and began to smear it on Emberley’s swollen ear.
“Can I help?” Romney wanted to know.
Gart held up the bowl and the boy put his fingers in it, very carefully putting it on the exterior of his mother’s ear as Gart talked him through it. Orin and Brendt saw what they were doing and wanted to help, too, so Gart had them smear the stuff on her bruised hands. As the four of them carefully rubbed on the goo, Emberley began to stir.
Her dark blue eyes fluttered open and she quickly realized that there were more people in the room. Dazed, she began to move around but Gart put a big hand on her shoulder to steady her.
“Be still,” he murmured. “You are being well tended.”
Emberley blinked, catching
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