"I have already done it. I have married her and no one will ever know whose child it is."
"Save you."
"Aye."
"And you will always wonder."
"Thomas, I have done something and that helpless lass upstairs is paying for it. The child will be mine, even if it does not carry my blood and I will love it, perhaps more than any others to make amends. 'Tis the least I can do."
Thomas broke off a bite of bread, chewed and swallowed. "Anna has courage and she does not complain."
"I am well pleased with that. I would not enjoy a weak wife who cries constantly and demands too much of my attention. How many of our lasses would say nothing of the pain?"
"Not many; Katie perhaps."
Kevin smiled finally. "Why do you not tell my sister you prefer her?"
"That kind of courage I do not have."
Kevin slapped him on the back and grinned. "Perhaps if another lad prefers her, your courage will increase."
"Perhaps, it will at that."
The men paused to listen when the women upstairs laughed again. "I wonder what makes them laugh," Thomas muttered.
"Whatever it is, the lasses will soon love my wife. 'Tis far more than I could have hoped for."
"Aye, she will make them laugh -- until she hears about the other lass."
"She will not hear."
"Aye, she will. You must be the one to tell Anna about the other lass, Kevin. 'Tis not kind to keep it from her. Everyone knows and it will not be long before she learns the language and one of the lasses lets it slip. She is their mistress now and she will demand to know."
"Then tell the lasses not to slip. I have enough on my mind without that."
*
She was dressed in a soft English gown someone managed to find for her. The sleeves were off and a square had been cut out of the back to keep it from rubbing against her wounds. Anna's new shoes, compliments of the cobbler who worked all night to make them, fit amazingly well. Her hair was neatly tucked under the scarf, except for the two curls, and she closed her eyes when she tasted the wonderful stew one of the women brought for her noon meal. The woman even made sure the chunks were cut small enough to swallow without chewing. It seemed like a lifetime since she'd eaten a full meal and she couldn't hide her enjoyment, which she could see, pleased the woman immensely.
Katie had been in and out all morning, putting more salve on her wounds and fussing over her like a mother hen. Anna couldn't remember a time when anyone, except her father's servants when they were allowed to, ever cared about her so much. She felt content, warm and yes, even loved -- which worried her. This was an altogether different world than the one she grew up in. Her world offered only harshness, pain and sorrow. How long before this world fell apart?