In Ink and Wine

Chapter 18 - Eogan

Clarille told Hessa about her suspicion immediately, but it wasn't long before the rest of the women knew, too. Salah, the only person in the household who had ever been pregnant, recognized the signs fairly early and Alavi guessed soon afterwards. They kept the secret from the men as best they could—Clarille wanted Keridel to be the first man to hear the news.

But she was incredibly grateful that the women knew. Clarille was equal parts terrified and exited, and her feelings shifted dramatically over the course of a day. When she was exited, Brylow celebrated with her. When she felt unwell, Hessa was there to care for her. Salah had answers for every question. And since the baby was half-Zian, Alavi helped Clarille through a traditional ceremony to Eogan, the god of children, and his mother Sunia, the goddess of mothers and childbirth. Clarille even took to carrying a small figure of Eogan in her pocket, after Alavi assured her doing so would bring blessings upon the baby.

Clarille visited the church in Lakeside, as well, to pray for the Goddess' protection and blessing. But whenever she could, she tried to keep working as normal. She was tired, but she knew that her daily tasks would only get harder the further along she was. And, she didn't want the men to suspect anything. She still went out into the fields every day, sometimes encouraging Brylow to come along, if only to bask in the sunlight. Hessa often found tasks to do nearby, and Clarille appreciated her proximity.

Keridel was gone for quite a while, which was to be expected. For the first time in years, he was gathering all of his barges in Kitsi Lake. He wanted to talk to all of his skippers in person, as opposed to passing along messages and hoping they reached everybody. Clarille knew it would take a long time, so when the weeks added up and became two months, she wasn't concerned. A few letters back and forth confirmed that things were going as planned.

Nearly exactly ten weeks from the day Keridel had left, Clarille was in the vineyard picking grapes when she suddenly felt faint. She swayed, catching herself on the trellis. The next few moments were a bit hazy, as first Brylow and then Hessa appeared beside her and guided her back towards the villa. The sat her down on of the chairs facing the vineyard, and Brylow sat beside her as Hessa vanished inside.

"I'm fine," Clarille protested, her thoughts clearing again. "Just a little tired."

"Of course you're tired. Just rest in the shade. This is why pregnant women don't work."

Clarille reluctantly relaxed back into the chair. "That isn't true. Pregnant women work all the time. Remember your nursemaid? When we were five or six?"

"Oh." Brylow frowned. "Oh, that's right. Well, that isn't fair at all, is it? She should have been given time off."

"I'm not sure it works like that, anywhere. Thank you, Hessa," Clarille said, accepting the glass of water Hessa was handing her. "I'm all right, really."

"I know you are, but resting is never a bad thing." Hessa pointed out.

Clarille sighed. "Maybe not, but it's very frustrating. There are a lot of grapes to harvest before it gets too cold."

"The men can handle it for an hour or two." Hessa said. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

Clarille had a sip of water and shook her head. "Nothing but your company. If I'm resting, so are you."

Hessa settled down beside her. "I can rest for a bit. But Alavi and I promised to help Salah with the vegetable garden later this afternoon."

"See, there's plenty of harvesting to do," Clarille said. She set down her glass of water and gazed out at the vineyard. Kahl and Dion were working together, farther out, but Jeksen was quite close. He still wasn't talking much, but working in the fields seemed good for him. Kahl and Dion had been very kind, giving him tasks that weren't too difficult, so he could work without thinking about much. Sometimes it was hard to imagine the well dressed, proper footman he had once been.