Roo said, “She’s changed.”
“She’s found a good man,” said Gwen.
“What about you?” asked Roo, taking a deep drink.
Gwen sighed dramatically. Like most of the town girls his own age, Roo knew, she had spent her evenings down by the fountain in the center of town flirting with the local boys, and unlike most girls, she was still unwed. “The good ones are taken.”
She feigned a pout Drawing a fingernail across the back of Roo’s hand, she said, “Things haven’t been the same since you and Erik left Ravensburg.”
Roo grinned. “Getting dull?”
“You could say that.” Gwen glanced over at Duncan, who now was whispering something into Ellen’s ear. The girl’s eyes widened and she blushed, then burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. Softly Gwen said, “Well, that’s one little flower that’s going to get plucked tonight.” Her sour tone wasn’t lost on Roo. It was now obvious that Gwen had heard Duncan was here and had come looking for him.
As a boy, Roo had slept with the girl a few times. Gwen was one of the more agreeable girls in that regard in the town, which had probably contributed to no boy’s asking for her hand in marriage. Roo thought it was more likely that there simply were more girls than boys his age as he grew up. There were bound to be those who didn’t find husbands. Still, he liked Gwen.
“Leave your father’s house and find a position at an inn,” advised Roo.
“And why should I do a thing like that?” asked Gwen.
Roo grinned as the wine warmed him. “Because then you might find a rich merchant passing through, whose fancy you might catch.”
Gwen laughed. She took a sip of wine. “Rich like you?”
Roo blushed. “I’m not rich. I’m working hard at it, though?’
“So you’re going to be rich someday?” she pressed.
Feeling his spirits lifting, he said, “Let me tell you something about what I’m going to do.”
Gwen motioned for Freida to bring more wine and sat back to listen to Roo spin his tales of ambition.
Roo winced at the sound of someone slamming a door down the hail. Then he shuddered as someone pounded on his bedroom door.
“What?” he croaked.
Erik’s voice came from beyond the door. “Get dressed. We leave in an hour.”
Roo felt the way he had the day they had left Krondor. “I’ve got to stop doing this,” he groaned.
“What?” said a sleepy voice next to him.
Suddenly Roo was wide awake and sober. He looked to his right and saw Gwen wrapped up in the bedsheets.
“Gods!” Roo whispered.
“What?” asked Gwen.
“What are you doing here?” said Roo as he scrambled out of bed, reaching for his clothing.
Letting the sheets drop away, Gwen stretched, showing off her body to good effect, and said, “Well, come back here and I’ll show you . . . again.”
Roo pulled on his pants. “I can’t! Gods! I didn’t . . . did I?”
Gwen’s expression clouded as she said, “You most certainly did, more than once. What is the problem, Roo? It’s not the first time you and I have sported.”
“Ah . . .” he said, not certain what he could possibly say to explain this away. He sat and pulled on his boots as quickly as he could. “Well, it’s just . . .”
“What?” said Gwen, now certain she wasn’t going to like what she was about to hear.
Draping his shirt over his arm and grabbing his coat off the floor, Roo said, “Well, it’s just . . . I thought I might have mentioned it last night . . . but . . . I’m married.”
“What!” came the shriek as he opened the door. “You bastard!” she shouted as she threw the porcelain washbowl that had rested a moment before on the nightstand next to the bed. It shattered loudly as Roo hurried down the stairs.
He found Duncan outside and said, “Is the wagon ready?” Duncan nodded. “I told the smith’s apprentice to hitch it up when you didn’t come down for breakfast this morning.”
Seeing the agitated condition his cousin was in, Duncan said, “Is something wrong?”
As if to answer his question, a loud shriek of outrage could be heard from inside the inn.
Freida, Nathan, and Milo, who had been saying good-bye to Erik, glanced back at the inn, but Roo didn’t look back. He climbed up into the wagon, took the reins, and said, “We’re leaving.”
Erik nodded, signaled his squad to form up, and motioned them to follow after Roo’s wagon, while Duncan had to jump to get up on the wagon before it left him behind.
“What was that?” asked Duncan with a grin.
Roo turned and warned, “You will say nothing. Not a thing, do you understand?”
Duncan only nodded and laughed.
12
Expansion
The baby squirmed.