“Oh, I think she’ll be there.” Sara nodded to herself. She turned the leg over with a thud, to begin pricking the other side full of herbs. “I’ve heard it said she’s saying she’s with child now.” The cook sounded skeptical. “She’ll want to announce it tonight.”
“Do you doubt she’s with child?” I asked bluntly. Cook was not offended by it.
“Oh, I don’t doubt she’s pregnant, if she says she is. It just seems a bit odd, is all, her telling it after word of Verity’s death came in instead of before.”
“How’s that?”
“Well, some of us are bound to wonder.”
“Wonder what?” I asked coldly.
Cook darted a glance at me and I cursed my impatience. Shutting her up was not what I wanted to do. I needed to hear the rumors, all of them.
“Well …” She hesitated, but could not deny my listening ears. “What’s always wondered, when a woman doesn’t conceive, and then when her husband’s away, suddenly she announces she’s pregnant by him.” She glanced about to see who else might be listening. All seemed busy at their work, but I didn’t doubt a few ears were tilted our way. “Why now? All of a sudden. And if she knew she was pregnant, what was she thinking of, racing off in the middle of the night, right into battle? That’s strange behavior for a Queen carrying the throne’s heir.”
“Well”-I tried to make my voice mild-”I suppose when the child is born will show when it was conceived. Those who want to count moons on their fingers may do so then. Besides”-and I leaned in conspiratorially-” I heard that some of her ladies knew of it before she left. Lady Patience, for instance, and her maid Lacey.” I would have to make sure that Patience bragged of her early knowledge, and that Lacey noised it about among the servants.