Suddenly Eirik pulled his chair closer to hers so they were sitting almost knee to knee. Gently, he took both her hands in his. Instead of comforting her, Eirik’s concern filled her with dread. Then he surprised her by changing the subject. “Tell me, Eadyth, how many of those bees do you have in my orchard?”
“Wha—what?”
“The bees—they seem to have increased an ungodly amount already. Do you have any idea how many you have?”
She lifted her shoulders as if to guess. “Mayhap a hundred thousand.”
“A hundred thousand bees!” Eirik’s sweet consideration vanished under his consternation. “Have you lost your senses, woman? They will overrun the entire estate.”
Eadyth smiled. “Nay, a hundred thousand is not that great an amount. In just one colony, with one queen, there can be more than fifty thousand workers and two thousand drones. And I have dozens of colonies thriving.”
Eirik’s eyes widened in amazement.
This was the first time Eirik had exhibited any interest in her business, and it pleased her greatly. She did not even feel the need, in the glow of her pride, to pull away her hands which he still grasped warmly in his. Not even when he distractedly caressed the betrothal scar at her wrist with the callused pad of his thumb, sending subtle tingles of sweet pleasure up her arm which started her heart to racing.
“After all, Eirik,” she continued in a surprisingly level voice, trying to ignore her heightened senses, “the queen bee lays up to two thousand eggs every day from March ’til October.”
He shook his head from side to side in disbelief. “What will we do with all those bees? Turn the keep into one giant hive?”
“You did not let me finish. ‘Tis not an endlessly increasing supply. For example, the male drone bees die after they…” Eadyth’s words trailed off when she realized where her words had taken her.
“After they… what?” he prodded.
“Mate,” she said in a small voice.
Eirik hooted with laughter. “Ah, Eadyth, is that not the way of the world? Men fornicating themselves to death. And women, well, women just buzzing off to another… flower.” He winked at her.
Eadyth tried not to smile, but she could not help herself, even sensing there was more bad news to come. Eirik released one of her hands and reached up to touch her lips with his fingertips. “You should smile more often. You are not so barley-faced when you do.”
Barley-faced! Eadyth stiffened at his backhanded compliment, then narrowed her eyes suspiciously when she noticed the mischievous glint in his blue eyes.
“Mayhap you take life too lightly, you brute. Methinks you smile too much.”
“Well, I give you credit, wife. A few hours ago, I did not think I would be able to smile again for a long, long while.”
She slapped his hand away from her lips then and forcefully pulled her other hand from his grasp, demanding, “Spare me your mysterious words. What happened today?”
“Steven burned all your beehives at Hawks’ Lair,” he disclosed bluntly. “There is not a bee betwixt there and Ravenshire.”
Eadyth gasped and tears sprang to her eyes. “Was anyone hurt?” she whispered.
“Nay, but it was a horrid mess—putting out the fires and cleaning up the debris. The fires spread over at least one hide of land.”
“Why would Steven be so cruel? I have never hurt him. ‘Tis obvious this latest act was aimed at me.”
Eirik shook his head. “Nay, not just you. He means it as a warning to us all, but do not fear, my lady. I promise I will protect you and your son.”
Eadyth was touched by his words, expressed with such heartfelt sincerity, and was about to tell him so when he continued, “And I will help you replace every one of the damn bees, even if I have to wear one of your bloody veils to do it.”
Eadyth swiped at her eyes and tried to smile. “Now, that would be a sight to set the servants ashivering—the two of us walking through these gloomy halls in gossamer veils.”
“Especially if we were wearing nothing beneath,” he added, flashing her a devastatingly seductive grin of deviltry.