the linens and furs aside to climb to his feet. Of course, he again forgot about the onions. This time, rather than fall backward, he stumbled forward, crashing to the hard wooden floor just as the bedchamber door opened and his wife entered.
"Husband! What are you doing out of bed?" Murie cried, rushing across the room to his side. "You should not be out of bed. You are obviously still too weak from your injury."
"It is not weakness that saw me on the floor, wife," he said through gritted teeth. "It is your blasted onions. I stepped on the damn things, and my foot went out from under me."
"Oh." Biting her lip, she glanced toward the crushed wild onions he'd stepped on and sighed. "Well you still should not be out of bed."
" 'Tis not a bed, Murie. 'Tis a bloody straw mattress on the bloody floor," he pointed out with irritation. "Speaking of which, we really have to either get the men to fix this bed frame or make a new one. A new mattress would not go amiss, either. And a chair. Two of them to set by the fire," Balan said, scowling, as he regained his feet.
"Husband." Murie caught his arms and tried to turn him back toward the bed. "You should not be up. You took a terrible head injury."
"I am fine," he assured her, and really he did feel fine, although all this movement was beginning to make his head ache again. Ignoring it, he added, "Besides, I wish to take some of the dower I received on our marriage and go out in search of livestock and more servants. Osgoode and I are riding to Carlisle in the hopes of finding what we need there."
"Carlisle?" she asked with amazement, following as he moved around the bed to collect his clothes from where they were folded and set on one of the chests. "But that is a day's ride away."
"Osgoode and I can cover the distance quickly on the way there, but will be slower coming back. I expect we shall be back the morning after next - or early afternoon at the latest," he assured her, tugging on his doublet. Pausing as he saw the grass stains and small holes in it from its use in rescuing him, he scowled, but then reached for his leggings.
"But, you cannot travel now. You sustained a terrible injury to your head," she repeated, trying to take the leggings from him.
"You should rest another day at least. Pray, husband, get back into bed. I - "
"I am fine, Murie," he insisted firmly. "And this needs to be done."
She fell silent, no longer protesting, but not looking pleased, either. Finally, she said, "Please, at least promise me you shall be careful."
"Aye," he muttered, shifting his leggings in his hands. They had fared worse than his doublet and now had several large holes. Shaking his head, he donned the items, thinking he would have to go fetch clothes from the garrison and change into his other pair of leggings and the blue doublet that had been his father's; these were now ruined.
Finished dressing, Balan began to look around for his boots. He noticed his wife hurrying for the door and frowned. "Where are you going?"
"If you insist on making this journey, there are a few things I need to gather together for you," she announced as she reached the door. Pausing, she turned to peer at. him worriedly. "You will not leave before I come back, will you? I will be as quick as I can."
"Come back from where?" Balan asked sharply, but she was already slipping through the door and pulling it closed.
Chapter Fifteen
"Where is my wife?" Balan shifted impatiently on his mount, his gaze moving around the bailey. When he did not spot her anywhere, he cursed under his breath and turned back to the keep as the doors opened. Rather than his wife, Anselm hurried out. Balan shouted, "Anselm! Have Godart and Erol not found my wife yet?"
"Nay, my lord. But I'm sure they will find her soon." The soldier came to stand by Balan's mount. The man's gaze shifted from Balan to Osgoode and back, and he said slowly, "Are you sure you will not take another man or two?"
"We have not another man to spare," he replied impatiently. Anselm had asked the question at least six times since learning of this trip, and Balan could not help noticing that while the man was not