The Brat Page 0,89

play." Balan grinned. Catching his expression, Murie raised an eyebrow.

"What are you smiling about?"

"I was just thinking that you are so wonderfully tenderhearted," he said, his smile widening as she blushed. He then added, "And that I am going to slaughter you at this game." When she stiffened in surprise, he shrugged and added, "You simply cannot possibly have the killing instinct needed to beat me." Balan swallowed those words two hours later as his wife proceeded to take his king and win her third game. He hadn't seen it coming. Shaking his head with bewilderment, he lay back in bed and peered at her. "I am impressed, my lady wife. I can see why the king will no longer play with you."

"Oh?" She looked alarmed. "Does this mean you will not play with me, either? I could lose once in a while if it would please you," she offered. Then she added, "I am sure you only lost because of your head injury. No doubt it is paining you." Balan made a face. "My head is not paining me. You won fair and square. And of course I shall play with you again. I am not so proud I must win at everything. Mayhap you can teach me a thing or two."

Murie stared at him, wide-eyed. "Really?"

"Aye, really." He smiled, but it turned into a yawn at the end, and Murie quickly began to gather the chess pieces.

"You should sleep, my lord," she murmured.

"I slept all afternoon," Balan said irritably.

"Aye, but you sustained a terrible head wound," she pointed out. She paused to ask, "Are you sure it is not paining you? I could fetch you more - "

"Nay!" he interrupted quickly. The very idea of having to drink more of her special tea was enough to scare away any pain he might have felt. "I am fine. But I think I shall sleep now." He settled back on the mattress as she removed the chess game and pieces, then scowled when she moved back toward the fire.

"Are you not coming to bed?" he asked.

"I thought to work on the dress for a little bit before I retire," she replied.

"Come to bed," he ordered. Balan was too weary to make love, but for some reason he wanted the comfort of her near.

Murie hesitated, then turned back and quickly stripped down to her undertunic. She climbed onto the mattress next to him. The moment she was within reach, Balan turned on his side and snaked his arm around her waist, drawing her against him.

"Good night, husband," she whispered as he closed his eyes. Balan's answer was a grunt as he drifted off to sleep.

He didn't wake when Murie slipped away and only knew she had because when he woke up several hours later, she was sleeping on the fur before the fire, the crumpled pale yellow dress a pillow beneath her cheek. Grumbling under his breath, Balan pushed the linens and furs aside and crawled off the mattress. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten about the onions around the bed and planted his foot on one as he rose, lost his balance and fell back to the straw mattress hard enough to draw a groan from his lips.

Cursing now, he crawled to his hands and knees and then got up again, moving more carefully this time to avoid the onions. Muttering about his wife, her foolish superstitions and basically just women in general, Balan crossed the room to scoop Murie up off the floor and carry her back to bed.

The woman sighed in her sleep, but other than that she did not stir as he stripped off her clothes and settled her beneath the linens and furs. It wasn't until he crawled into bed beside her and pulled her against his chest that she showed any sign of waking. Murmuring his name, she started to lift her head, but he pressed it back down onto his chest and whispered, "Sleep." Balan was sure he would not fall back to sleep himself. He'd slept all afternoon and a good portion of the evening, after all; but he'd barely pressed her head back to his chest and closed his eyes when sleep claimed him once again.

When next he opened his eyes, Balan could see sunlight creeping around the furs covering the windows, and Murie was missing from the bed again. This time, however, she was not on the fur before the fire. In fact, she was nowhere in the room. Sighing in exasperation, Balan pushed