"She was found making her way here." I heard Mrs O'Holly saying.
"I'm so glad someone did find her. I never knew."
"Well you do now. I want her to stay here tonight and then she has to rest in her own bed until I say otherwise."
"Thank you for everything." With that I hear her leaving and I watched him come into the room.
"I feel like hell." I said. "And I've been strung up and bled alive."
He said nothing and sat on the bed, bundling me up in his arms. I cosied in, and waited for him to speak. It must have taken the better part of ten minutes.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I saw this happening."
"Again, why didn't you tell me? I would have kept a better eye on you."
"I wanted to be pregnant, telling you would have tempted fate."
"You could have died."
I almost replied, that might be better for everyone, but I caught myself.
"I didn't think I could even conceive, forgive me for being hopeful."
"Bano," he said, moving so I would face him, and I met his eyes squarely, "I almost lost you."
"I'm sorry." I said, shocked by how hurt he looked. His voice was calm if not a little short in tone, and his body was cool as could be, but his eyes were swimming with anger and fear. He looked like he would want to say more but instead he promised to come back for me in the morning and left me with a light kiss. I guess I'd really hurt Hansel, the great impenetrable witch hunter.
Mrs O'Holly came in with her own baby.
"Come on, sit up." She commanded quietly.
"I don't think that's..." she placed the baby in my arms and sat on the bed next to me. She arranged my arms to hold it best and tried to sooth me. Thing was, I saw it coming. I wasn't upset for my loss I was tired from the shock my body had undertaken.
"Now don't cry." She said, though I wasn't going to, "And don't go thinking this baby as your own, this one is mine."
"Am I so well thought of in this village?" I asked, looking up from the child as it 'ah'd at me and fingered my plain, brown waving locks.
"You're a mystery. You live with the ex-witch hunter in the woods as strangers. You pass through town so seldom and bear scars none of us know how you received. We can only guess."
I covered the child's ears as though it could understand what I was saying and told her, quite simply, "I was captive by a witch, strung up by the throat over a pond from where she cut my skin to draw blood and store it in phials for devious witch craft."
"And he saved you." She concluded for herself, looking at me with eyes as though she at last saw me. "Shall I tell the town?"
"If you like."
"I thought witched only took children?"
"I did too." I lied, my finger tightly locked in her baby's fist. "And what is your name?"
"Brian." She answered. There was a knock at the door and Mr O'Holly opened the door only enough to see his wife and shortly after, Olivia appeared.
"I'll leave you two alone."
Olivia waited by the door as the room cleared and the door was shut.
"I'm so sorry," she said, "I would never have –"
"It's alright."
"It most certainly is not. You were in a fragile state and we barged in and brought up your own experience with witches..."
"Please don't apologise. I expected this to happen. That's why Hansel never knew."
"I know we aren't close in any form of the word, but I hate to see you like this. My daughter would be about your age if I were to guess," she moved to sit at the foot of the bed, "I have a terrible habit of seeing all girls her age like my own responsibility."
"I never knew my mother or father. Really, there's no need to look to care for me."
She gave me a sad glance that said, but I can't help myself. I wanted her to be my mother, but then how could I ever be sure? How could I quell the doubt that she was someone else's mother and I was stealing her for my own selfish wants? It was better not to host the hope at all.
"I think you'll make a wonderful mother some day."
"I barely looked after you."
"I have a feeling about it." She smiled and departed, thanking me again for mine and Hansel's hospitality. It was nice of her to say so but that was all it was, nicety.
I lay back and let sleep take me.