Part 54

1171

It should have been a great day of celebrating and rejoicing, instead as far as Edward, the Sheriff of Nottingham was concerned, it was a day of mourning and grief. Never had he imagined his life without Kate there to brighten his every waking moment. A lone tear escaped his eye and ran down his face. He bit back the remainder of his sorrow, first he had to face the world; his world in any case, the expanse of Nottingham and beyond. They would be waiting with bated breath to find out if his wife had finally borne him a long awaited and healthy heir.

When he ventured from his chambers his eyes fell to his right hand man, an elderly chap named Walter de Boise and alongside him was trusted guard Joe Lacey. They looked at him expectantly, with hope. Then behind him the physician emerged shaking his head, and the two men in whom Edward held in high esteem looked as grave as grim as the Sheriff himself.

"How did Kate take it?" Walter asked, knowing that this time she would be in pieces. She was now in her early thirties and having children was far more perilous now than in her youth. His wife had been a grandmother by then.

Edward shook his head, the words would not come, just tears trickled down his face. The men looked to the physician for answers.

"Kate passed away." He told them gently.

"And the child? What happened to the child?" Joe asked.

Finding his voice from somewhere buried within Edward said, his tone filled with a hardened bitterness. "The child lives."

"Then there is something to be joyous about?" Walter trod carefully. He had not seen a look so dire on any man's face, and he had seen more than one man's face in this position before.

"No. My Kate has gone. There is nothing to be happy about. You think I would prefer to have the child than nothing? Well you are wrong. Nothing will bring Kate back and all I am left with is a squalling healthy baby. What I want is Kate; nothing will ever compensate for the loss I received today, nothing and certainly not the girl child."

With tears in his eyes he walked away down the long corridor which led to the roof. After a look from Walter, Joe followed him just to make sure in his grief; the Sheriff did not do something foolish and hasty.

"The infant needs a wet nurse," the physician said, for want of something better to utter.

"Yes," Walter agreed. "There must be some young maiden in one of the villages or even here in town who can fulfil that role."

"I will locate one and send her to the castle? Meanwhile maybe you can try and persuade Sir Edward that he has a daughter who needs him."

Walter nodded in response that was going to be a far more difficult undertaking than first met the eye. Kate had been everything to Edward. He slowly walked into the Sheriff's quarters, here Kate still lay; pale, lifeless but still beautiful. The girl child lay within a wooden crib, she was crying, her arms waving in protest. She had not been swaddled as babies usually were. Being used to children and babies and not frightened of them in the least Walter bent down and carefully picked the crying maiden up. Immediately she stopped, her eyes opened but they were unable to truly focus on the man that held her. She had a head of dark hair and a small rosebud mouth and even as young as she was reminded Walter of Kate. Walter was painfully aware that it should be Edward not him cradling the babe until the wet nurse arrived, but it was not to be. What would be the fate of this motherless, and at the moment fatherless infant? In was in the hands of the almightily, and Walter offered up a prayer to bless and keep this child, that she may in time be a blessing and comfort to her father.