Another chapter of the tale of mystery.
FAMILY SECRETS
A HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE FANFIC
Chapter 15
I remained in bed for the better part of the next day. I was eventually visited by both Lettie and Martha, but that was only for a short time. Howl refused to allow me to get excited. He told me that I was on complete bed rest. No cooking, no cleaning, and no magic were allowed. In other words, I was bored out of my mind! Howl did most of the work. Which put him into a more foul mood than usual. That only added to my discomfort. I wanted to argue with him. However, I found that I did not have energy to do so. That alarmed me more than anything else. I was so weak! I just couldn't get out of bed.
Once I was able to get up Howl wouldn't let me do much. He insisted that I take it easy. He said that I shouldn't push myself right now. He was right, of course. I still felt drained. At least I got to hold Arthur again. My son needed me. Howl had tried his best, but he was no good at taking care of diapers. Arthur wasn't as clean as he should be. I fixed that then I took him downstairs to sit by the hearth for a while.
"Sophie, how are you feeling?" Calcifer asked tentatively.
"I'm much better now, Calcifer. Sorry to have worried you." I tried to give him my best smile. I did not want to worry him. Which didn't seem to work. Instead, I decided to change the subject.
"He's in the bathroom right now using up all my hot water."
Calcifer tried to act like that bothered him, but I knew better. The two were old friends. They constantly picked on each other. Although they had a grudging respect for each other. Even if they bullied each other constantly.
"How long as he been in there?" I asked.
"About an half hour."
So, then he would be a while. Howl liked to spend at least an hour or two in the bath each day. He would not only soak but dye his hair to whatever the color of the day was. Usually though it was blond. Sometimes, he was more creative. Honestly, I didn't care. I preferred either the blond color or his natural black. Not that Howl wanted to hear that. So, she let her husband do what he liked. It made him happy. I was glad that he started that back up again. It suggested that Howl was relaxing. Yesterday I don't think he bothered with a bath at all! Very unusual for Howl.
I turned my attention to my son. "You're not going to grow up to be like your daddy, right?" I teased. This little boy was going to be so like his father. Hopefully, he might take a few less baths. I wasn't sure that I could handle two Howls trying to take long baths and color their hair! "Oh well . . ." I said out loud. I was kind of stuck. There was nothing that I could do about it. I loved them both dearly. I couldn't abandon them now.
A little later Howl came down stairs in one his favorite suits. He now smelled like lilies. One of his favorite scents. It was too strong for my tastes, but it was my Howl. I couldn't really change that.
"I thought I said you were to rest." He grumbled.
I chuckled. "I did. I slept most of yesterday and nearly all day today. I'm tired of resting, Howl."
He ignored me as he turned his attention towards Calcifer. "You were supposed to tell me when she got up."
Calcifer bit back. "I didn't feel like it. Besides, she's doing just fine. She told me herself."
"And you BELIEVED her?"
I was becoming annoyed at my husband. Why wouldn't he believe me when I said that I was feeling alright? I'm not a liar like you Howl! "Why wouldn't he believe me Howl?" I demanded.
"That's obvious, isn't it?" He turned on me. "You don't know how to rest. You push yourself too hard! That's going to kill you one day you know."
I knew that he was only expressing his concern, but it was in the most insensitive way. He was treating me like a child. No, worse than that: He was treating me like an invalid. I wanted to kill him! "Oh, I see." I said very quietly. "Don't tell me, it's because I am a woman!"
"No, It's because you're Sophie. Most women would know better than to run around the house after that."
Calcifer hid. It seemed that the fire demon knew when it book it. He was no fool. I was about to kill Howl. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm so stupid, Howl. Maybe you'd be better off with another woman!"
I yelled before dragging Arthur upstairs. Who started crying because of his parents. It was several minutes before I managed to calm him down. I didn't mean to upset Arthur. I certainly didn't want to fight with him in the room. Hell, I didn't even want to fight at all! All I wanted to do was sit by the fire and be with my son. I had even hoped that his father would join us and allow us to enjoy his company. I guess I was wrong. I decided that now was not a good time to discuss trying that Soul Walk again.
Next Chapter coming up!