Beltram swallowed. “Wait a moment. What are we talking about here? I have a lodger, Missus Berthold. She came from Stuttgart to visit her family but they claim they do not have room for her in their house.” He swallowed and glanced back at his wife. “You mean, the whole inn? Who are we talking about?” He glanced up at Charles and his two men. “I hope we are not talking soldiers.”

“Some,” Charles interjected.

“Well,” Genevieve began. “There will be soldiers, but they will mostly come in and out. Let’s see. The king will need a room, and a room for his sweet Uncle Bernard. I don’t know about other family, but I imagine a duke, a margrave, a count or two may show up. I suppose the rest will be for his generals and certain Captains and such, so, yes, some will be soldiers.”

“The king is coming here?” Liesel put her hand over her heart.

Charles leaned right over Genevieve’s head. “Yes he is.”

“I suppose we can move Missus Berthold to Ada’s place. I suppose she will have to move,” Genevieve mused before she opened her hand. “Here. This will get things started. I want roasted chicken and some of those good potatoes… and carrots if you got any. By the way, how many horses can you take in? I guess that can be worked out later. First, you need to bring your best beer for Charles’ men and Margo.” She looked up at Charles. “Nelly doesn’t drink and Edelweiss is not allowed. She crashes into walls and things.” She looked again at Beltram who stood there with his hand open. She placed the two silver coins there. “Are the rooms open? We need to check them out, especially the king’s room. Are the fireplaces clean and the flues and chimneys all scrubbed out?”

“Wait,” Charles said and placed a gentle hand over Genevieve’s mouth. Her eyes got big but she held her tongue. “Fulko, you stay here and be good company for the lady’s friends and enjoy the chicken. Personally, I prefer beef and game animals well roasted. We will check on the rooms. Hladwig the Younger. You get the hard duty of trudging back up to the house and telling Bernard and the others that we have procured accommodations for the morning, but we will be staying here as long as it is raining, and especially if it turns to sleet, ice, or snow. Be sure to mention that I ordered Genevieve to stay here as well, until morning if necessary.

“Yes S…”

“Sir.” Charles interrupted. “Yes Sir or Yes Captain.” He turned to Genevieve and removed his hand. “He is learning. Now, where were we?”

“Sir,” Hladwig said.

“Wait.” This time Beltram stopped the soldier. He pulled a long coat and a hat to go with it off a hook on the wall behind the counter. “It is water resistant and will help you get up the hill in one piece. Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Hladwig put it on and went out into the rain.

“We were going up to check out the king’s room and make sure everything is working, and maybe get the fire going to check it out.”

“Right,” he said.

She took Charles’ hand again and led him to the stairs. She noticed Liesel sent her younger son, Gundhard, to call in the troops, so to speak, while Ruppert was out getting all the shutters closed. Liesel would need help, at least two women and two men, if the inn was going to be full, and if the king was coming. She could not imagine it. The king was coming to her inn.

By then, they reached the top of the stairs and Genevieve began to get cold feet. Not literal cold feet, like she was still out tromping around in the snow and ice, but colder feet in some sense. She steeled herself. Her feet were not going to rule her. Normally, she simply grew melancholy and accepted things as they were. She was not normally passive aggressive, but there was a time and a place for everything, as Solomon said.

“This is called the king’s room because it is where King Pepin stayed when he came to visit my father when my mother died. He did not want to stay at the house for fear the atmosphere would be too sad and full of grief for him to get any work done.” She opened the door and went straight to the fireplace to start the fire. That was something she could do very well. She was well practiced.

Charles looked around the room, saw the shutters on the side where there was a window. They were already shut. He checked them, rattling them a bit. Then he bounced on the bed to check its firmness. “A bit soft,” he said. “I mostly sleep on a camp cot. Very firm.”

“I am sure,” Genevieve said. Once the fire got started, she took a stick and lit the candle beside the wash basin, and the candle on the bed table. “Not exactly palace quality. More like camping out for someone who is used to fancy rooms and beds.”

“No,” Charles said, and looked up at the chandelier Genevieve did not bother to light and which stood just high enough so he did not bump his head as he came into the room. “This will do fine. It is very cozy.”

Genevieve nodded and went to close the door, which was not really proper for a young woman alone in a room with a strange man. She said nothing as she brought Charles to stand in a certain spot before she said, “Stand here for a moment.” She went to the wash basin and pulled out the stool from beneath such as a short woman might use to see her whole face in the brass mirror. She set in in front of Charles, stood on it so she could see Charles almost eye to eye, slipped her arms around Charles’ neck and said, “Okay. I’m ready.”

Charles held her around her waist and pulled her close enough, but he said, “Ready for what?”

“For what you are thinking.”

“You don’t know what I am thinking.”

“I want to have a baby,” she said. “A son would be nice. And you will go off with the army and get yourself killed.” she sniffed back a few tears, took one hand to wipe her eyes, and repeated herself. “Okay. I’m ready.”

She kissed him, or he kissed her, but a couple of tears got in the way and he pulled back. “You have never done this before, have you?” She shook her head and looked down at her cold feet. He frowned, pecked at her lips, and took her off the stool. He sat her down beside him on the bed and said, “Tell me. And this time I want the whole story, the real story, not the fantasy tale.”

Genevieve nodded and they talked all afternoon and into the night. He did sleep with her, and more than once. He could not help himself, and to be honest, she did not resist him. Only one thing interrupted their time together. Alice sent a clear picture to Genevieve’s mind, and it caused her to sit straight up in bed and gasp.

“What?” Charles woke right away. “What is it?”

“A picture.” Genevieve shook her head. “A vision you might say. A battle out among the stars not too far from earth. Like a battle at sea. One ship was destroyed. One ship was seriously injured. The third ship was injured, but if they can find a safe port, they might be repaired.”

“Out among the stars?” Charles asked. He honestly tried to imagine it.

Genevieve nodded, and added, “Let’s hope they don’t come here,” and she laid back down.

In the morning, Charles lay on his side, admiring her. She lay on her back, her eyes closed, smiling. He went to remove a hair from her cheek and her eyes sprang open, and she shouted.

“It’s morning. We have to get out of the king’s bed. We need to make it right away. Oh, it is really messed up. What if the king gets here? What are we going to do?’

“Shh, hush, hush.” He got a word in. “The king is already here. It’s okay. It’s okay.”

“What do you mean?” she asked. She felt very uncharacteristically stupid that morning, or actually since she met Charles. She should have guessed from the beginning. When Charles confessed himself, she got mad, though mostly at herself. He quickly slipped on his tunic, stepped outside, and closed the door while she threw things at the door. After a minute or so she decided she was acting much too much like Amphitrite. Charles was not Poseidon. She slipped into her dress, got her dry slippers from the fireplace, and grabbed her winter shawl. She went out the door all smiles, kissed Charles on the cheek with a sigh and said, “You better put on your pants and boots if you want to have breakfast. I’m starving.”

While Charles hopped back into the room, Genevieve smiled for Uncle Bernard, who happened to be standing there, his mouth slightly agape. She smiled for him and added, “We missed lunch and dinner,” she said. “He could probably eat a whole cow by himself. I prefer chicken.” She shrugged.

When Charles came out, she took his arm and looked up at him. He asked, “Feeling better?”

She nodded vigorously. “Wonderful,” she said. “We should do that some more.”

“I was hoping you would say that.” He smiled down at her as they got to the stairs. Bernard sighed, reached out and gently closed the door to the room.

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MONDAY

Things get complicated. Genevieve gets pregnant. She needs to marry right away. Mister Lupen shows up. Someone wants to assassinate Charles. And a spaceship lands in the woods. Much to do. Too much to do… Happy Reading.

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