The Surrogate (40 page)

“
I suppose you’d be glad to have him taken off your hands,” he said gruffly.

“
No, sir. On the contrary. Seve very much wants him to stay, and I believe Nikolas would like to. Seve has been helping him with his hands and they’re much improved.” Jaime forbore from mentioning that while they now knew what was causing the pain, and could relieve it, they were no closer to stopping him having sudden, crippling attacks of agony, though those were not as frequent now as they had been. He didn’t mention it because he was uneasily aware that he himself may be in some way responsible for some of those attacks.

But the mention of Nikolas’ hands, and the possible hope of a cure, was all Jaap needed for reassurance. “Truly? Then you’re going some way towards repairing the harm you caused.” He harrumphed. “Does he want to see me?”

“
He...would very much like your good wishes, sir. And news of his brothers and family. But he’s still very tired and coughing. No appetite.”

“
No, he wouldn’t. Never did eat when he was sick, even as a child. Well, you can tell him we’re all alive, and his brother Piet has managed to get another infant on his wife. If Nikolas wants, he can return when the baby is born and see it for himself.”

“
I’m sure he’ll be back to see you before that,” Jaime murmured, then bowed. “Congratulations on such happy news.”

“
Yes...well...looks like Niko won’t be giving me any grandchildren. Not that I want any off some of those silly women he hangs around with. And
you
won’t be giving me grandchildren either,” he said with a steely gaze.

“
No, of course not,” Jaime said stiffly, not at all sure what the man meant and really not wanting to investigate. “As I said, you’re welcome to visit any time. Would you like me to take him anything?”

“
Has he need of aught?”

“
Not that I’m aware of.”

“
Then no. Tell him not to stay abed longer than he has to. A bad habit in a young man, that is.”

He harrumphed again, and Jaime got the impression Jaap would like him to leave. “I’ll give him your message, and your love.”

Jaap glared. “No need to give him what he already has, sirrah. Now, be gone. I’ve got to close the shop. And next time, don’t take so long to tell me about my son’s health.”

Jaime apologised, and left. Outside the shop, he stopped and drew a deep breath in relief. Nikolas’ father was as stern as his son was amiable—hard to believe they were related. Perhaps Nikolas took after his mother.

His path out of town took him past the Inn of the Six Winds, and he scowled as he recognised the battered sign proclaiming its identity. But then he stopped, recalling the conversation with Seve the night before—and the problem of what to do when Nikolas was over his cold and Seve no longer needed to attend him.

He pushed his disgust at the establishment back down, and climbed the steps to the door. As Seve said, there was a battle to be fought, and he needed to use all the weapons at his disposal. Even if they came from a place like this.

~~~~~~~~

“
Well, master Nikolas, that’s the speediest recovery from a heavy cold I ever saw,” Gerde pronounced after she’d listened to Nikolas breathe and cough, smelled his breath, and looked into his eyes, nose and ears. “Now I suggest you continue to eat and rest well, build your strength and you’ll resist such things much better in the future.”

“
Thank you, mistress,” Nikolas said, turning his most winning smile on her. “I have my friends to thank. And you.”

“
Yes, you do,” she said bluntly, but smiled with it. Seve got the impression that she’d become rather fond of her patient. “And thank you for the herbs, master Seve. I swear, you have magical fingers—I’ve never seen such a fine batch. The goodmother who lived here before used to grow herbs and medicinals, but they were sorry things compared to yours. I shall be coming to you for my supplies, if you can spare them.”

Seve grinned. It was rather like telling a father his son was handsome and well-behaved, he supposed. “As many as you like, if you’ll teach me the distillations.”

“
Done,” she said, striking the table to emphasise the point. “Master Jaime, I’ve spoken to my lazy son and he’ll be seeing to that path soon. If he doesn’t, I’ll spike his food with nija seed and that’ll teach him to ignore his mother’s word.”

Seve didn’t understand why Nikolas’ and Jaime’s expressions went rather odd when she said this. Oblivious to their reactions, she stood. “Now, I can find my way out. Good day, young sirs.”

Nikolas got up to walk her to the door. It had taken a week for him to really feel completely well, but now he was back, or so it seemed, to his former ebullient and healthy self. Were it not for the nightmares and the occasional attack of pain in his hands, he would have no problems at all.

But he still had nightmares, and while Seve sleeping in the same bed with him had certainly helped, that couldn’t continue. That was on Jaime’s mind as well. As soon as Gerde and Nikolas left the room, Jaime turned to him. “So you have no need to share his bed now.”

“
No. But we can’t just abandon him, Jai.”

“
We won’t. I’ll be back in a moment.”

Puzzled, Seve watched Jaime disappear off out of the kitchen and towards the bedrooms, or so he presumed. Shaking his head, Seve got up to refresh the kettle, and to stir the stew he’d made for their supper. It smelled wonderful—Nikolas had given him some ideas of how to use the local herbs and together they’d concocted this dish. It had been great fun, cooking with him, and seeing him with renewed energy had been a reward for the care Seve had given him. Not that it had been that tiresome. It could have been much worse, Gerde had told him, if Nikolas’ lungs had turned putrid, which was ever a risk with these things.

“
That woman would turn all the fields around here to herbs if she had her way,” Nikolas said, walking back into the kitchen, and snatching up his mug to finish off his tea. “She wants her husband to give up his pigs and turn the land over to her. She says she could make more profit and more reliably—and with less smell.”

Seve chuckled. “Very likely. She’s a canny woman, mistress Gerde.”

“
She also says you could make a tidy sum just selling the produce from this garden,” Nikolas said.

“
Perhaps. But I’m no salesman. I’d have to take the herbs to Hamer, and....”
Be among strangers.

“
There are other ways,” Nikolas said gently. “She might be prepared to buy from you exclusively. It’s a thought, anyway. You have the space, and the soil’s good.”

“
I have the space but I’d have to sacrifice the trees and ornamentals, and I’m not going to do that just to make money. The trees are my friends.”

Nikolas nodded. “Yes, they are. It was only conversation, Seve. Her enthusiasm is a bit infectious.”

“
Unlike you,” Seve joked, and Nikolas grinned. “I’m warning you, now you’re fit, I expect you to work again.”

“
I can’t wait. It’s been so boring—not that you’ve not done your best to entertain me,” he amended hastily. “But idling’s not my habit.”

“
Huh, then maybe you are your father’s son after all,” Jaime said, coming back into the kitchen bearing a small, cloth-wrapped parcel. He set the package down in front of Nikolas who gave him a quizzical look. “To...help you sleep. It’s the same...as you had before.”

“
Drugs, Jai?” Seve asked, shocked at his lover being the one to supply the stuff, apparently without prompting.

Jaime’s look was defiant. “You said whatever it took. Well, until we find a better answer, this is it. Nikolas, Seve can’t share your bed forever.”

“
No, of course not,” Nikolas said quietly. He didn’t move to take the parcel, or even unwrap it to check it. “Jaime—it really might be better if I just moved back to my father’s house.”

“
You mean back to that inn with those slutty women.”

Seve raised an eyebrow at the description—Jaime wasn’t usually that censorious of people’s sexual habits. Nikolas frowned, displeased. “Masha and Syere are friends, and very kind. I’ll thank you to keep your insults to yourself, Jaime.”

Jaime flushed. “As you wish,” he muttered. “But you’d move back there, not your father’s?”

“
I’m of age, I can do as I wish. If it’s a choice between that and staying here drugged, which would you choose?”

Jaime hadn’t thought this through, Seve realised. But that was typical of his lover—he had a brilliant mind, but rarely did he think of the long term, or the consequences of his actions. Rarely was it an issue, but it was now. “Nikolas,” Seve said, coming over and sitting next to him. “You need to do what makes you happy. Jaime and I want you to stay. But if you don’t want to, we can’t and won’t force you.”

Nikolas looked at him. “I could sleep at the inn, come back in the daytime.”

“
You could. That’s a lot of trouble for you.”

“
Not so much,” he murmured. His gaze fell upon his hand, resting on the tea mug. “I was hoping these would be well enough to allow me to work by now.”

The hands weren’t the problem though. It was Nikolas’ mind that needed mending, and while he still suffered such appalling nightmare and the sudden attacks of pain, locksmithing was beyond him. Or, at least, not something he could do without planning it carefully. “You’ve not returned to see healer Karel yet. Perhaps you should.”

“
Perhaps.” Nikolas put his hand around the bag of drugs, and clenched it tight, then looked up. “You really want me to stay? Both of you?”

“
Yes,” Seve said promptly.

“
Jaime?” Nikolas asked.

“
Of course,” Jaime said. “But it’s your choice. I meant nothing other than that by obtaining the drugs.”

He was getting all stiff and offended, and Nikolas was tensing up in response. Seve laid a hand on both their shoulders. “Of course you didn’t, Jai. Nikolas, at least stay tonight?”

Nikolas nodded. “I’ll just...put this away. And then see if there are any windfalls to collect—the birds will only ruin them.”

Jaime waited until he left the room, then got up and went to the stove, apparently to tend to the stew. “Anyone would think I was trying to poison him,” he muttered.

“
No one thinks that. He doesn’t like the drugs any more than you do.”

“
Then suggest something else,” Jaime snapped. “Or do you prefer sleeping with him to me?”

Seve blinked. He’d only spent four nights in Nikolas’ room, and the idea that it was anything but a necessary chore was ridiculous. “You spent months sleeping with him. Did you prefer that to being with me?”

Jaime’s eyes widened, but then his expression shuttered. “No.” He turned his attention and his gaze back to the stew.

Seve sighed. “I’ve missed sleeping with you,” he said quietly. “But Nikolas getting some proper rest helped him get over it faster. It benefited everyone.”

“
I
know
that, Severin. Do you think I’m a fool?”

“
No, just a stubborn bastard. You always were, Jai. Pig-headed.”

“
Hah. Who was the one who would always insist he could eat a whole melon at a sitting, and then end up with stomach ache every time? Every summer we went through that. You’d never listen.”

“
I always thought it would be different next time,” Seve said, grinning at the memory. “I still like melons.” He got up and walked over to Jaime, wrapped his arms around him. “I know you meant well, and really, there aren’t many options. You just took everyone by surprise.”

Jaime nestled against him, and it was completely true—Seve
had
missed him. Very much missed him. Nikolas was no replacement, and wasn’t intended to be.

Nikolas returned a half hour later, arms full of fallen fruit, and a ready smile on his lips. He seemed untroubled, and didn’t mention the drugs or the question of where he would live. The stew was pronounced a success, and once again, Gerde’s idea of setting up a wholesale herbal supply from their garden was mentioned. Jaime thought it a good idea. Seve, reluctant to turn a labour of love into mere work, resisted. Nikolas contented himself with discussing what he knew of Jendonese herbs—his mother had been a wisewife in her day, and he had learned something of the use of medicinals from her, though he confessed he was no gardener at heart. “Not that I haven’t enjoyed working here,” he hastened to add.