Page 48 of Ulf's Destiny
Ylva smiled at Helga, who beamed in return. As soon as they had reached the village, Ulf had brought her to the hut where Judith had been taken care of all those weeks ago.
“Thank you. It’s good to be back in the village.” And it was. Everything felt familiar, comforting—and little wonder. It was the first place of safety she had known since she’d been a child at home with her parents.
“I see you have not come alone.”
The old woman chuckled as she nodded at her swollen stomach and Ylva felt herself go red to the roots of her hair. This had not taken long…
Seeing her embarrassment, Ulf answered in her stead.
“No. As a matter of fact this is why Ylva is here. No one in her new village is competent enough to help her. But she’s been suffering badly from morning sickness for weeks and was wondering if it?—”
“And how do you know all that, might I ask?”
The heat in Ylva’s body turned to ice. They had agreed not to reveal the identity of the father of her child before she was ready but Ulf’s answer had betrayed a level of interest in her well-being and an intimate knowledge of her plight that were suspicious. As could have been predicted, however, he didn’t let the question ruffle him.
“She told me this morning, when she arrived, why she was here. I was the first person to meet her. I brought her straight here.”
“Mm. And how did she come? I see no horses. Don’t tell me she walked for miles and miles in her condition?”
“No. The miller from her village offered her a seat on his cart. He had business in town and has already left.”
Where was he finding all this? Fortunately, Helga seemed happy enough to accept his explanations. She gestured to the inside of the hut.
“Well, then, Ulf Steinarsson, you can leave us. This is none of your concern.”
Though the opposite was actually true, he nodded and headed back toward his own hut.
“Come in, my dear, have a drink. You’ll be able to tell me everything.”
While sipping an excellent tisane sweetened with honey and livened by a pinch of what she was told was caraway seed, Ylva told the healer what had been happening to her each morning for months now.
“Mm. Do you know when the babe was conceived?”
Though she knew the exact moment, she thought it better to be as vague as possible. “Around the end of the year.”
She should have guessed this would be enough to raise the woman’s suspicion. “That’s around the time you were in the village, is it not?”
“Yes.” What else could she say? It had been. Should she make up a story? Explain that just after she had left she had met a man? No. Not only was she loath to lie, but eventually everyone would find out who the real father was. She would just have to let the woman think what she wanted for now.
There was a silence. Then Helga stood up.
“Let us see what transpires, shall we, and make sure everything is as should be?” She gestured to the fur pallet. “Have I got your permission to examine you intimately? I would not normally do it at this later stage but I don’t know you so, it’s not a bad idea.”
Ylva took in a deep inhale. The healer was old enough to look like the grandmother she had never known. It helped her relax and accept submitting herself to the unusual examination. That was why she was here, because she wanted to know for sure that everything was fine. She loved the new life blossoming inside her and at times had worried about her baby’s health. Was it normal to be so sick in the mornings? Shouldn’t she be bigger by now? Could she do anything to ensure the babe’s good development? Was the fact that she was still untouched going to pose a problem later on, during the birth?
Not having had any mother or any benevolent feminine figure while growing up to impart her knowledge, Ylva was glad to have someone who might set her fears at rest.
She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to drift away. When she opened her eyes again, Helga was washing her hands.
“Is everything all right, then, with…everything?”
“Perfectly all right. Were you worried something might be wrong?” the old woman added, picking up her tone.
Ylva took in a deep inhale, feeling ridiculous. Should she tell her what was on her mind? Yes. She needed to know that her unusual state of affairs would not harm her baby. That wasthe priority. Any embarrassment she might feel should not be allowed to stand in the way of the child’s health.
Besides, understanding how she could have fallen with child would set her mind at rest for the remainder of her term.
“No. But you see, I was wondering if… Well. I know you will find it hard to believe me, considering why I’m here but I am, in effect, still a virgin. That is, I have never lain with a man…in that way.”
