My Once Handsome Husband

Delaney sat on the couch across from the beautiful Queen and stared hard at the teacup in her hands. Sophia was annoyed and she could tell. The question was if she was annoyed with Delaney or annoyed with Mason for his bursting in on her and being rude. Delaney hoped it was the latter.

"I talked to my husband about Mason," she tried, "He said the worst thing I had to worry about from him is the rumors that would come if we spent time together alone."

"And as I told you, Vince and Daniel are blinded by their love for Mason. They refuse to see the person he really is or the trouble he brings."

Delaney looked down again, "You may be right. I can't argue with my husband about whether or not his family members are good people though, especially after knowing them for such a short amount of time. I will have to wait and if you are right I'm sure Mason will reveal himself eventually anyway."

"Fine," Sophia sat down her cup, "If you don't want my help in getting him out of your life then I won't push the matter. But I hope you'll heed my warning about trusting him at least."

"I will," Delaney said sincerely, "I won't give him any trust he hasn't earned. I promise."

Sophia sat back and studied Delaney, her fingers tapping the arm of the couch she sat in. Delaney knew she was being judged by the Queen and hoped desperately she wasn't found wanting.

"Vince is a good man," Sophia said after some time, surprising Delaney with the subject change.

"He is," she agreed with a wistful smile as she thought of her husband, "He's a very good man."

"He's fourth in line now to become the King."

Delaney's eyes shot up to the Queen. Studying the woman's face, she looked for a reason Sophia might have brought this up but found only hints of sadness. She supposed the loss of three royal heirs wasn't a secret but she hadn't expected anyone to talk about the change in the line of succession so openly.

"He'll never become King," she answered evenly, "Daniel will die of old age and leave the Kingdom to your son."

"If we have one."

"I'm sure you will," Delaney smiled encouragingly at the queen, "You're both young and healthy. It's only a matter of time."

"I'm quite a bit older than you," she countered, "And we've been married nearly eight years."

Delaney hesitated. It was well known throughout the Kingdom that the King and Queen seemed to not be able to have a child. It was a tragedy and part of the reason Mason was guarded so heavily. He would be the next King if things stayed the way they were.

"I'm sure it will happen," she tried again.

"You and Vincent are trying for a baby now?"

"We are," Delaney nodded, "But it hasn't happened for us yet either."

"If we don't have a baby and Mason doesn't, your child could end up being in line to inherit the throne after Daniel or Mason. Daniel could even choose to name him the heir over Mason or his other cousins."

"Oh that won't happen," Delaney swallowed and shook her head, "You will have children, or Mason at the very least will have a son eventually."

"Either way," the Queen stood so Delaney did the same, "You should be doing everything you can to give Vince an heir. For Edgewood if not for the whole Kingdom."

Delaney swallowed and nodded, feeling as if the Queen was trying to put her in her place. She knew it was important Vincent had an heir. All noblemen needed them to pass on their lands and wealth.

"Come with me," Sophia continued as she turned towards the door, "I think I know something that can help you."

Delaney wanted nothing more than to go home but she knew Sophia wouldn't accept that. So instead, she stood and followed her queen out of the room and down the hallway. They went down to a flight of stairs partially hidden between two columns with a tapestry hanging between them.

Down they went along the dark stairway lit only by low burning torches. There were no windows and the lower they got, Delaney could tell by the earthy smell that they were now underground. At last, the stairs came to an end and the queen stepped through an arched entryway.

The room they stepped into was indeed underground but had high ceilings and a few barred windows high up along one wall, letting in the daylight at ground level. There were shelves along every wall loaded with books, jars, dried plants, and all kinds of items. In the very center of the room were three rough wooden tables, each laden with different things.

There were three wooden doors along the opposite wall Delaney and Sophia has just entered through. It was towards the final door that the Queen was now headed. Delaney hurried to follow her, looking around nervously and feeling her nose itch from the strong smell of herbs and smoke.

At the last door, Sophia knocked and stepped back. It was only a moment before the door swung open and revealed a young woman who was barely covered. Delaney's eyes shot up and down before she hurried to look away.

The woman had long, curly, red hair and golden-green eyes which she lined with black makeup. Her lips had also been darkened with something. All she wore was a long black robe that was pinned together at her hips with a golden circle broach. From her neck, she wore a long chain of black beads that ran into another gold loop on her chest before it wrapped around her ribs, under her breasts.

Delaney thought she was the strangest looking person she'd ever seen but she was still somehow quite beautiful.

"Hello Luna," Sophia greeted the woman, having not looked away as Delaney had, "Do you remember Lord Adair? The one who was scarred so badly by the dragon? This is his wife, Lady Delaney Adair."

Delaney hesitantly looked back at the woman now and found her staring but with a small smile.

"Lord Adair is now fourth in line to inherit the throne," Sophia continued and Luna turned back to her, "So now, like me, Lady Adair needs to provide her husband with an heir. I thought you might have something for her that could better her luck?"

The woman looked from the Queen to Delaney and back again. She nodded and turned to go back into the room she'd come from. When she moved to push the door closed, Delaney saw a black crescent tattooed on her pam. Suddenly she realized what this woman was.

"She-she's a witch," Delaney whispered to Sophia once the door was closed, leaving them alone.

"She is. I know there are laws against fraternizing with witches but I trust that you will be able to keep her existence to yourself?"

Delaney remembered her conversation in the woods with Vincent and the witch Opal. They had said the King had several witches in the castle at his disposal. She couldn't believe she was meeting one now.

"Of course," she assured the queen quietly, "I won't tell anyone."

"Not even your husband?"

Delaney hesitated. She told Vincent everything. How would she not tell him she had met one of the witches?

"Vincent already knows there are witches in the castle."

"Yes, but you don't need to tell him you came with me to meet with one. She's going to give you something to help you get pregnant. Surely you don't want him to know you can't manage it on your own do you?"

Delaney shook her head. She wouldn't want Vincent to know she was going to get help from a witch to ensure she got pregnant. They hadn't been trying very long but if Vincent was serious about sticking to their agreement to separate if they couldn't have children she didn't want to risk it.

The sooner she was pregnant the sooner they could forget about that foolish agreement. Then she would be safe and secure with the man she loves forever.

The door reopened then and the witch, Luna, held something out to Delaney. It was a bottle filled with a brownish liquid that smelled like smoke.

"I think she's given me this one to try before," Sophia smiled at Delaney, "You'll take a spoonful once a day until you know you're pregnant. Is that correct Luna?"

The witch looked very serious and nodded to the Queen. She looked at Delaney and when their eyes met, Delaney felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise.

"Thank you Luna," Sophia smiled at the witch, "I'm sure Lady Adair will greatly appreciate you when she's given the kingdom another heir."

The witch nodded and disappeared back into the room again, closing the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, Sophia smiled excitedly at Delaney and linked her arm through the other woman's.

"I know she's odd," she giggled, "She can't speak but she's very good at potions. Take that as she said, and you'll be pregnant in no time."

Delaney forced a smile and quietly thanked her queen as they headed back up the stairs. She kept the bottle tucked in her arm against her chest, not wanting anyone to see it.

They got back to the Queen's chambers and Delaney listened and pretended to be excited as Sophia talked about how happy Vincent would be once she'd given him an heir and how everything would be better for them.

Delaney kept the fake smile plastered on her face as long as she could stand it before telling Sophia she would need to be heading home to meet Vincent. She assured the Queen her husband would be waiting for her.

Apparently, Sophia was too pleased to question if Delaney's story was true. She thanked her for coming to visit and sent her on her way after Delaney promised she would take the spoonful of the potion religiously until she was pregnant.

Delaney asked the first servant she saw to tell her men to bring her carriage around. She hurried down to the entry then, relieved she remembered where it was. Thankfully, the hallways were nearly empty so she was able to slip through without a lot of nobles seeing the strange bottle she was carrying.

Once Delaney reached their house again, she barely paused to say hello as she rushed through the door and upstairs to their bedroom. Looking around, her eyes landed on her trunk sitting in the corner, waiting to be packed up again when they headed to the ocean house.

She stepped quickly to it and threw open the lid. Pushing aside folded nightgowns and underdresses, she tucked the corked bottle at the bottom of the trunk and covered it back up with her clothing.

Sophia may trust that witch to help her but Delaney did not. She hadn't planned to take the potion right away but the chills she felt when the woman looked at her solidified that she wouldn't be taking it at all.

Delaney closed the trunk and stepped away just before a knock came at her door and the person threw it open.