“Then why not stay here?” Alisande said anxiously.
“That is exactly what Ramon and I were asking ourselves last night,” Mama told her. “We could not think of a good answer.”
Alisande stiffened. “Does that mean you wish to remain here? Forever?”
“Well, at least as long as we live,” Mama said apologetically, “if you will have us.”
“I would be delighted!” Alisande rose from her chair to throw her arms about her mother-in-law.
Surprised, Mama hugged her back, then tightened her embrace as she realized Alisande was shaking.
“Why, poor child, you are weeping!” She held the Queen of Merovence in her arms for ten minutes, murmuring the sort of soothing inanities that come only to mothers.
At last Alisande straightened and stepped away, smiling and wiping her eyes. “You must forgive me, milady Mama. It must be the stress of this little war.”
“A queen is always subject to great stress,” Mama said, voice firm but sympathetic. “You must be able to weep with someone, my dear, or you will explode with your feelings.”
“Yes. I thank you.” Alisande smiled and sat again, taking another sip of the coffee. Its bite helped restore her. “Dare I hope, though, that your new grandchild has something to do with your decision to stay?”
“The child, and his mother,” Mama told her, smiling gently. “Family is the true vocation of both Papa and myself, my dear, far more important to us than anything else… and since both my parents and Papa’s have passed away, and Matt is our only child, and our new daughter-in-law is so very nice… Well, of course!” Then she stared, facts suddenly connecting. “The tears… It is not only the stress of the campaign that has brought you to weeping, is it?”
Alisande stared at her. “How did you know?”
“You forget, my dear, that I have been there before you! Come now, no hiding the truth! Out with it!”
“Well, yes.” Alisande looked down into her coffee. “I cannot be sure yet, but I think that you shall have another grandchild before next summer’s heat.”
“And you went on campaign!” Mama cried, then seized a cushion and tucked it behind Alisande’s head, pulled a hassock over and propped the queen’s feet on it. “You must be sure to dine well now, though not too much… that old wives’ tale about eating for two has caused many women to gain weight they could lose only with great difficulty! And no wine, or at least only a little! How foolish I was, to introduce you to coffee! And you must not worry, you must leave as much as possible to your ministers, and anything they cannot manage, you must assign to Papa and myself… “
Her voice flowed on, and her hands were very soothing as they massaged temples, touched wrist to measure pulse, tucked a lap robe about her… all completely unnecessary, of course, but Alisande leaned back and luxuriated in the attention, deciding that it really was very nice to have a mother again.