Iris Johansen - Always

After Lisa had showered and dressed, she set out to try to locate Marna for that discussion. Finally she tracked the housekeeper down in the kitchen, which proved to be a converted scullery in the cellars of the castle. Marna was standing beside a modernistic microwave oven, consulting in a low voice with a white-clad boy.

She turned an expressionless face as Lisa approached her. "Breakfast will be served in twenty minutes. You wish something special? ”

"No, anything will be fine. I just-"

"This is Hassan, Miss Landon." She gave the boy a surprisingly warm smile. "He is the cook. He was responsible for your dinner last night."

"It was a wonderful dinner, Hassan. We enjoyed it very much." She turned to the housekeeper. "I wonder if I could speak to you for a moment, Miss Debuk."

"Marna," she corrected as she turned away from the stove. "I'm through here, we can go upstairs now." She gave the cook another fleeting smile and led the way through the scullery and up the curving stone steps to the hall. "Hassan is a good boy with sense in his head. Not like those other chitkas ."

"Chitkas?"

"Fools. It is a Tamrovian word. They fear everything they don't understand."

"Well, there's a few things I don't understand that I'd appreciate your explaining."

"But you are not afraid to ask. Those chitkas run away and hide instead of asking. I have no use for them. You remember that clumsy girl who served you dinner last night?" When Lisa nodded she went on with a scowl, "Lia ran away last night before I could even talk to her. She left a message that she was returning to her village and would not be back. Now why would she do that?"

"She seemed to be afraid of your disapproval." Lisa paused. "And I got the distinct impression that you enjoyed the image you were projecting."

There was a flicker of grudging respect in Mama's dark eyes. "I do," she said with a shrug. "I grow bored with these chitkas . If they fear, whyshouldn't I feed it a little?" She frowned. "But not that much. Lia makes good wages here and she needs the work. I'll have to go to the village and bring her back this morning."

It appeared there was a soft streak beneath that fierce exterior. "Could you answer a few questions before you go running after her?"

Marna looked at her without expression. "Of course. What would you like to know? Should I get my tarot cards?"

Lisa could feel her lips gape in surprise. Merciful heaven, the woman did believe she had psychic powers!

"No, I don't think that will be necessary. You won't need a crystal ball to answer this one. Where are my clothes?"

"They should be in Mr. Donahue's room by now. Last night I had a maid take them downstairs to press and freshen them a little. She was told to take them to Mr. Donahue's room this morning and put them away." She frowned. "You must tell me if she hasn't done it properly. She is achitka , too."

That appeared to be the woman's favorite word, Lisa thought. "But why would you do that?"

"You wish to occupy Mr. Donahue's bed and his room," Marna said simply. "And Mr. Donahue wishes you to be there. There was no need for you to pack yourself. I took care of it for you."

"But how did you-" Lisa broke off, totally bewildered. The question of the change of rooms hadn't even come up before this morning, and Marna had put the wheels in motion Jast night.

"You did want to move?"

"Yes, but-"

"Good. I will send the girl for the few things that were left in the tower chamber at once." Marna turned back toward the scullery. "It is good that you do this. Mr. Donahue is a disek . He will have a fine strong son."

"Disek?" Lisa repeated numbly. She felt as if she'd been caught in the middle of a tornado.

"A disek is one of the exceptional ones, an individual with power and strength," Marna said. "Did he tell you that he helped Kira when she was trying to smuggle me out of Tamrovia?"

"No, he didn't tell me that."

Marna nodded. "That chitka , Stefan, thought he would gain the upper hand, but Kira and Mr. Donahue fooled him."

"King Stefan?" It appeared that nervous servants weren't the only chitkas in Mama's estimation.

"Kira's brother," Marna confirmed, nodding.

"Stefan is not a disek ?"

Marna shook her head emphatically. "A chitka ."

"I see." She didn't, but she was afraid to increase her confusion by delving any deeper. "Then you must be very grateful to Clancy for his help."

"Of course. Why do you think I made the nathal and hung it on his doorknob?"

Nathal . Lisa reached into the pocket of her slacks and pulled out the small pouch. "This is a nathal ?"

Marna nodded with satisfaction. "The most powerful nathal I have ever made."

"Just precisely what does a nathal do?" Lisa asked warily.

"Why, what you wished it to do." She turned and crossed back to where Lisa was standing. "May I touch you?"

Lisa nodded, puzzled.

Marna put her large hand gently on Lisa's abdomen and closed her eyes. It was only for the briefest instant, and then her hand was gone and she turned away. "Yes, there was no problem. I thought not. It was a very strong nathal . "

"You didn't answer me," Lisa said, exasperated and close to desperate. "What does a nathal do?"

"It is a fertility talisman," Marna said calmly as she glided down the hall. "You both wished for a child, and now you have it. A fine son who will grow into a disek like his father." She glanced over her shoulder. "But you must eat more than you did last night from now on. It is not good for the child for you to be so thin."

Lisa watched as the door closed behind her. Good heavens, now Marna was nagging her about eating, too, she thought half-hysterically. Would the woman make a charm to increase her appetite if she wasn't satisfied? Oh, Lord, the whole thing was crazy. Yet there had been something so serenely confident in Mama's last statement. And how had she known they wanted a child?

She shook her head to clear it, but it did little good. She still felt as if she'd been transported back to fantasyland.

"What's wrong?" She turned to see Clancy coming out of the library down the hall. "Don't you feel well?"

"I don't know. I've just been talking to Man don't know which side is up at the moment.

A little smile tugged at Clancy's lips. "I should have known. It's not an unusual reaction. Did you find out what the talisman is for?"

She nodded. "It appears you don't have to work so hard on our little project after all. Marna has fixed everything." She held up the pouch. "Fertility talisman."

Clancy chuckled. "I suspected as much."

"Well, why didn't you tell me?" Lisa demanded.

"Because, my love, Marna can't be explained. She has to be experienced. I thought this was the quickest way for you to do that."

"I certainly 'experienced' her all right. Heavens, the woman is strange." She hesitated. "What do you think? Is there anything to this talisman stuff?" She put her hand to her head and groaned. "Just listen to me; she's got me half believing it. I must be as strange as she is."

Clancy's expression was thoughtful. "I've lived long enough that I don't discount the possibility that powers like that exist, and I've seen Marna do some very impressive hocus-pocus. Who knows?"

Lisa unconsciously touched her abdomen where Mama's hand had rested only a short time ago. Was it possible that the woman was right and even now the seed of a child was growing within her? "A son," she said softly.

"What?"

"Marna said the talisman had worked and I was carrying your son."