Lowering herself onto the bed, she sat down for a moment before lifting her legs atop it and lying out next to him. The urge to ask him to steal her away was there, with the knowledge that he’d have to spirit himself away before dawn’s first light for fear of being caught with her. Why should she have to hide? It wasn’t as though the king would have to should he ever take on a mistress. His sister was blatant enough with her lovers. Why should she be the only one held to an impossible standard with someone whom she didn’t care for? Why could she not enjoy his touch and his presence without worry of the treaty falling through? Without worrying for her people?<br/><br/>His voice distracted her from her wonderings, asking her how she’d been eating. How had she been eating? Poorly. Until earlier that night, she’d not been aware that there was a chance the child wouldn’t be Ivor’s. She’d been so consumed by her depression and the memory of his body atop her, that she’d been constantly sick, whether morning sickness or her own disgust. So, in truth, her eating habits had fairly diminished and no amount of prodding from her ladies or midwife had done much good. What food she managed to force down soon came back up.<br/><br/>But she’d still tried, albeit a lackluster effort.<br/><br/>“I’ve yet to really hold anything down…Part of it was morning sickness while the other part was general disgust when I’d thought the child was his,” Maria admitted in a quiet voice. “I’ll try to be better about eating, Brád. Maybe you could occasionally bring me something to eat? Your stews taste far better than the bland food that the Sirmian’s seem to favor. I miss the spices of Veruu, and your food rivals it.”<br/><br/>As though on cue, her stomach churned, causing her expression to shift for a moment before the smile returned. “How have you been spending your time? I know that you’ve been with the twins more lately; They can’t stop talking about you.” Then after a moment, she added, “And…were you serious about taking Ivor hunting? Would you really subject yourself to that?”