It was hard figuring out when to sleep when one's wife was, essentially, nocturnal. Duncan was too used to waking up at dawn to break the habit now. He crawled out of bed, took a sip from his flask, swirled it around his mouth, and spat it into the fire, before he started getting dressed.

Dierdre stirred when he got up, and pulled his blankets up to her chin. "Is it morning?" she mumbled at him.

He lifted the edge of one of the window tapestries and tried to gauge the sun. This was difficult to do through a set of heavy shutters, but that he could see any daylight at all through the cracks spoke volumes. "Late morning or thereabouts, I think." He came back to bed, tying up the top of his trousers as he went, and fondly laid a hand over the dome of Dierdre's stomach. "No need for you to get up. Go back to sleep."

She reached for his hand and tugged him forward. "Come hold me a moment," she said softly. "Then I'll go back to sleep. Do you have plans for today?"

He sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. "Going on the hunt," he said. "As early as evening comes these days, I'll be back well before you wake up."

She wriggled up close to him. "All right," she said. "Do you...is there any news about Morgana's little girl? Do you know? If you hear anything, can you tell me?"

"I haven't been out since we came in and you fell asleep. I'll ask the countess for you?" He grimaced and shook his head. "Better I ask one of the guard, I'm sure they'll know."

"Good neighbor," she said, and gave him a squeeze. She held her breath for a moment before going on. "Love. We...there's something I need to tell you about. Now or when you get back."

"If it's important, you might better tell me now," he said. "You're feeling all right?"

"Fine," Dierdre answered. She was quiet for a moment. "Nialla thinks the babies. Might be." She stopped for a moment and drew in a breath. "The Ganconner said something to her about tricking someone into carrying its child. She thinks it might be me."