so before my people. They look hard at my face and hands, hoping to see some marks that shows I fought you until I had no strength to stay you.”
“I don’t know why, Aurélie. Surely as they view us they should see it would be very foolish for you to fight me. Women are not expected to die for nothing.”
“There are those who think De la Noye is
something.”
He put up his hands, palms facing her. “If it serves some purpose for you, I shall keep my caresses to the privacy of our chamber.”
“It saves me some dignity. Am I not allowed that?”
“There is seldom dignity in being captured, my little Aurélie. You are very slow to understand. And caution your hot young knight; I will not condone his appraisal of you as if he already tastes your sweet flesh.”
“How dare you …”
“Did I mistake his eyes, madame? If his gaze had been fingers, I would have had to slay him for trespassing.”
“What do you know of it? He was Giles’s staunchest vassal. He mourns his lord.”
“ ’Twas not mourning,
chérie.
It was lust. Do take special care, for Verel can be replaced … and you cannot.”
He strode out of the chamber, leaving her alone with his warning. Nothing was ever missed by this man. She sat heavily on her bed, staring at the wall. She, and each of her vassals, stood naked before him. He accurately interpreted every glance, gesture, whisper. She had seen confusion only once in his eyes, and that was his perplexity over how Giles had won and maintained her support.
She meant to learn Hyatt’s weakness. However, she did not expect to gain any knowledge by sulking in her room. She would relearn this keep, as she had learned it twelve years ago. She would watch the organization of two opposing forces, judge the strength of her people, and observe the habits of this new troop of men. She meant to become as good at judging her foe as he was at judging her.
Aurélie made only cursory trips through the common room, entrusting the tending of the wounded to other women. She examined the cookrooms, spoke with the villeins for the first time since the coming of the English. She paid her calls to widows and children. She saw weaponless soldiers installed with their families or casting about in search of a place to bed down. Hyatt’s men and additional servants had left little extra space in the hall, outbuildings, and stables. A knight who had once resided in the hall took his refuge with a recent widow. A page who had lost his knight was placed with another, but this time his role was to carry bales of hay. Where there had been four to a room, there were now ten. Wagons, tents, and mean shelters littered the outer bailey, for many residents had been rousted from their inner bailey or village hovels. Aurélie worried whether there was enough food to feed them all, victor and vanquished alike.
The sun was lowering when she moved through the corridor toward her chamber. She was halted in mid-stride by a shriek, a ringing slap, and the abrupt opening of a chamber door. Baptiste came stumbling from the room backward, tripping on the frame and falling against the opposite wall, a hand clasped to her reddened cheek. Aurélie was but five paces away. She saw the girl’s tear-filled eyes and the shocked wonder on her face.
“I’ll have you whipped, you belligerent slut!”
Aurélie looked toward the chamber to see a wildly enraged woman brace herself against the frame with both hands. Coppery tresses fell errantly over her bare shoulders, her eyes sparkling with fury. She looked ready to hurl herself at Baptiste, and Aurélie flew to place herself between the two.
“Nay, madame, do not harm her,” she ordered, crouching to see if Baptiste was hurt.
“I would not have burned the child, madame,” Baptiste choked.
Aurélie turned pleading eyes to the stranger. “Madame, the girl serves well, but it is her first day of chores after a battering from these knights. Patience! Please!”
“Bah, the
“I don’t know why, Aurélie. Surely as they view us they should see it would be very foolish for you to fight me. Women are not expected to die for nothing.”
“There are those who think De la Noye is
something.”
He put up his hands, palms facing her. “If it serves some purpose for you, I shall keep my caresses to the privacy of our chamber.”
“It saves me some dignity. Am I not allowed that?”
“There is seldom dignity in being captured, my little Aurélie. You are very slow to understand. And caution your hot young knight; I will not condone his appraisal of you as if he already tastes your sweet flesh.”
“How dare you …”
“Did I mistake his eyes, madame? If his gaze had been fingers, I would have had to slay him for trespassing.”
“What do you know of it? He was Giles’s staunchest vassal. He mourns his lord.”
“ ’Twas not mourning,
chérie.
It was lust. Do take special care, for Verel can be replaced … and you cannot.”
He strode out of the chamber, leaving her alone with his warning. Nothing was ever missed by this man. She sat heavily on her bed, staring at the wall. She, and each of her vassals, stood naked before him. He accurately interpreted every glance, gesture, whisper. She had seen confusion only once in his eyes, and that was his perplexity over how Giles had won and maintained her support.
She meant to learn Hyatt’s weakness. However, she did not expect to gain any knowledge by sulking in her room. She would relearn this keep, as she had learned it twelve years ago. She would watch the organization of two opposing forces, judge the strength of her people, and observe the habits of this new troop of men. She meant to become as good at judging her foe as he was at judging her.
Aurélie made only cursory trips through the common room, entrusting the tending of the wounded to other women. She examined the cookrooms, spoke with the villeins for the first time since the coming of the English. She paid her calls to widows and children. She saw weaponless soldiers installed with their families or casting about in search of a place to bed down. Hyatt’s men and additional servants had left little extra space in the hall, outbuildings, and stables. A knight who had once resided in the hall took his refuge with a recent widow. A page who had lost his knight was placed with another, but this time his role was to carry bales of hay. Where there had been four to a room, there were now ten. Wagons, tents, and mean shelters littered the outer bailey, for many residents had been rousted from their inner bailey or village hovels. Aurélie worried whether there was enough food to feed them all, victor and vanquished alike.
The sun was lowering when she moved through the corridor toward her chamber. She was halted in mid-stride by a shriek, a ringing slap, and the abrupt opening of a chamber door. Baptiste came stumbling from the room backward, tripping on the frame and falling against the opposite wall, a hand clasped to her reddened cheek. Aurélie was but five paces away. She saw the girl’s tear-filled eyes and the shocked wonder on her face.
“I’ll have you whipped, you belligerent slut!”
Aurélie looked toward the chamber to see a wildly enraged woman brace herself against the frame with both hands. Coppery tresses fell errantly over her bare shoulders, her eyes sparkling with fury. She looked ready to hurl herself at Baptiste, and Aurélie flew to place herself between the two.
“Nay, madame, do not harm her,” she ordered, crouching to see if Baptiste was hurt.
“I would not have burned the child, madame,” Baptiste choked.
Aurélie turned pleading eyes to the stranger. “Madame, the girl serves well, but it is her first day of chores after a battering from these knights. Patience! Please!”
“Bah, the
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