carried Kassia out of the hall. He supposed, as he took the final step into the hall, that he would rather face an army of infidels than this group.
8
The thread of flame from a single candle broke the darkness. Kassia blinked, stared a moment into the flame, remembering quite clearly everything that had passed since her arrival at Wolffeton.
“How do you feel, my baby?”
Kassia smiled wanly at the sound of her old nurse’s soft voice. “Alive, Etta,” she said, “alive. Is it very late?”
“Nearly ten o’clock in the evening. You slept for six hours. I have food and mulled wine for you.”
Kassia slowly pulled herself up and Etta quickly came to place pillows behind her head. “What I really want,” she said, staring at her dirty fingernails, “is a bath.”
“First you eat,” Etta said firmly, “then I will have those lazy sluts bring you hot water.”
“Lord Graelam,” Kassia said, hearing the thin thread of nervousness in her voice, “where is he?”
To her surprise, Etta laughed. “Ah, your lord! What a man that one is!”
“What do you mean?”
“I will tell you while you eat. I kept the victuals warm over a small brazier. This great keep will vastly improve with you as mistress, my baby. The food is barely edible, and the servants do naught unless Lord Graelam is about.”
“You are too stern, Etta,” Kassia said, but the pork was clearly stringy and overcooked.
Etta regarded her young mistress with a worried eye. She had been raised in the midst of people who loved her and obeyed her because they loved her. But Wolffeton was vastly different from Belleterre. “Tell me now, Etta,” she heard Kassia say. “What happened whilst I slept?”
Etta eased her bulky frame into the one chair in the large chamber. “Well, after I was certain that you were all right, my baby, I slipped into the hall below. I have never heard so many people arguing at once in all my life! And the screeching from Lord Graelam’s betrothed!”
Kassia felt a surge of guilt, but it was tempered with the anger she had felt at the insults that lady had hurled at her. She sipped at the warm wine. “I hope her heart is not broken.”
“Ha, that one! Lord Graelam should kiss your feet, for you saved him from a wretched existence. As to the other one, well, we shall have to see.”
“What other one?”
“Lady Blanche, Lord Graelam’s sister-in-law.”
Kassia frowned, wondering if her wits had gone begging.
“Lord Graelam, I discovered from one of the servants, was married before, a long time ago. His wife’s half-sister came to Wolffeton some three or four months ago to live. Why, I don’t know.” Etta shrugged. “Shedid seem quiet enough and quite the lady during all the shrieking and arguing. Eat the potatoes, my lady,” Etta added, her eyes upon Kassia’s trencher.
The potatoes were half-cooked, Kassia found, but she would not give Etta the pleasure of admitting it.
“Now, where was I? Aye, your husband is quite the man. He had to roar for quiet but once, and all obeyed him, even the Duke of Cornwall. Aye, you stare, my baby. The king’s own uncle! ’Twas he, according to what I heard, who arranged the marriage with the heiress. His face, I tell you, was a bright crimson! As for Lord Thomas, Lady Joanna’s father, he looked for all the world like a boiled turnip. But Lord Graelam soon put all of them to rout. Told them, he did, all that happened at Belleterre. He even produced the marriage contract so there could be no doubts as to your status as his lady wife. At that, Lady Joanna was forced to close her mouth, but her mother kept wailing in the most ridiculous way. Lord Thomas finally slapped her. That shut the old harridan up, you may be certain! He announced to the Duke of Cornwall that he would not remain at Wolffeton another day. Then he took his wife on one arm and his daughter on the other and marched them out of the hall. I know Lord Graelam was smiling, though he tried to hide it.
8
The thread of flame from a single candle broke the darkness. Kassia blinked, stared a moment into the flame, remembering quite clearly everything that had passed since her arrival at Wolffeton.
“How do you feel, my baby?”
Kassia smiled wanly at the sound of her old nurse’s soft voice. “Alive, Etta,” she said, “alive. Is it very late?”
“Nearly ten o’clock in the evening. You slept for six hours. I have food and mulled wine for you.”
Kassia slowly pulled herself up and Etta quickly came to place pillows behind her head. “What I really want,” she said, staring at her dirty fingernails, “is a bath.”
“First you eat,” Etta said firmly, “then I will have those lazy sluts bring you hot water.”
“Lord Graelam,” Kassia said, hearing the thin thread of nervousness in her voice, “where is he?”
To her surprise, Etta laughed. “Ah, your lord! What a man that one is!”
“What do you mean?”
“I will tell you while you eat. I kept the victuals warm over a small brazier. This great keep will vastly improve with you as mistress, my baby. The food is barely edible, and the servants do naught unless Lord Graelam is about.”
“You are too stern, Etta,” Kassia said, but the pork was clearly stringy and overcooked.
Etta regarded her young mistress with a worried eye. She had been raised in the midst of people who loved her and obeyed her because they loved her. But Wolffeton was vastly different from Belleterre. “Tell me now, Etta,” she heard Kassia say. “What happened whilst I slept?”
Etta eased her bulky frame into the one chair in the large chamber. “Well, after I was certain that you were all right, my baby, I slipped into the hall below. I have never heard so many people arguing at once in all my life! And the screeching from Lord Graelam’s betrothed!”
Kassia felt a surge of guilt, but it was tempered with the anger she had felt at the insults that lady had hurled at her. She sipped at the warm wine. “I hope her heart is not broken.”
“Ha, that one! Lord Graelam should kiss your feet, for you saved him from a wretched existence. As to the other one, well, we shall have to see.”
“What other one?”
“Lady Blanche, Lord Graelam’s sister-in-law.”
Kassia frowned, wondering if her wits had gone begging.
“Lord Graelam, I discovered from one of the servants, was married before, a long time ago. His wife’s half-sister came to Wolffeton some three or four months ago to live. Why, I don’t know.” Etta shrugged. “Shedid seem quiet enough and quite the lady during all the shrieking and arguing. Eat the potatoes, my lady,” Etta added, her eyes upon Kassia’s trencher.
The potatoes were half-cooked, Kassia found, but she would not give Etta the pleasure of admitting it.
“Now, where was I? Aye, your husband is quite the man. He had to roar for quiet but once, and all obeyed him, even the Duke of Cornwall. Aye, you stare, my baby. The king’s own uncle! ’Twas he, according to what I heard, who arranged the marriage with the heiress. His face, I tell you, was a bright crimson! As for Lord Thomas, Lady Joanna’s father, he looked for all the world like a boiled turnip. But Lord Graelam soon put all of them to rout. Told them, he did, all that happened at Belleterre. He even produced the marriage contract so there could be no doubts as to your status as his lady wife. At that, Lady Joanna was forced to close her mouth, but her mother kept wailing in the most ridiculous way. Lord Thomas finally slapped her. That shut the old harridan up, you may be certain! He announced to the Duke of Cornwall that he would not remain at Wolffeton another day. Then he took his wife on one arm and his daughter on the other and marched them out of the hall. I know Lord Graelam was smiling, though he tried to hide it.
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