the last few weeks. Cristen hoped the weather would hold until the end of the tournament.One year it had poured, and the horses sliding in the mud had made for even more injuries than usual.
A man crossed in front of her and stopped, forcing her to come to a halt.
“Lady Cristen,” he said, and bowed elaborately. “What a joy to see you again.”
“Sir Richard,” Cristen said sedately.
Richard Evril was one of the chief knights of Earl Guy’s household. Cristen knew that Guy had wanted her to marry him and that her father had refused the match.
The man smiled, showing stained teeth. He was big, with broad shoulders and the beginnings of a paunch showing under his bright yellow tunic.
“Are you going to get some food?” he asked.
“Aye,” Cristen said. “We are meeting my father.”
He offered her his arm. “Allow me to escort you to him.”
Behind the knight’s back, Cristen could see Brian scowling. She could not refuse Sir Richard’s arm without showing extreme discourtesy, however.
“Thank you,” she said, and gingerly laid her small hand on his brilliant blue sleeve.
“You are looking as lovely as ever,” he said jovially as they began to walk across the field.
“Thank you,” Cristen said again. “Tell me, Sir Richard, whom can we expect to see at the tournament this year? Have all the usual vassals come?”
“Indeed, aye,” he returned. And he proceeded to tell her in detail about everyone who was participating.
At last they were walking across the drawbridge that led from the field over a filled moat. The gate towers rose on either side of Cristen, and for a moment she felt panic tighten her stomach.
She could not rid herself of the feeling that she was walking into a trap.
“Sir Nigel is over there, my lady,” Brian said helpfully.
“Oh, good,” Cristen said. She forced herself to smile up at the knight beside her. “Thank you for your escort, Sir Richard, but my pages will take me to my father now.”
He scowled, obviously not pleased with his dismissal.
“I was hoping to sup with you, Lady Cristen.”
Cristen didn’t want him to see Hugh. It was a foolish feeling, she knew. Hugh hadn’t come here to hide, after all. But this knight was too close to Lord Guy. He would notice the resemblance.
“I believe my father was planning to sup with only his own household this evening, Sir Richard,” she said firmly. “Tomorrow, perhaps.”
The man’s scowl deepened.
Brian stepped to her side. “I will escort you now, Lady Cristen,” he said.
She smiled into the boy’s flashing hazel eyes. “Thank you, Brian. Good evening, Sir Richard.”
They crossed the flat bailey to the place where Nigel and his men were gathered around one of the five smoking firepits, where enough meat to feedalmost a thousand people was being roasted. The inner walls and great stone keep of Chippenham loomed above them.
The meal on the first day of the tournament was always informal. Lord Guy’s pages, dressed in scarlet surcoats with gold trim, were circulating with heaping platters of oxen, boar, venison, lamb, rabbit, and all kinds of fowl. Other pages were going around with flagons of wine. There was fine white bread as well, and sweets.
“Cristen!” Sir Nigel roared, waving a hand in which he clutched a piece of meat on a bone.
Cristen came up beside him. “Hello, Father.”
“Was that Richard Evril I just saw you with?”
She sighed. “Aye, unfortunately.”
“He insisted on escorting the Lady Cristen, my lord, but I stayed right behind her,” Brian said.
“Good lad,” Nigel grunted. “I don’t like that man.”
“What man?”
It was Hugh, coming up behind her.
“Richard Evril,” Nigel said. “He is one of Guy’s chief knights; he’s been with him forever. Guy wanted to marry him to Cristen, as a matter of fact, but I refused.”
Hugh looked revolted. “That old man? How disgusting.”
“It is very common for older men to marry young girls,” Nigel said
A man crossed in front of her and stopped, forcing her to come to a halt.
“Lady Cristen,” he said, and bowed elaborately. “What a joy to see you again.”
“Sir Richard,” Cristen said sedately.
Richard Evril was one of the chief knights of Earl Guy’s household. Cristen knew that Guy had wanted her to marry him and that her father had refused the match.
The man smiled, showing stained teeth. He was big, with broad shoulders and the beginnings of a paunch showing under his bright yellow tunic.
“Are you going to get some food?” he asked.
“Aye,” Cristen said. “We are meeting my father.”
He offered her his arm. “Allow me to escort you to him.”
Behind the knight’s back, Cristen could see Brian scowling. She could not refuse Sir Richard’s arm without showing extreme discourtesy, however.
“Thank you,” she said, and gingerly laid her small hand on his brilliant blue sleeve.
“You are looking as lovely as ever,” he said jovially as they began to walk across the field.
“Thank you,” Cristen said again. “Tell me, Sir Richard, whom can we expect to see at the tournament this year? Have all the usual vassals come?”
“Indeed, aye,” he returned. And he proceeded to tell her in detail about everyone who was participating.
At last they were walking across the drawbridge that led from the field over a filled moat. The gate towers rose on either side of Cristen, and for a moment she felt panic tighten her stomach.
She could not rid herself of the feeling that she was walking into a trap.
“Sir Nigel is over there, my lady,” Brian said helpfully.
“Oh, good,” Cristen said. She forced herself to smile up at the knight beside her. “Thank you for your escort, Sir Richard, but my pages will take me to my father now.”
He scowled, obviously not pleased with his dismissal.
“I was hoping to sup with you, Lady Cristen.”
Cristen didn’t want him to see Hugh. It was a foolish feeling, she knew. Hugh hadn’t come here to hide, after all. But this knight was too close to Lord Guy. He would notice the resemblance.
“I believe my father was planning to sup with only his own household this evening, Sir Richard,” she said firmly. “Tomorrow, perhaps.”
The man’s scowl deepened.
Brian stepped to her side. “I will escort you now, Lady Cristen,” he said.
She smiled into the boy’s flashing hazel eyes. “Thank you, Brian. Good evening, Sir Richard.”
They crossed the flat bailey to the place where Nigel and his men were gathered around one of the five smoking firepits, where enough meat to feedalmost a thousand people was being roasted. The inner walls and great stone keep of Chippenham loomed above them.
The meal on the first day of the tournament was always informal. Lord Guy’s pages, dressed in scarlet surcoats with gold trim, were circulating with heaping platters of oxen, boar, venison, lamb, rabbit, and all kinds of fowl. Other pages were going around with flagons of wine. There was fine white bread as well, and sweets.
“Cristen!” Sir Nigel roared, waving a hand in which he clutched a piece of meat on a bone.
Cristen came up beside him. “Hello, Father.”
“Was that Richard Evril I just saw you with?”
She sighed. “Aye, unfortunately.”
“He insisted on escorting the Lady Cristen, my lord, but I stayed right behind her,” Brian said.
“Good lad,” Nigel grunted. “I don’t like that man.”
“What man?”
It was Hugh, coming up behind her.
“Richard Evril,” Nigel said. “He is one of Guy’s chief knights; he’s been with him forever. Guy wanted to marry him to Cristen, as a matter of fact, but I refused.”
Hugh looked revolted. “That old man? How disgusting.”
“It is very common for older men to marry young girls,” Nigel said
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