to appreciate the beauty who moved among them without any taint of lust coloring his observance of her. He had no idea how to
idolize without touching, for Edythe was certainly no Madonna come down to walk on Earth. Perhaps such detachment was what Eleanor meant when she
spoke of true knights. Perhaps there were lessons to be learned from the foreign court where the sisters had been reared.
“Tel me,” he said to his cousin, turning them both firmly toward the altar and away from the tempting sight of Edythe, “what did you learn about courtesy and gentle knighthood?”
Eleanor saw how Stian looked at her sister and felt no more than a smal stab of pain pierce her heart. She knew the look on his face wel and she did not blame him or Edythe for it. Al she could do was sigh.
Her feeling sorry for herself was interrupted as Edythe said, “Lars is in love with me.”
She had never heard such cool calculation in her sister’s voice before. As the Mass ended, she watched Lord Roger gather up Stian, Lars and several
older men and leave the chapel. She watched them go as she tried to get over her surprise at Edythe’s matter-of-fact words.
Final y, she looked at the softly smiling Edythe. “Oh?” she asked.
Edythe nodded. She bent her head close so they would not be overheard by the women who moved past them to return to the keep. “I’ve noticed that
Stian listens overmuch to his cousin,” Edythe told her. “So I wil set myself to taming Lars, which wil help you tame my lord’s great red lion of a son.”
Tame Stian? By al the saints, that was an impossible task. Eleanor nearly laughed at the very notion of civilizing the brute she’d been wed to. Stil , she couldn’t help but smile and hug her sister tight, grateful for Edythe’s efforts even if they were destined to come to naught.
“You are so good to me,” she whispered as they held each other close for a moment.
Edythe touched her cheek. “We must care for each other in this barbaric place. Perhaps in the end, we can make it a little like our home.”
“Aye,” Eleanor agreed reluctantly. “Perhaps we can.”
Edythe gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Al wil be wel . Now,” she said, stepping away from Eleanor’s embrace. “I must see to my lord, for this day wil be long and hard on him.”
Eleanor wondered why the day would be hard on Lord Roger as she watched Edythe hurry away. Then she remembered mention being made of
something cal ed a shire court. She would have to find out just what that was. There was so much about the doings of Harelby she needed to find out. She also wondered if she should make sure Stian broke his fast and washed his face—or whatever nursemaid tasks were considered wifely.
“Ha,” she concluded after only a very brief contemplation. “I’l see to such wifely duties when wolves fly to the moon.”
Instead of returning immediately to the hal , she approached Father Hubert to make confession of al the sins she’d managed to commit in only a day or so of marriage. She feared that for herself, matrimony was not a holy state at al .
* * * * *
“A word with you, Dame Beatrice?”
The chatelaine turned so quickly Eleanor had to jump backward to avoid a col ision. Not that her moving out of Dame Beatrice’s way did her any good.
She only ended up bumping into a servant who was busy raking up old rushes from the hal floor. Eleanor ignored the laughter from a group of men-at-
arms who loitered by the hearth.
“What do you want?”
Eleanor contrived to get her temper under control in the time it took her to right herself. She managed a smile as she turned back to the chatelaine. It was brittle but it was a smile. She had not come here to make an enemy despite the woman’s impatient hostility. Dame Beatrice had stepped up onto the dais while Eleanor was occupied with the servant so now she had to look up to address the woman who was already several inches tal er. Eleanor greatly
misliked such a
idolize without touching, for Edythe was certainly no Madonna come down to walk on Earth. Perhaps such detachment was what Eleanor meant when she
spoke of true knights. Perhaps there were lessons to be learned from the foreign court where the sisters had been reared.
“Tel me,” he said to his cousin, turning them both firmly toward the altar and away from the tempting sight of Edythe, “what did you learn about courtesy and gentle knighthood?”
Eleanor saw how Stian looked at her sister and felt no more than a smal stab of pain pierce her heart. She knew the look on his face wel and she did not blame him or Edythe for it. Al she could do was sigh.
Her feeling sorry for herself was interrupted as Edythe said, “Lars is in love with me.”
She had never heard such cool calculation in her sister’s voice before. As the Mass ended, she watched Lord Roger gather up Stian, Lars and several
older men and leave the chapel. She watched them go as she tried to get over her surprise at Edythe’s matter-of-fact words.
Final y, she looked at the softly smiling Edythe. “Oh?” she asked.
Edythe nodded. She bent her head close so they would not be overheard by the women who moved past them to return to the keep. “I’ve noticed that
Stian listens overmuch to his cousin,” Edythe told her. “So I wil set myself to taming Lars, which wil help you tame my lord’s great red lion of a son.”
Tame Stian? By al the saints, that was an impossible task. Eleanor nearly laughed at the very notion of civilizing the brute she’d been wed to. Stil , she couldn’t help but smile and hug her sister tight, grateful for Edythe’s efforts even if they were destined to come to naught.
“You are so good to me,” she whispered as they held each other close for a moment.
Edythe touched her cheek. “We must care for each other in this barbaric place. Perhaps in the end, we can make it a little like our home.”
“Aye,” Eleanor agreed reluctantly. “Perhaps we can.”
Edythe gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Al wil be wel . Now,” she said, stepping away from Eleanor’s embrace. “I must see to my lord, for this day wil be long and hard on him.”
Eleanor wondered why the day would be hard on Lord Roger as she watched Edythe hurry away. Then she remembered mention being made of
something cal ed a shire court. She would have to find out just what that was. There was so much about the doings of Harelby she needed to find out. She also wondered if she should make sure Stian broke his fast and washed his face—or whatever nursemaid tasks were considered wifely.
“Ha,” she concluded after only a very brief contemplation. “I’l see to such wifely duties when wolves fly to the moon.”
Instead of returning immediately to the hal , she approached Father Hubert to make confession of al the sins she’d managed to commit in only a day or so of marriage. She feared that for herself, matrimony was not a holy state at al .
* * * * *
“A word with you, Dame Beatrice?”
The chatelaine turned so quickly Eleanor had to jump backward to avoid a col ision. Not that her moving out of Dame Beatrice’s way did her any good.
She only ended up bumping into a servant who was busy raking up old rushes from the hal floor. Eleanor ignored the laughter from a group of men-at-
arms who loitered by the hearth.
“What do you want?”
Eleanor contrived to get her temper under control in the time it took her to right herself. She managed a smile as she turned back to the chatelaine. It was brittle but it was a smile. She had not come here to make an enemy despite the woman’s impatient hostility. Dame Beatrice had stepped up onto the dais while Eleanor was occupied with the servant so now she had to look up to address the woman who was already several inches tal er. Eleanor greatly
misliked such a
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