warrior. I know I have to be a warrior, but I can be something else, too.”
Isabelle thought she understood all too well. She really wanted to be something else besides a brothel keeper. Detecting illness wasn’t something she could tell people in her society without putting herself at risk, but Evan didn’t seem bothered by it at all. He seemed to think it was pretty normal.
It was full morning. “Let’s get some breakfast,” she suggested. “They should be serving now.”
Evan replied with his standard grunt and nod and they headed downstairs together.
Chapter 11
Uncle was there along with many other people. “So how are our newly weds?” he shouted. “Tell me man, have you tamed the witch yet?”
“I like her as she is,” Evan said. “Why would I want to tame her?”
It seemed best to change the subject and she rushed to say, “We’ve been busy delivering Heather’s baby…a boy,” Isabelle replied.
Uncle looked at Evan with disapproval. “I would have thought you’d have her within your control by now,” he said. “I don’t see why she has to attend births. We don’t need more mouths to feed. It just means we all get less to eat.”
“I see it as one of her virtues,” Ethan growled.
Albert sent servers to put food before them and the discord was interrupted before anything more was said. Isabelle and Evan ate well and left the great hall to go back to her room.
A guard approached them as they neared her room.
“Angela wants you immediately,” he said.
“Of course,” Isabelle replied. She turned and looked at Evan. “I’ll see her and return as soon as I can.”
“I’ll come with you,” he said.
They headed for the steps and hesitated outside Uncle’s room while the guard announced them.
Angela was alone in the room.
She turned and looked at them with haughty disapproval. She wanted to be arrogant but wasn’t capable of pulling it off. Isabelle and Evan were natural commanders, but Angela was just an unlucky woman who survived because she had big breasts. “I want your keys to this place. It’s my right to have them as the leader’s woman.”
“There are keys here and there,” Isabelle said. “I’m sure if you just make an effort you can gather them up and have them in one place if you want.”
“I want you to gather them up and bring them to me immediately,” Angela said. It was an order, not a request.
“This place belongs to me, not Uncle,” Isabelle said.
Angela smiled with obvious satisfaction, “But you failed to keep control. Now it’s ours and there is nothing you can do about it. Bring me the keys!”
“I’ll work on it,” Isabelle said, not intending to do any more than keep the peace.
“I also need all your notes and plans for our guest weekends,” Angela said. “We have one coming up next weekend and I will be running things in your place. I know a lot more about entertaining men than you do.”
It was probably true. Isabelle knew Angela knew a lot more about arousing men than she did. While Evan seemed to like her, most other men thought she was a demanding, nagging pain in the ass, plus she refused to do what they wanted her to do.
Evan chose that moment to jump into the conversation. “It’s a complicated thing to manage this place and entertain and feed and house a bunch of guests who expect and are accustomed to having a luxurious and comfortable stay in addition to their sexual pleasures. It requires more than knowing how to entertain men and flirt and have sex with them. It requires organizational skills and considerable planning.”
Angela walked closer to him and looked him over from head to toe, taking his measure and liking what she saw.
Isabelle suddenly realized she felt very possessive of her new husband. She thought of punching the woman, but Evan seemed to sense what she felt and grasped her hand in a way that
Isabelle thought she understood all too well. She really wanted to be something else besides a brothel keeper. Detecting illness wasn’t something she could tell people in her society without putting herself at risk, but Evan didn’t seem bothered by it at all. He seemed to think it was pretty normal.
It was full morning. “Let’s get some breakfast,” she suggested. “They should be serving now.”
Evan replied with his standard grunt and nod and they headed downstairs together.
Chapter 11
Uncle was there along with many other people. “So how are our newly weds?” he shouted. “Tell me man, have you tamed the witch yet?”
“I like her as she is,” Evan said. “Why would I want to tame her?”
It seemed best to change the subject and she rushed to say, “We’ve been busy delivering Heather’s baby…a boy,” Isabelle replied.
Uncle looked at Evan with disapproval. “I would have thought you’d have her within your control by now,” he said. “I don’t see why she has to attend births. We don’t need more mouths to feed. It just means we all get less to eat.”
“I see it as one of her virtues,” Ethan growled.
Albert sent servers to put food before them and the discord was interrupted before anything more was said. Isabelle and Evan ate well and left the great hall to go back to her room.
A guard approached them as they neared her room.
“Angela wants you immediately,” he said.
“Of course,” Isabelle replied. She turned and looked at Evan. “I’ll see her and return as soon as I can.”
“I’ll come with you,” he said.
They headed for the steps and hesitated outside Uncle’s room while the guard announced them.
Angela was alone in the room.
She turned and looked at them with haughty disapproval. She wanted to be arrogant but wasn’t capable of pulling it off. Isabelle and Evan were natural commanders, but Angela was just an unlucky woman who survived because she had big breasts. “I want your keys to this place. It’s my right to have them as the leader’s woman.”
“There are keys here and there,” Isabelle said. “I’m sure if you just make an effort you can gather them up and have them in one place if you want.”
“I want you to gather them up and bring them to me immediately,” Angela said. It was an order, not a request.
“This place belongs to me, not Uncle,” Isabelle said.
Angela smiled with obvious satisfaction, “But you failed to keep control. Now it’s ours and there is nothing you can do about it. Bring me the keys!”
“I’ll work on it,” Isabelle said, not intending to do any more than keep the peace.
“I also need all your notes and plans for our guest weekends,” Angela said. “We have one coming up next weekend and I will be running things in your place. I know a lot more about entertaining men than you do.”
It was probably true. Isabelle knew Angela knew a lot more about arousing men than she did. While Evan seemed to like her, most other men thought she was a demanding, nagging pain in the ass, plus she refused to do what they wanted her to do.
Evan chose that moment to jump into the conversation. “It’s a complicated thing to manage this place and entertain and feed and house a bunch of guests who expect and are accustomed to having a luxurious and comfortable stay in addition to their sexual pleasures. It requires more than knowing how to entertain men and flirt and have sex with them. It requires organizational skills and considerable planning.”
Angela walked closer to him and looked him over from head to toe, taking his measure and liking what she saw.
Isabelle suddenly realized she felt very possessive of her new husband. She thought of punching the woman, but Evan seemed to sense what she felt and grasped her hand in a way that
Similar Books
