you?’ he muttered.
She wasn’t sure how she should answer that. Wisely, she remained silent. But the milk was good, she thought.
After breakfast, Will sipped his second cup of coffee. Perhaps there was something to be said for her not drinking the beverage, he thought, if it left extra in the pot for him. Maddie finished her milk and picked up all the stray crust and bread crumbs from her plate.
‘That’s excellent bread,’ she said. ‘Did you make it too?’ She wasn’t sure how far his cooking skills stretched. But he shook his head.
‘There’s a baker in Wensley who brings it over each morning. Actually, in the future, you can go fetch it and save him a trip. That can be one of your we-don’t-have-a-maid duties.’
She sensed he was testing her and refused to rise to the bait. She simply nodded and he went on.
‘In addition, you’ll make your bed and tidy your room each morning before breakfast.’
He cast a meaningful look at her room, where the bedclothes were still tumbled and twisted.
‘Make my bed? I don’t –’
‘Yes, you do. Or did you assume the maid would be doing that for you?’
She set her jaw angrily. ‘Well, I don’t see why we should live like peasants,’ she said. ‘Rose-Jean could easily come down here each day and –’
‘Rose-Jean is gone,’ he told her.
For a moment she didn’t comprehend. ‘Gone? Gone where?’
‘Back to Castle Araluen. There was a mail courier wagon leaving earlier this morning and I arranged for her to go with it. Couldn’t have her stumbling around the countryside on her own, could we?’
‘But . . . she was my maid. You had no right to . . .’ She stopped, seeing the hard light in his eyes.
‘Maddie, please understand, I have every right. She was your maid when you were the princess. Now you’re a Ranger’s apprentice. And Rangers don’t have maids. I think I mentioned that.’
Will felt a grim twist of amusement as he recalled a similar conversation with Halt in his first few days as an apprentice. What Ranger’s apprentices do is the housework , he remembered Halt telling him.
‘In addition,’ he added, ‘you’ll sweep this room each day after breakfast, and clean out the fireplace and stove firebox. And every Friday, you can take the rug outside and beat the dust out of it.’
She glared at him, eyes slitted. He pretended not to notice for a few seconds, then raised his eyebrows in a question.
‘Did you have something to say?’ he asked.
She answered very deliberately. ‘May I enquire, who performed these tasks before I arrived?’
Will nodded as if the question was a good one. ‘Actually, I did,’ he told her. ‘I can see now why Halt enjoyed having apprentices. Should have taken one on long ago myself.’
She said nothing, but rose and made her way into her room, making her bed in a series of brisk, angry movements. When she was finished, she looked around the room and saw that there was only one small curtained-off area for clothes storage. It wouldn’t fit one-tenth of the clothes she’d brought with her.
‘Where am I going to keep my clothes?’ she demanded.
Will put his head round the door and gestured to the small curtained area. ‘That should do you,’ he told her.
She shook her head and gave a hollow laugh. ‘That little space will barely fit any of the clothes I brought with me.’
Will waved a hand airily.
‘Oh, don’t worry about them,’ he said. ‘They’re already on their way back to Castle Araluen with Rose-Jean.’
‘ ARE YOU SURE you’re not being too hard on her?’ Jenny asked.
Will considered the question for a moment, then shook his head.
‘I think I have to be tough, Jen,’ he said. ‘She’s spoiled and wilful and arrogant, and I’m going to need to shake that out of her if I’m to make a go of it.’
They were sitting under an awning in the outdoor eating area at the front of Jenny’s restaurant. She gave him an appraising look, then nodded.
‘Maybe. But
She wasn’t sure how she should answer that. Wisely, she remained silent. But the milk was good, she thought.
After breakfast, Will sipped his second cup of coffee. Perhaps there was something to be said for her not drinking the beverage, he thought, if it left extra in the pot for him. Maddie finished her milk and picked up all the stray crust and bread crumbs from her plate.
‘That’s excellent bread,’ she said. ‘Did you make it too?’ She wasn’t sure how far his cooking skills stretched. But he shook his head.
‘There’s a baker in Wensley who brings it over each morning. Actually, in the future, you can go fetch it and save him a trip. That can be one of your we-don’t-have-a-maid duties.’
She sensed he was testing her and refused to rise to the bait. She simply nodded and he went on.
‘In addition, you’ll make your bed and tidy your room each morning before breakfast.’
He cast a meaningful look at her room, where the bedclothes were still tumbled and twisted.
‘Make my bed? I don’t –’
‘Yes, you do. Or did you assume the maid would be doing that for you?’
She set her jaw angrily. ‘Well, I don’t see why we should live like peasants,’ she said. ‘Rose-Jean could easily come down here each day and –’
‘Rose-Jean is gone,’ he told her.
For a moment she didn’t comprehend. ‘Gone? Gone where?’
‘Back to Castle Araluen. There was a mail courier wagon leaving earlier this morning and I arranged for her to go with it. Couldn’t have her stumbling around the countryside on her own, could we?’
‘But . . . she was my maid. You had no right to . . .’ She stopped, seeing the hard light in his eyes.
‘Maddie, please understand, I have every right. She was your maid when you were the princess. Now you’re a Ranger’s apprentice. And Rangers don’t have maids. I think I mentioned that.’
Will felt a grim twist of amusement as he recalled a similar conversation with Halt in his first few days as an apprentice. What Ranger’s apprentices do is the housework , he remembered Halt telling him.
‘In addition,’ he added, ‘you’ll sweep this room each day after breakfast, and clean out the fireplace and stove firebox. And every Friday, you can take the rug outside and beat the dust out of it.’
She glared at him, eyes slitted. He pretended not to notice for a few seconds, then raised his eyebrows in a question.
‘Did you have something to say?’ he asked.
She answered very deliberately. ‘May I enquire, who performed these tasks before I arrived?’
Will nodded as if the question was a good one. ‘Actually, I did,’ he told her. ‘I can see now why Halt enjoyed having apprentices. Should have taken one on long ago myself.’
She said nothing, but rose and made her way into her room, making her bed in a series of brisk, angry movements. When she was finished, she looked around the room and saw that there was only one small curtained-off area for clothes storage. It wouldn’t fit one-tenth of the clothes she’d brought with her.
‘Where am I going to keep my clothes?’ she demanded.
Will put his head round the door and gestured to the small curtained area. ‘That should do you,’ he told her.
She shook her head and gave a hollow laugh. ‘That little space will barely fit any of the clothes I brought with me.’
Will waved a hand airily.
‘Oh, don’t worry about them,’ he said. ‘They’re already on their way back to Castle Araluen with Rose-Jean.’
‘ ARE YOU SURE you’re not being too hard on her?’ Jenny asked.
Will considered the question for a moment, then shook his head.
‘I think I have to be tough, Jen,’ he said. ‘She’s spoiled and wilful and arrogant, and I’m going to need to shake that out of her if I’m to make a go of it.’
They were sitting under an awning in the outdoor eating area at the front of Jenny’s restaurant. She gave him an appraising look, then nodded.
‘Maybe. But
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