[The deBurghs 07] - Reynold De Burgh: The Dark Knight by Deborah Simmons Page B

presence of Lord de Burgh, even the familiar turned sinister, frightening…
    Ursula had suggested they do their mending, and Sabina had welcomed the task to keep her mind occupied, but it wasn’t working. And Urban was no help. For the past hour he had been pacing the room, predicting doom.
    He was certain that Lord de Burgh would not return, and though Sabina tried not to let his words sway her, she was becoming concerned. It was nearly dark, andstill there was no sign of the knight, yet Sabina was sure he was the one she had waited for during the bleak months that Grim’s End had been under siege. His arrival seemed no accident, but the answer to her prayers, and she would have sworn his word was good. Surely he would not abandon them to their fate?
    ‘If he’s a lord, as he says, he’s got better things to do than stay here,’ Urban said. ‘Some nobles live in castles the size of the abbey at Bury St Edmunds, with servants to attend their every need. They have elegant garments, fine food and wine, hunting, hawking and entertainments to rival the king’s own.’
    Urban did not have to gesture to the small, dim hall for Sabina to realise the difference between such a household and her own. Here, they hid from the dragon in the shadows, while the de Burgh home probably blazed with light and sound, candles and torches, music and dancing. Sabina tried to picture such a place, but what she saw more clearly was a high-born woman wearing rich clothes, furs and jewels, waiting for a certain knight…
    ‘I’ve heard that noblemen don’t even bathe themselves, but are washed by the lady of the house,’ Ursula said, slyly.
    Sabina jerked up her head at the words. Had Lord de Burgh been expecting such treatment here? They didn’t have enough servants to fill even the smallest tub with hot water, and as for bathing him…Sabina swallowed hard at the thought of such a duty. She had seen no male naked since she was a child and had come across the village boys swimming in the pond.
    But Lord de Burgh was no boy. He was a man, the biggest man she had ever met, and she couldn’t imagine those wide shoulders, the breadth of that chest, that amount of skin…She drew in a sharp breath at the thought of the water, the warmth, the feel…And then, like a bubble of soap, the vision burst as she remembered his reaction this morning.
    ‘Lord de Burgh doesn’t like to be touched,’ Sabina said.
    ‘ What ?’ Urban’s voice rose, loud in the stillness.
    ‘What?’ Ursula echoed, though her version was more like a shriek.
    Sabina shook her head to dispel their suspicions. ‘This morning when I touched his arm, he flinched.’
    Urban appeared mollified by the explanation, while Ursula looked more disappointed than anything else. Or perhaps he doesn’t like to be touched by me , Sabina thought with a twinge of disappointment. Or perhaps he was faithful to whoever waited for him, longing only for that woman’s hand, that woman’s bath, Sabina thought, wistfully.
    ‘If he is a knight, he will have plenty of females dallying after him,’ Urban said, ‘especially at the tournaments, where they try to kill each other in order to impress the ladies of the court.’
    Sabina frowned, for the sort of man Urban described was not Lord de Burgh. He didn’t flaunt his skills or brag about them. He didn’t dress like a peacock, and he didn’t expect to be waited on. He and his squire had brought small game for the Sexton table and helped, rather than stand by, watching the others work.
    ‘Mark my words, he’s halfway home by now,’ Urban said.
    Home . Sabina wondered where that was. Was it the tall castle Urban described, or something smaller, more intimate? Did it look out over the sea or a valley? More important, who else lived there? Lord de Burgh spoke little and offered less about himself, while Sabina found her own curiosity about the mysterious knight growing.
    ‘Why would he go home?’ Ursula asked. ‘They were on a