Knight Takes Queen, page 12
“I am not the least bit concerned, I assure you,” he said. “I welcome any action the Welsh can bring. The skirmish at Beeston was the first one I’d seen in a very long time. I am more at home in a battle than most.”
Kaspian cocked an eyebrow. “Let us hope it does not come to that,” he said. “I would be perfectly happy if the Welsh would pass us by.”
Nicholas regarded him. “Now you sound concerned.”
Kaspian could have sworn there was a taunt in de Dalyn’s tone. He could see the edginess in Nicholas’ eyes no matter how hard the man tried to hide it. “To be concerned is to be prudent,” he said steadily. “To be prudent is not to be caught off guard.”
“Agreed.”
“Good. Then let us share the evening meal and converse with the rest of Lavister’s knights at the conclusion of the meal to discuss this situation. They will want to hear what de Lara’s men told you as well.”
Nicholas simply nodded his head, letting the conversation naturally shift away from the threat on the Marches and on to other things, but the entire time, he was thinking on how gratifying it would be when he was finally in command of Lavister. It was clear that St. Hèver was struggling with his recovery from the terrible injury and the man wasn’t nearly as strong as he should be to command such an outpost. Aye, Nicholas had plans for Lavister that didn’t involve Kaspian St. Hèver.
Another strategic missive to Edward might solve his problem, eventually.
If not, there were other ways of ridding himself of an obstacle.
*
The evening meal was held in Lavister’s great hall, with its cold stone walls and sharply pitched roof. Since there were so many men at Lavister, and all of them needed to be fed on a regular basis, the great hall saw a good deal of use. It smelled like men and dogs, urine and smoke, and there were always men in the structure either eating or sleeping or playing games – sometimes all three. On this evening well after sunset, the hall was full of men as they crowded around the three big feasting tables, shoving each other aside for a spot to eat.
The hall could seat about five hundred men, and that was crammed to the rafters, so those who weren’t fortunate enough to claim a seat in the hall were relegated to eating outside around the half-dozen fires that littered the bailey on any given night. Ioin, the old cook, was a master at stretching food stores to make sure the army had enough to eat and on this night, he’d boiled pork with beans and carrots, creating a thick and hearty stew to dip loaves of crusty brown bread into. The pears that Madelayne had spent her time cutting had been boiled up, too, with honey and spices to create a delicious compote that was reserved only for the knights and their guests.
It was a surprisingly mild evening with a clear, night sky overhead and a sickle-shaped moon high in the heavens. Madelayne had been busy all afternoon, helping the cook, making sure the servants fed the men in an orderly fashion, as was usually the case in the evenings. Such a large crowd of men needed to be fed in an organized way and Madelayne was very good at doing that, so she supervised the hall while Mavia made sure there was a separate section for the knights to eat their meal. They also had additional food that the rank and file of men didn’t have, the compote being an example. Only the knights and other guests would have that. As soon as the knights entered the hall, however, the ladies went to the table to sit with them, leaving the servants to tend the soldiers.
Kaspian was moving slowly this night. After his meeting with Nicholas, he’d gone to lay in his bed to rest and ended up falling asleep. Dolwyd had been forced to shake him awake to attend the meal and Kaspian had struggled to get moving. He wasn’t feeling well at all but he didn’t want to show any weakness in front of Nicholas.
Kaspian had to admit that he was starting to regret Nicholas’ arrival even though he’d told the other men that they were lucky to have de Dalyn. Perhaps they were; perhaps they weren’t. All Kaspian knew was that there was something about Nicholas he didn’t trust. He wasn’t sure what it was yet, but the man bore watching and, like any good predator, Kaspian was sure the man would pounce on him if he knew how weak he was.
Prey.
Kaspian didn’t want to fall prey to the man.
So he tried very hard not to appear weak or weary as he entered the hall with Thomas. Ewan and Reece were already there, as was Nicholas, who was sitting at the table in the company of Mavia. In fact, Mavia was sitting next to Nicholas, laughing at a story the man was evidently telling. Dressed in a lovely yellow brocade, she seemed most attentive to their newest knight. Kaspian scrutinized the man as he drew near the table where they were congregating.
But that scrutiny was momentary. The person he really wanted to see was Madelayne, and he did, over near the servant’s entrance that led out to the kitchens behind the hall. She had a pitcher in her hand and was heading for the table with the knights, kicking the dogs out of the way and reaching the table about the time Kaspian arrived. Their eyes met and magic, like stardust, filled the air between them.
“Lady l’Ebreux, please sit,” Kaspian told her, taking the pitcher from her hands and setting it down on the table. “Knowing you, you have been slaving away all afternoon. I do not know if I have ever seen you not busy.”
Dressed in a linen surcoat with a soft, white shift beneath it, Madelayne looked quite radiant from her red-tinted cheeks. She had been running around most of the evening and was a wee bit weary as a result, but she smiled at Kaspian as he indicated the seat next to him. She finally sat, across from Nicholas, Mavia, and Ewan, as a male servant appeared to deliver their trenchers.
“There is much work to do,” she said to Kaspian as Reece picked up the pitcher she had brought and began pouring sloppy cups of wine all around. “In fact, that is something I would like to speak with you about. There is too much work for Mavia and me to do and I would like to solicit more help from the neighboring villages, Rossett or even Grosford. We really do need the help, Kaspian. Would you allow taking on a few more women servants? Cairn once said that you did not like women at a military installation, but would you at least consider it?”
“Of course he will,” Nicholas said before Kaspian could answer. He was focused intently on Madelayne. “In fact, Lady l’Ebreux, you should not be working at all. You are a fine and delicate lady and it is unseemly for you to be working so hard. You should be kept in your chamber with your fine sewing or painting, not working the kitchens like a common servant. St. Hèver should be ashamed that he permits you to do such lowly things.”
It was a dig at Kaspian, who didn’t react to the insult. Instead, he pretended as if Nicholas hadn’t said anything at all. Ignoring him was better in this case because if he fired a barb at the man, the evening could turn ugly quite quickly. He found himself restrained in Madelayne’s presence, not wanting to upset her.
“Of course,” Kaspian said quietly to Madelayne. “We will discuss later what you have in mind and proceed accordingly. But I have known you for three years and this is the first time you have ever asked me for any assistance. I pray that you were not somehow reluctant to ask sooner.”
Madelayne wasn’t very happy with Nicholas, either, but Kaspian hadn’t responded to the man so she didn’t. It wasn’t her place, after all. Instead, she was focused on Kaspian.
“I do not mind hard work, truly,” she said. “But it has become a bit much as of late. Mayhap I am simply slowing down.”
“Or mayhap you should not be doing it at all, as de Dalyn said.”
She smiled weakly. “As I said, I do not mind, but it would be easier if there were more hands.”
He smiled in return. “Then it shall be done,” he said. Then, he turned to Nicholas, the smile gone from his face. “Do you have anything more to say about it?”
Nicholas, who was already on to his second cup of wine, lifted his big shoulders carelessly. “Me?” he asked. “Of course not. You are doing the right thing, St. Hèver. Good for you. All women need to be placed on their cushioned chairs and worshipped, not forced to work like slaves.”
Before Kaspian could reply to yet another insult, Madelayne pointed a finger at him. “Sir Nicholas, that is the second time you have accused Sir Kaspian of the negligence of women in front of his men,” she said sternly. “I do not think that was a polite thing for you to do. Sir Kaspian has never treated Lady Mavia or me poorly. In fact, he has always been considerate of us. We work because it must be done. You have only been here a matter of hours and do not yet know the ways of Lavister, so I suggest you take the time to observe before making any unsavory accusations.”
Reece and Ewan snorted into their cups as Nicholas appeared genuinely apologetic. “Pray forgive, madam,” he said sincerely. “I was only thinking of you and Lady Mavia, of course. Were you my wife, you would never know a day of work.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Then it is a good thing I am not your wife,” she said. “I should not like to be told I must sit in a chair and sew all day. ’Tis a ridiculous notion to expect a woman to sit and do nothing. We are not made of glass, Sir Knight. We will not break.”
Nicholas was amused by her fire; her speech was quite passionate. “My lady, I do believe you are close to a tantrum. Pray forgive me for provoking you so.”
“It is Sir Kaspian you should be begging forgiveness from.”
Nicholas’ gaze trailed to Kaspian and there was a flash of defiance there, quickly gone. “My apologies, St. Hèver.”
He didn’t sound as if he meant a word of it and Madelayne’s first impressions of Nicholas were not kind ones. She could already see an arrogant and imperious man, but she said nothing more and returned to her food. To her left, however, Kaspian was watching her.
Nicholas’ apology meant nothing to him; he didn’t even acknowledge it. He was more fascinated by Madelayne because the woman was being concerned for him again and it was something he was wholly unused to. He’d never had a woman defend him as she did or show interest in him as she did, so this was an entirely new experience for him. He couldn’t even remember if she’d ever shown such concern for Cairn and he honestly couldn’t, but the truth was that he’d never paid much attention to that kind of thing so it was possible that she did and he never noticed. In any case, she was a fearsome defender and it touched and flattered him. Rather than be put off by it, or emasculated, he rather liked the way she was willing to leap to his defense.
“Lady l’Ebreux and Lady Allington-More have been my chatelaines for several years now,” Kaspian finally spoke, looking at Nicholas. “They do whatever work they feel necessary and have my support in any case. If they did not wish to do any work, I would support that as well. They do what they want to do.”
Nicholas simply nodded, gulping at his wine, as a servant put a trencher in front of him filled with pork and beans and carrots. He smacked his lips and set the cup down, picking up his spoon.
“A very wise attitude, St. Hèver,” he said as he scooped up beans with his spoon and shoved them his mouth. As he started to chew, his focus turned to Madelayne. “Tell me, Lady l’Ebreux; where were you born? What is your background?”
Madelayne picked up her spoon as well as her trencher was placed in front of her. “I was born in Wrexham,” she said. “My father is a merchant.”
Nicholas chewed, looking at her with interest. “Were you educated?”
“I was.”
“I was born in Gloucester,” Mavia said, interrupted the conversation. “My father is Lord Tiberton. I fostered at Sherborne Castle.”
Madelayne couldn’t help but notice that Mavia seemed a bit edgy, as if leaving her out of the conversation with Nicholas had upset her. She smiled at the woman. “Lady Allington-More’s background is much more prestigious than mine,” she said. “She has some very fine stories about her years at Sherborne.”
Nicholas glanced at Mavia, who smiled rather eagerly at him. It was an odd gesture, really, one that didn’t go unnoticed by Madelayne. It was almost as if she were quite eager for the man’s attention, jealous that he had spoken to Madelayne. It was very strange.
“Lady Allington-More and I have spent the afternoon together, as she has been gracious enough to show me around Lavister,” Nicholas said evenly before returning his attention to Madelayne. “But I have not had the chance yet to come to know you. Tell me more about yourself, Lady l’Ebreux.”
“Let the woman eat her meal,” Kaspian said, cleaving any further conversation. The tone of his voice suggested he wasn’t pleased with the way Nicholas was pushing Madelayne for information. “She is not here to entertain you with conversation. You have four knights surrounding you who would be happy to regale you with stories. Ewan and Reece have many, in fact. They grew up in Wales in a rather horrible place called Netherworld Castle.”
Reece heard him. The man was into his third cup of wine and feeling quite happy. “It is not as bad as all that, my lord,” he said to Kaspian. “It is actually a very beautiful place in the summer. But it does come with a ghost.”
Nicholas forgotten, Madelayne was grinning at Reece’s somewhat drunken manner. He and his brother had backed off from flirting with her quite a bit as of late, as if someone had told them to. She suspected Kaspian might have told them that she was not interested in either of them, as unmarried knights, and she further suspected there might have been a threat or two thrown in. She tore apart her bread as she spoke.
“Do tell us about the ghost, Reece,” she said. “Spirits have always interested me. There was one in my father’s house because it was built on the foundations of an old Roman villa. The servants used to tell of things moving around in the kitchen or of footsteps in the hall. I heard the footsteps, once. It was thrilling.”
Reece shoved bread into his mouth. “This ghost was not thrilling, I assure you, my lady,” he said. “It would throw things around in the keep. It even pushed people. Some said it was the ghost of one of my ancestors, a very mean man who would harm people. Gryffyn was his name. He is still harming people in death as he did in life, and he is especially harmful to women.”
Before Madelayne could respond, Nicholas snorted. “I do not believe in spirits or ghosts,” he said. “Any man who does is foolish. Mayhap it was simply one of your servants, playing tricks on everyone.”
Reece stopped chewing and looked at him. “Are you calling me a fool?”
The mood of the table suddenly plummeted with deadly hazard in Reece’s tone. Kaspian was quite curious as to how it would all play out and, in particular, how Nicholas would handle it. If he was supposed to be in command of men, he could not be confrontational with them. If he was, then Kaspian was within his power to send Nicholas away. He was almost hoping the man snapped and gave him a reason. Therefore, he watched the situation very carefully.
Nicholas, however, didn’t rise to the bait in Reece’s tone. He didn’t even look up from his food. “Of course I am not calling you a fool,” he said. “I am simply saying that I do not believe in ghosts. They do not exist. It is more than likely a servant playing tricks.”
That didn’t soothe Reece in the least. His eyebrows lifted. “Have you ever seen a ghost, de Dalyn?”
“I have not.”
“I have, so shut your trap!”
Nicholas looked up from his food, then. “I would be careful who I threaten, little man.”
Mavia had the unfortunate position of sitting in between Reece and Nicholas. Reece moved in Nicholas’ direction as if to throw a punch but ended up spilling his wine all over Mavia’s yellow gown. The woman shrieked and leapt to her feet as the rest of the knights bolted to their feet because there was a fight to prevent, especially in front of women. Ewan grabbed his brother, literally pulling the man over the table to get him away from Nicholas as Thomas held out an arm to Nicholas to keep the man from charging.
“He has had too much to drink, de Dalyn,” Thomas said calmly. “Let his brother take him away. He will probably not remember this come morning so I will apologize for him. He is young and spirited. You must take that into account.”
Nicholas didn’t say a word, his body coiled as he watched Ewan drag his brother from the hall. Meanwhile, Madelayne rushed to Mavia’s aid. The woman’s entire bodice was covered in purple wine.
“Let me help you,” Madelayne offered, holding Mavia’s right arm aloft because it was dripping with wine. “We must soak that stain immediately or the dress will be unsalvageable.”
Mavia was very upset. “Reece is a fool!” she hissed. “When I see him next, I am going to box his silly ears!”
Madelayne was leading her away from the table. “Do not touch anything,” she said. “Keep your hand aloft; aye, like that. You will drip onto your skirt if you do not.”
They were moving past Nicholas, who had turned away from Reece and most definitely had his eye on Madelayne now.
“You are most kind to tend Lady Mavia,” he said to her. “It was my fault, after all. Mayhap I should go with you both to make sure you reach your destination unmolested. I am sure Lavister, like any other place filled with men, can be quite dangerous to lone women.”
Madelayne spoke before Mavia could. “That is not necessary, Sir Nicholas,” she said. “Please stay and enjoy your meal. Mavia and I have control of the situation although we thank you for your offer.”
Nicholas wouldn’t be declined so easily. “My lady, please,” he said, already starting to follow them. “It would be my privilege. Moreover, since you no longer have a husband, it is the duty of his colleagues to protect you where he cannot. I feel particularly responsible since it was I who was not in time to save him. Please allow me to help you, however small the gesture may be.”
Madelayne looked at him, sharply. The reminder of Cairn’s death was unnecessary, she thought, and the suggestion that he take Cairn’s place where her protection was concerned was offensive. As if de Dalyn could ever take Cairn’s place. As if she would ever want him to! As she prepared a not-so-kind reply, Kaspian spoke, quietly and most definitely with a hint of threat.
