The Bride's Portion. Susan Paul

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СКАЧАТЬ came and went, bearing trays of food and drink and buckets filled with hot water with which they filled a large wooden tub set beside the fire. They went about their duties in a meaningful silence and left Lillis and Edyth alone in the chamber without speaking one word to either of them.

      The food and wine that had been brought tasted better than anything Lillis had ever eaten, probably, she knew, because she was half starved and also because she was so used to the simple food that the nuns at Tynedale ate. She had no doubt that the food at Gyer was better than the viands that would nourish them at Wellewyn would be, if they ever got to Wellewyn, because her father was very poor and could not afford fine cooks and expensive fare.

      “If we must be prisoners, at least we’ll be well-fed prisoners,” she jested with Edyth, who was in a trancelike state after taking a bite of pears cooked with wine and raisins.

      After their meal they undressed and bathed in the still-warm bathwater. A bar of scented soap was included with the provided necessaries and the two women exclaimed over it. At the convent they’d been used to washing with rough soap that smelled like the sheeps’ fat it was made from, but this soap was soft and soothing and smelled like lavender. They dug through their belongings and pulled on their nightclothes.

      They’d gone to bed, both of them amazed anew at the softness of the mattress, and Lillis could tell by her steady breathing that Edyth had fallen to sleep almost immediately. Lillis herself, however, had spent much of the night awake, trying to sort out their situation, and now she was suffering for it.

      She sat back in the comfortable chair she’d been sitting in for some hours and forced her eyes to stay open. The midday sun filtered through the many windows at the end of the great hall where she and Edyth were passing their time, and the light and warmth made Lillis feel sleepy. Just beyond the windows she could see glimpses of a beautiful garden. How she would love to explore that garden, to smell the fragrance of the flowers and feel the breeze on her face. Never before, until she’d been denied them, had she so missed the clean smell of fresh air, or the giving of the earth beneath her feet. There were two guards now, standing nearby, who would protest if she tried to enjoy such simple freedoms, for Alexander of Gyer had made it clear that she was not to be allowed outside the castle walls unless he was present.

      “Careful, dear!” came Edyth’s voice, startling Lillis.

      She looked and saw that she’d dropped her needlework onto the rushes that covered the floor. The rushes were clean and looked as if they’d recently been placed down, but Lillis scooped her material up just in case. She took too much pride in her needlework to take any chances with it. Folding it on her lap, she glanced across the room. With some amusement she saw the women who were sitting at the other end of the hall quickly lower their interested eyes.

      “He said they would be only too happy to receive us here,” she remarked, more to herself than to Edyth.

      “What was that, dear?” Edyth looked up from her needlework.

      Lillis nodded in the direction of the group of women. “Them. The womenfolk of Castle Gyer. Alexander of Gyer assured me this morn that we would be well received by them, but it seems that the only thing those ladies well receive is the gossip Aunt Leta gives them. I can see from here that she says a few words, then looks our way, says a few words, then looks our way...” Lillis craned her neck to see the women better. There were seven sitting together in a group, bent over needlework and talking when they weren’t staring at Edyth and herself. “I wonder which one is his betrothed?”

      “Whose betrothed?” Edyth asked, then added, “Lillis, it is quite rude for you to stare at them so!”

      “I know, Edyth, but if they’re going to sit there and look at us as though we were oddities we can certainly return the favor.”

      Edyth sighed and looked back to her needlework. “Whose betrothed?” she repeated.

      “The Lord of Gyer’s. She was supposed to be one of the women who would be happy to welcome us here. She is also his cousin.”

      “My goodness, you certainly did learn a great deal during your meeting with him this morn.”

      She certainly had, Lillis thought with heartfelt sincerity.

      The moment she’d seen the two men standing in that chamber she thought perhaps she’d walked through the wrong door by mistake. Neither of them looked like the man who had introduced himself to her the night before. One of them, the one nearest her whose face was a vivid red color, was much too tall to be Alexander of Gyer, and the other, who stood behind a table, looking rather expectant, was much too handsome. She had stared at both of them in turn until she’d finally realized that the handsome one was the Lord of Gyer.

      The discovery had been a distressing one, for Lillis had little experience with men, even less with one so handsome. He’d stood before her, green eyed and dark haired, tall and muscular and much younger than she had realized. His features were purely aristocratic, with a straight nose, expressive eyebrows and a well-shaped mouth. As well, there had been about him a mild and utterly natural expression of superiority, which marked him as the nobleman he was.

      It had taken only a moment before she’d determined that her best defense against such a man would be anger, and so she had steeled herself against him.

      The conversation with her captor, once begun, had gone more smoothly than Lillis had expected. Alexander of Gyer was not the tyrant she had thought he must be; instead, she found him polite, well-spoken and intelligent. He had explained her situation with honest regret, and had listened to all that she’d had to say.

      She’d suffered some shock when he told her of the things her father had done, but he was right when he said that she was not really surprised. Lillis loved her father deeply, for to her he had always been loving and kind, but she knew he was a vengeful man and could be quite cruel. She’d seen enough during her childhood of how he treated his servants and vassals to know these things about him. But she also knew he would listen to her if she only had a chance to speak with him, for he had never been able to deny her anything she’d asked of him. The fact that Alexander of Gyer didn’t believe this was understandable, of course, but extremely frustrating.

      “Are you quite sure that he’ll not change his mind, my lady?” Edyth asked. “Your poor father must be terribly worried by now.”

      “Yes, I’m sure he is,” Lillis agreed. “But, no, I do not think Alexander of Gyer will change his mind. I don’t know what he will do or how he will use us, save I am reasonably certain we shall not be killed or beaten. Still, I do feel foolish sitting here and enjoying ourselves in the luxury of Castle Gyer while my father is probably worrying himself into illness. Too many more days and I promise that I will begin to think of ways to escape our benevolent prison.” At these words Edyth looked absolutely panicked, so that Lillis quickly added, “But we’ll not speak of such things yet. We shall wait a day or two and accept whatever hospitality Alexander of Gyer offers us, and pray that he finds a solution by then.”

      Edyth seemed comforted, and managed a slight smile. As Lillis returned the smile she chanced to look behind Edyth’s chair and saw a movement in the shadows. She bent forward to look more closely and noticed that the shadows were actually two small figures; children who were hugging themselves tightly against the wall to keep from being seen.

      “What now!” Lillis said lightly. “Who have we here? Come and let us see you. Come,” she coaxed. “We’ll not harm you.”

      Edyth turned to see who it was that Lillis addressed and, being closer to the СКАЧАТЬ