“Like what?”
“Jewels. Clothing, if you think it will fit her. You just married the woman; ply her with gifts.”
He puckered his lips wryly. “Anything else?”
Katharine shook her head and returned her attention to the needle in her hand. “You will have to figure it out for yourself.”
He pursed his lips irritably, his gaze moving to the window that overlooked the bailey below. Business went on as usual below, in sharp contradiction to the unexpected turn his life just took.
“I do not need this additional burden,” he muttered. “I have more pressing problems in London at the moment. I do not need the addition of a cantankerous new wife.”
Katharine stopped sewing, casting him a sharp glance. “That isexactlywhat you need.”
*
The room wasn’tparticularly large or well appointed. In fact, it was rather sparse with its single unused bed and old table.Having only heard of Castle Acre Castle, Devereux had been told it was a mysterious place, full of military implications, and now she found herself in the heart of it. It only heightened her sense of misery.
It was an enormous compound with massive ramparts built up around an enormous bailey to the south and a motte to the north. She’d never seen anything so large.
The group had entered the castle on the southwest side of town through a massive stone gatehouse, entering the complex that was vast and fortified. Several hundred soldiers were in residence at this time because of de Winter’s presence and they were camped out in the enormous bailey, creating a quagmire of mud, chaos, men and animals. A vast great hall sat in the middle of the bailey along with several outbuildings. The whole area smelled like a swamp.
Built within a circle of ramparts to the north was a powerfully constructed keep, although the keep had been partially demolished by Henry II because it had been an unlicensed fortification eighty years prior. Lady Katharine’s ancestor, William de Warenne, had built it during the conflicts between Empress Matilda and King Stephan, giving rise to a very fortified and illegal bastion. Henry, when he assumed the throne, went through the countryside destroying all of these unlicensed castles in the hopes they would never be used for an uprising ever again. But somehow, he failed to demolish all of Castle Acre Castle’s massive keep. Two stories of it still remained.
Davyss had brought her to the second floor of the crumbling keep and left her in one of the two chambers, bolting the door from the outside. He’d barely said a word and she, exhausted from her day of struggle and upset, hadn’t shown any resistance. From the lancet windows to the north and west, she could see the small town beyond. It was a quiet place, certainly not as largeas the berg she came from. Thetford was much bigger. As the day waned, her sense of homesickness and despair grew.
He left her with no food, no drink. Devereux spent a good deal of time and energy attempting to figure out how she could climb out of the windows and not kill herself, but the room was so barren that there was nothing she could make a ladder or a rope with. She could have jumped, of course, but it was several feet to the ground and she didn’t want to break something. So she gave up on the idea of escaping and sat down in the chilly room, waiting for the moment when de Winter would decide to let her out again. She was thirsty and growing hungry. As the wait became excessive, so did her animosity.
It was late afternoon by the time she heard the door rattle. Startled from hours of silence and inaction, she instinctively leapt to her feet as the door opened. The first face she saw was that of the de Winter priest. She took a closer look at him, noting he had wild gray hair, wild gray eyes, and huge scarred hands. He didn’t look like any priest she had ever seen. She couldn’t help but notice he stood somewhat behind the door, as if using the panel as a shield against her.
“My lady,” he greeted, eyeing her warily. “I came to see if you required anything to make your stay more comfortable.”
She lifted a well-shaped eyebrow at him. “Can you seriously ask me that question as you look at this desolate room?” she wanted to know. “I have been locked in here for hours with no food, nothing to drink, and no comforts whatsoever. And you think tonowcome and ask me that question?”
He looked around the room, sighing faintly. Then he took a step inside and stopped using the door as a shield.
“Perhaps we started out on the wrong note,” he said with some regret. “My name is Lollardly. We were not formally introduced earlier, but I am Sir Davyss’ personal priest.”
Devereux eyed him. “Is this how the de Winters normally treat women? Locking them in cold rooms with nothing of comfort?”
He grunted softly and scratched his head. “My lady, this was not my doing. It would be exceedingly more pleasant for us both if you would stop being so confrontational. I realize this day has been something of a shock for you but surely you know this was not my doing. I was following orders. If you choose to hate me because of my sense of duty, then so be it. But you should also realize that our association will be as pleasant, or as adversarial, as you make it. The choice is yours.”
Devereux simply stared at him. Without a response, Lollardly saw no need to stay and he began to close the door quietly. Just before he closed it completely, Devereux spoke.
“Lollardly?” she said.
He stopped. “My lady?”
She took a step towards him, her expression a mixture of loathing and resignation. She finally settled for complete resignation.
“If it is not too much trouble, I should like something to eat,” she said quietly. “I have not eaten all day. And perhaps a fire would be nice; it is cold in here.”
Lollardly nodded firmly, as if she had just given him an intense command. “It shall be done, Lady de Winter,” he said. “Anything else?”
She felt as if she had been struck by an unseen hand at the formal mention of her new title. It took her a moment to recover her shock and distaste.
“My things,” she said. “Everything was left behind at my father’s house. I will need my things.”
Lollardly nodded. “A few of Davyss’ knights rode for your father’s home a few hours ago. They should be returning shortly.”
