Davyss nodded, moving closer to Roger so he could hear the man’s softly uttered plans over the happy chaos in the room beyond.
*
The feast withMortimer’s men went well into the night. Devereux had awoken from her nap close to sunset and she could hear the noise clear up in her chamber. Rising slowly, she was careful not to step on Louie as she went to one of the long lancet windows that lined the chamber, peering outside to see if she could see what was going on in the upper bailey. There were hundreds of men and their horses, cluttering the upper bailey with their noise and smell. She could see part of the drawbridge that led to the lower bailey and she could see that the bridge was down and men were traversing it.
Although Davyss didn’t discuss military matters with her, she had heard him mention that Roger Mortimer was due to visit. Devereux tried to stay clear of in-depth political knowledge because she and her husband could never agree on the need for war versus peaceful solutions to conflict. It was something they had never agreed on, not since the day they had met, so it was best if they didn’t discuss the subject too deeply. But she knew enough that Roger Mortimer had arrived, purpose unknown, so she made haste to dress.
She’d had to have several surcoats made recently to accommodate her growing belly. One of them was a lovely pale blue garment made of brocade, and she slipped on a light shift before pulling the surcoat over her head. She still dressed aloneand bathed alone, just as she always had, even in this fine massive fortress with dozens of servants running about. She was simply more comfortable alone. But she did call a maid to help her secure the ties on the garment so it draped beautifully over her shoulders and breasts, the one thing she couldn’t do for herself. The maid also pulled her hair back into a single braid, which draped elegantly over one shoulder.
Fully dressed and looking like an angel, she quit the chamber and slowly made her way down the spiral stairs. The noise grew louder as she drew near the soldier’s hall and by the time she entered, the roar of men and laughter was almost deafening. There were strange soldiers everywhere, drinking and eating.
She asked the first servant she came across where her husband was. The man offered to escort her through the masses and she gratefully accepted, following the rather large servant through the crowd and into the knight’s hall beyond. As soon as she entered, she saw her husband seated at the table with a dark-haired, slender man.
Davyss spied his wife the moment she entered the room. He bolted to his feet and went to her.
“Sweetling,” he put his arm around her shoulders. “Why did you not send for me? You should not be down here with all of these men.”
She waved him off. “I am fine, Davyss; I am not going to break.” She smiled at Roger, who rose from the bench and returned her smile. “I am Lady de Winter. Welcome to Norwich, my lord.”
Roger bowed gallantly. “My lady,” he greeted. “I am Roger Mortimer. ’Tis a pleasure to finally meet you. I have heard many great things about you.”
She lifted an eyebrow at him as Davyss helped her to sit. “No doubt you have heard many great things about our child, to besure,” she winked at her husband as he sat down. “His son is all he can speak of.”
Davyss kissed her on the temple. “Not all,” he said. “I speak of you also on occasion.”
Roger laughed softly as Devereux made a face at Davyss. “Do not let him fool you,” Roger said. “Davyss is so proud of you that he is close to bursting. From a man who embodies the male trait of pride, I would say that is quite a statement.”
Devereux’s twisted expression transitioned into a glowing smile at her husband. “He has much to be proud of,” she murmured, gently tweaking his chin. “He is a great man. He told me so himself.”
Roger laughed uproariously and moved to pour Devereux some ale, but someone was shouting his name from the soldier’s hall and his attention was diverted. His men were calling to him and he set the ale down.
“Excuse me, Lady de Winter,” he said as he climbed off the bench. “It seems that my men require my attention. I shall return and look forward to having a detailed conversation with you.”
Devereux merely smiled at him as he quit the hall, hearing the cheers from his men in the room beyond as he entered the hall. She turned her attention to her husband and her smile faded.
“You know that I do not ask you your business,” she said quietly. “But I would like to know why he is here.”
Davyss held her hand, rubbing it gently between his two big palms. The gentle expression on his features faded.
“He is here because we are to attend to some business together,” he said softly. “When Roger leaves on the morrow, I go with him.”
“I see,” she wasn’t particularly surprised but she was hurt that he had not told her sooner. “And just when did you plan to tell me you were leaving?”
He reached up to tuck a bit of stray hair behind her ear. “Tonight,” he muttered. “When all was quiet and still between us, I was going to tell you.”
“But you have known for some time that you were leaving.”
It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. Davyss nodded faintly. “I knew that as soon as Roger arrived, I would be leaving with him. Devereux, I simply didn’t want our last days or hours spoiled with my impending departure. You know how emotional you become.”
There wasn’t much more she could say to that, considering he was right. She averted her gaze for a moment. “How long will you be gone?”
“I have no way of knowing, sweetling.”
“You must be here for the birth of your son. That only gives you three months.”
He sighed faintly. “I will try, you know I will,” he murmured. “There is nothing on this earth more important to me than that. But I cannot promise that I will return in time.”
“Where are you going?”
