As the three young men turned their begging to Elle, Curtis simply stood back and enjoyed the view. And what a view it had been for the past eight weeks. He had watched a skinny, dirty, angry young woman transform into something angelic in every way. Weeks of good food and constant eating had put meat on her bones and filled her out in ways that made Curtis lust after her every minute of every day. Although it had taken some patience on his part, gone were her days of aggression and hopelessness. These days, she was warm and loving, firm and sometimes even stern, but she was never unfair.
And he had fallen quite deeply in love with her.
Curtis still hadn’t told her that, however, because speaking of emotion tended to embarrass or confuse her. He was still trying to bring her out of the world she had grown up in, where desolation and apathy was commonplace, but it had been difficult to shake. She wasn’t used to a world where people werenice and spoke of their feelings, especially when it came to love, so Curtis was still trying to ease her into a world where he wanted to tell her every day how much she loved her. Even if he couldn’t yet, he was fairly certain she loved him in return.
Although she wouldn’t say the words, he could see it in her actions every single day. He could feel it in her touch every single night. Elle seemed to be more of an action woman than a woman of empty words, so he took heart in her actions. Her very loving and sometimes sweet actions.
But he gave it back to her in return, tenfold. These dance lessons were part of that. He had arranged for a great feast to introduce her to his allies, and she was desperate to make a good impression. That included many things, not the least of which was learning dances that were taught to every young noble person in England. Myles had been teaching dance classes nearly every day for the past couple of weeks. Elle and Melusine had been very eager to learn, but the trick had been to convince the other young men to dance along with the women so they could see how the dance worked. Frankly, Curtis had been surprised that Douglas and Westley had lasted this long dancing with each other, but the truth was that they loved Elle, too. In spite of their pettiness, they really did want to help her.
Now, those same young men were gently badgering her into letting them accompany her to the village of Rhayader. That was the village where she had visited the apothecary for the potion that had allowed her to put her brother in the vault. Curtis had been to the village three or four times, when he could get away from his duties and accompany his wife, and in the times he’d been there with her, he could see how much the villagers loved her. They all knew her, and when she’d introduced Curtis as her new husband and Lord of Brython, the acceptance went better than he’d hoped. Elle had made it easier for him, something he had appreciated. In fact, the past eight weeks had gone farsmoother with her than anything he could have hoped for or imagined.
It was like something out of a dream.
“You can go,” he finally said, pushing the boys away from Elle because he was weary of their begging. “Go and have the horses prepared and we’ll join you in the bailey.”
The three of them tore out of the hall, nearly slipping on a section of floor that was being cleaned near the entry. Hugo followed, heading out to complete his duties, but Myles and Asa remained behind.
“You’re truly going to take that lot to town?” Myles asked, shaking his head. “You’re a brave man.”
Curtis grinned. “They behave for Ellie,” he said. “She must remind them of Mama, because they respond to her much like they respond to our mother. There will be no trouble.”
Myles shook his head. “As I said, you are brave.” He noted Melusine over with Elle in conversation. “Are you taking Melly?”
Curtis nodded. “Probably,” he said, noting Asa standing a few feet away. He addressed the man. “Do you want to go, too?”
Asa’s face lit up. “May I?”
“Go get your horse,” Curtis said. “And have the carriage prepared for my wife and Melly.”
Asa dashed off, leaving Curtis and Myles smirking at one another. “You know he wants to marry her,” Myles muttered. “Has he said anything to you about it?”
Curtis shook his head. “He hasn’t,” he said. “But how is that going to work?”
“What do you mean?”
“He still practices his Jewish religion. Melly is not Jewish.”
Myles shrugged. “Then she’ll have to convert,” he said. “Liora did when she married Peter.”
“But Peter was a knight,” Curtis said. “He had a good deal to lose if he converted. It made sense for Liora to convert instead.”
Myles shook his head. “I know,” he said. “But if Asa converts, Papa will probably knight him. That should be worth something to him.”
“Or maybe he simply wants to stay true to his Jewish religion. That must be his choice.”
Myles shrugged and began to pull his gloves out from where they had been tucked into his belt. “I suppose we shall see,” he said, pulling on a glove. “Now, what else do you need me to do for this chaotic orgy you are about to have in a few days? I told you that I would help, and I will.”
Curtis laughed softly. “I want you to make sure that all escorts and horses and men of our guests are well tended,” he said. “Keep houses that are not friendly with one another at a distance from each other. Not all of our allies are allied with each other, if you know what I mean.”
Myles nodded. “I do, indeed,” he said. “I will handle the guests and their escorts. But you will do something for me.”
“What is that?”
Myles pointed at Elle. “Where is your wife going right now?”
Curtis glanced at Elle as she and Melusine conversed. “To fetch two garments she had the seamstress in Rhayader make for her,” he said. “Why?”
Myles tried not to look too embarrassed. “Have her go to a merchant who carries perfumes,” he said. “Have her find a perfume for a man that women would like to smell.”
