Myles had arranged for musicians to play for the evening, having lured them over from a tavern in a village south of Brython, so music filled the stale warmth of the hall as everyonemingled and drank. There was a party atmosphere. Elle had been commandeered by Christin and Dustin and Liora, who took her to the dais and sat at the end of the table, conversing over the noise of the men and music. Other wives were in attendance, like the Countess of Wolverhampton, Giselle, who had come with her husband. The two of them had Christopher cornered. Still other wives—de Lara, d’Avignon, and Wrexham—had been unable to come due to sick children or pregnancies.
Truthfully, Elle was glad. She was already overwhelmed with so many people and, in particular, so many women. Melusine, who had been mostly in the kitchens while Elle led a gay social whirl in the hall, finally joined the ladies and sat next to her cousin, holding her hand, and somewhat fearful of all of the Englishwomen around them.
But Elle wasn’t afraid.
She’d never in her life known such kind and curious women.
They weren’t her bitter grandmother. They weren’t her mother who had run out after she’d been born, never to be heard from again. These were women who knew and loved one another, who shared similar experiences, and who spoke to Elle as if she was part of them. She’d never been part of anything in her life.
The overwhelming feeling began to turn into gratitude.
The tears began to come.
Before Elle realized it, they were streaming down her cheeks and she’d had to lower her head, discreetly trying to wipe them away, when she heard a soft voice in her right ear.
“Are you weary, sweetheart?” Dustin asked softly. “Would you like to lie down for a while? Everyone will still be here when you return.”
Elle lifted her head, trying to smile. “Nay,” she said. “I… I am not weary. It’s just… It’s just that…”
She couldn’t finish. The other women were concerned that she was weeping, and she was trying to smile and assure them that nothing was terribly wrong. But she couldn’t quite get the message across, and they were growing more concerned.
“It is nothing, truly,” she finally said, wiping furiously at her eyes. “It’s simply that… that other than Melusine, my cousin, I’ve never had any women to speak to. My mother left after I was born, and the only other woman I’ve spent time with was my grandmother, who was resentful and hateful. I have come to realize that. Now, I’m sitting with you lovely women, and to experience this… this kindness and camaraderie… It is simply overwhelming. I’ve never known anything like it.”
They understood. Dustin put her arm around Elle’s shoulders and gave her a gentle hug, knowing that the woman’s upbringing and background was far rougher and more brutal than she let on.
“You are one of us now,” Dustin said. “We will come to know you, and we will value you very much, I promise.”
Elle laughed softly, a nervous sort of laugh, as she wiped away the last of her tears. “I am being silly,” she said. “Forgive me.”
Dustin kissed her cheek. “There is nothing to forgive, my love,” she said. “But if you are feeling poorly, I will take you back to your chamber. You should lie down for a time and rest. This gathering will still be going on when you return, I promise.”
Elle shook her head. “Not before we eat,” she said, looking to Melusine. “Are we ready to bring the food out?”
Melusine nodded and stood up. “I will see to it,” she said. “It will only be a moment.”
The ladies watched her scurry off as Elle spoke softly. “I have given her the task of managing the kitchens,” she said. “Everyone has tasks here at Brython, and the kitchens are hers,although I help her. She has been doing very well. She likes standing in those hot kitchens more than I do.”
“You are fortunate to have the help,” Christin said from across the table. “And she is content with her role?”
Elle nodded. “She is,” she said. “Melusine has more experience in managing kitchens than I do, so it is something that comes easily for her. She, too, has come to see that living with the English is not such a bad thing. It helps that she is fond of one of the warriors.”
The ladies grinned at each other, knowing how the distraction of a man could change a woman’s life because they had all experienced the very same thing. “And you, my lady?” Liora asked, seated next to Christin. “What tasks do you have here?”
Elle smiled, perhaps in embarrassment. “Truthfully, I have never been good with things women are expected to tend to,” she said. “I have no training, not the way all of you have. If Curtis has told you anything about me, then you know I was in command of Brython when Hereford and his army came.”
Dustin nodded proudly. “She held Chris off for an entire month,” she said to the group. “She is to be commended.”
The women giggled, knowing what a blow that must have been to Christopher and his pride. “Then you are helping Curt with his army?” Christin asked.
Elle shrugged. “A little,” she said. “I know the warlords of these lands, so we discuss that a good deal. I give him my opinion on their strengths and loyalties. When I am not doing that, I tend to the keep and the kitchen stores. But Curt and his knights have been very generous in teaching me what they know about managing a house and hold, at least as much as they are able. I have been keeping the ledger of accounts for Curt, of what we spend and how much money we have. I make suggestions on income that do not include taxing his vassals.”
“Oh?” Dustin said, interested. “What have you suggested?”
Elle was reluctant to answer, given that she was so new to the concept of finding income for a castle. She didn’t want to sound foolish in front of these women who had been doing it all their lives, but she figured that saying something would be better than avoiding the question. She didn’t want to appear rude when the truth was that she was simply uncertain.
“It is not really my idea,” she said timidly. “But Curt told me that Lord Hereford has herds of cattle for income. I… Well, I have suggested that we buy some and have our own herd. You see, in the life I led before my marriage, I never had enough money to buy cattle or anything else, but now, we have the money to purchase what we need to make Brython thrive, and it seems logical that we must create income not dependent on taxation.”
Dustin smiled broadly. “Well done, my lady,” she said. “You are clearly brilliant. My son is very fortunate to have married such a bright mind.”
