Suddenly, Raymond didn’t appear so impatient. “D’Avignon?” he said. “Mira d’Avignon?”
“Aye, my lord.”
“She’sstillhere?”
“Aye, my lord,” she said. “She is in the market for a husband these days, though she is rather old. And she remembers you, because I heard her say that she hopes for a dance with you tonight.”
In a few short seconds, Raymond went from annoyed to interested. Years may have passed since he was last at Axminster, years of training and warfare, but other than getting bigger and stronger and more experienced as a warrior, he was still the same Raymond. The core of the lad that once was had never changed. Truthfully, he’d never even thought of the fair Mira d’Avignon when he arrived, assuming she’d long since moved on, so this bit of news was most surprising.
And encouraging.
Perhaps it would be a pleasant night after all.
“Is that so?” he said after a moment. “Is she still pretty?”
“Some say so, my lord.”
“Good,” he said, pushing past her. “I’ll see for myself.”
As he headed off toward the dais through the crowded hall, Astoria watched him go, a pleased expression on her face.
“What trouble are you up to?”
The question was whispered in her ear, and Astoria turned to see Helen beside her. As the woman eyed her suspiciously, Astoria’s smile vanished.
“No trouble at all,” she said. “But I remembered, long ago, that Raymond was rather fond of Mira. I thought he might like to see her again.”
Helen scowled. “Fondof her?” she said. “I remember him pinching her and trying to force himself on her. Lady Isabel was going to send him away when his father mercifully sent him to Kenilworth. The man is an animal!”
Astoria shrugged. “That is of no concern to me,” she said. “But it will be a concern to Mira. I wonder what Douglas will think of her when someone like Raymond shows her attention?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Astoria pretended to be uninterested in the entire conversation. “Nothing,” she said. “Or everything. Mayhap he’ll see Mira for the whore she is.”
Helen grunted, shaking her head in disgust. “If you do not stop your harassment of Mira, not only will I tell Lady Isabel, but I will also tell Mira,” she said. “I saw Douglas scold you today. You’ll get far worse than that if you start something.”
Astoria whirled on her, yanking the braid that was draped over her shoulder. “You’ll do no such thing!”
Helen gasped at the pain of the tug, retaliating by stomping so hard on Astoria’s toes that the woman howled in agony. That brought Davina running to separate them.
“Stop!” Davina hissed. “Stop or Lady Isabel will send you both out of here and punish you for embarrassing her in front of her visitors. Behave!”
Astoria was already limping away, removing herself from Helen and Davina, who were not on her side. But it didn’t really matter anymore. She did what she’d set out to do.
The wheels were in motion.
The night was about to get interesting.
*
Clad in agown of green silk that was nearly the color of her eyes, Mira was combed and braided, her hair wound like a crown upon her head and the cross pendant from the necklace pinned to the bodice. Even if she couldn’t wear it as a necklace at the moment, she still wanted to honor Douglas by wearing it, so she and Helen had pinned it carefully at the base of her neckline. It was in the same location it would have been had she worn the necklace. With some of Davina’s rose perfume behind her ears and gently daubed on her hair, she presented a magnificent picture.
Funny how she’d never put a huge amount of stock in her appearance. Of course, she was always neatly dressed and clean, but doing anything elaborate was something she had never beenparticularly adept at. But tonight, it was different. In a few short days she had gone from an unattached woman to a lady with a suitor. That was new territory for her, but one that left her giddy with delight. In fact, Mira wasn’t sure she could eat a bite tonight because her stomach was in knots, but not bad knots.
On the contrary.
She was very much looking forward to the feast.
