Ashley snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
The same guardwho escorted Ashley around the castle was waiting outside her door, leaning against the wall, when she emerged from the room.
“The dress is lovely, though you’re rather tall for a woman.”
Ashley looked down at her stocking-covered ankles. She’d let the girls take her boots to be cleaned, so she was wearing soft shoes that reminded her of slippers.
“I’m not tall where I come from.” She was five seven, and in New York she often felt short when she ran into a model on the street. It was an easy breed to spot, the girls impossibly thin andincredibly tall. During her time here she’d seen plenty of people of average height and just as many short ones, though Christian and some of his guards were over six feet. She guessed there would always be outliers.
“I don’t know your name. I’m Ashley.”
“My name is Quinn, lady. We are to sit at the high table with my lord.”
He led her through the great hall as she stared at the transformation that had taken place while she was bathing. Tables and benches that had been pushed up against the walls earlier were now in rows, running up and down the hall. Many of the people she had seen since she’d arrived were already seated. There were tablecloths on the table, and from the dishes and the amount of food being served, she figured out Christian had plenty of money. Not that the castle didn’t give it away, but he could have been one of those titled but poor guys. He didn’t act like some of the guys she’d met at home that flaunted their wealth. The hedge fund guys were the worst.
Ben’s face flashed in front of her eyes. He was going to be surprised when she finally made it back home. Though as practical as he was, by now he’d probably moved on to someone else. Ashley waited a moment to see if she was upset, but she wasn’t. That alone told her she had been coasting through life with him. She heard Christian laughing with a couple of his men as they approached the table. Yep, she was upset thinking of him married to someone else. Sad to leave him.
The table at the front of the hall was fancier, with a linen tablecloth, silver goblets, and actual plates. The other tables had trenchers. At the end of the meal, Quinn said, they were given to the poor in the villages and the animals.
Christian stood, as did the other men. He pulled out the chair next to him.
“You are beautiful.”
“Thank you. It feels good to be clean again.”
Ashley couldn’t have said what she ate. She was too busy looking at everyone, taking it all in. The memories would sustain her when she went home. First thing on her list? Diving into history.
Christian and everyone in the castle would be long dead when she went home. Would there be any mention of Winterforth in a book? Did she want to know Christian and his perfect wife had three adorable kids and lived happily ever after?
“Is aught amiss?” The look of concern on his face made her want to run from the hall.
“No, I was just thinking.”
“Of your home?”
“And other things.” She sipped the wine. “Tell me about growing up here.”
His face brightened. “My sire owned several estates, and this was one of them. When I came of age, ’twas mine. Each of my brothers has a castle as well.”
She grinned. “Of course they do. I vaguely remember you telling me you had brothers, but not much else, too much to drink that night. Do your parents live close by?”
“Nay, they passed years ago.”
“I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to lose those you care for.”
He was interrupted by a man asking him a question, and Ashley turned her attention to the people, watching them and learning so she would fit in while she was here. For however long that was. Christian was deep in conversation with the man next to him. She touched him on the shoulder as she got up.
“I’m going up to the battlements for some air.”
“Don’t stay long, you’ll be cold.”
Quinn followed, still chewing.
“I’m going up to the battlements. You don’t need to follow me.”
“I am to guard you—where you go, I go.”
“Let’s go to the kitchens first so you can finish your meal.”
