“You speak aright,” he said.“The institution of marriage must be respected, if naught else, regardless of the reason for the match.”
He turned to Michel and deliberately ignored Bayard’s grin.“Go, Michel, and see if Lord de Tulley might lend me suitable garb for this occasion.”The boy bowed and would have raced immediately to the door.“But bring my knife first, for I am in need of a shave.Perhaps you could lay hands on some shears, as well, for my hair is in dire need of a trim.”
Michel grinned as he produced Quinn’s dagger and the shears from behind his back.“Bayard said you would be needing these.I sharpened the blades, sir.”
“I thank you, Michel.”Quinn glanced toward his companion.
Bayard waved into the air and narrowed his eyes, as though he spied something elusive in the distance.“My dame often said I should have been a seer.”
Quinn threw the soap at him and hit him square in the chest.Bayard jumped in surprise, not having seen the missile coming.Quinn laughed at his friend’s surprise, his customary mood restored, at least for the moment.
He could win Melissande, and he would—for Sayerne.
Chapter 3
Berthe had gone to the kitchens, as was her wont at Tulley, and taken her mending.Lady Heloise had no obligation to entertain her, and truly, that lady seemed to wish to confer with her own maid.Berthe preferred to remain in the kitchen, working quietly, while she gathered gossip for her lady.She always listened and spoke little but, as her mother would have said, she kept her eyes open.
She noted the arrival of a rough company shortly after her lady had been summoned to Tulley’s chamber.Two of them were men, and the others were but boys, though all were dirty and their clothing worn.They were fighting men, she could tell at a glimpse, and wondered if Tulley had hired more men-at-arms.They were greeted with courtesy, though, and clearly had been expected.Berthe saw the crosses on the tabards of the two men and wondered if they were crusading knights.Only one entered the kitchens and the châtelain was quick to usher him away.They would have been the party riding behind her lady’s own small group and Berthe was curious as to their reason for being at Tulley.
The whispers began immediately.
“So, he is the one,” said a maid.“I should not turn him aside.”
The scullery maids laughed together.“He needs a bath.”
“I would scrub his back.”
“I would scrub more than that.”There was another gale of laughter, and the cook’s quelling glance made no difference.
“Quinn has improved mightily with the years,” said one woman who had been at Tulley for as long as Berthe could recall.Her name was Rose and she had to be twice Berthe’s age.“I recall when he was no more than a lean boy.Truly, Tulley saw his promise early.”
“I would entertain him this night if the lady refuses him,” jested one maid and there was a chorus of agreement.
“Ensure you are near their door,” advised another.“In case she casts him out.”
“Only a fool would deny such a man.”
Berthe felt her color rise, but she kept her attention on her mending.She had been taught to keep her thighs together, but she knew that many of the woman who served at Tulley did not think similarly.
So, Lord de Tulley had plans for this man, whether he be knight or mercenary.Berthe listened.What had they said his name was?Quinn.Berthe wondered where he had been summoned from.It was curious that they had ridden behind the party from Annossy, so they might have come from another holding sworn to Tulley.Perhaps they had made their way over a difficult pass.She supposed the lady who would wed this Quinn must be Heloise and wondered if Tulley’s niece guessed her fate.
Perhaps she should have stayed and listened to the conversation between Heloise and her maid.
“I hope Lady Melissande likes the look of him,” said one of the girls.
Berthe almost dropped her needle.
“What she thinks is of no import,” Rose countered.“She will wed him this day and bed him this night regardless of her view of the matter.”
“But...”
“Lord de Tulley has no qualms in taking away what he has given,” Rose said, her manner arch.
Berthe blinked in astonishment at this.Would Tulley seize Annossy if her lady did not wed this stranger?One of the younger kitchen maids sat down beside her, her manner friendly but watchful.“Will your lady welcome him to her bed?”she asked with a smile that was not entirely pleasant.“It is said that Lady Melissande d’Annossy is made of ice, but perhaps she needs a man to thaw her.”Her expression turned lewd as the other maids laughed.
“My lady is reserved, to be sure, for she was taught to conduct herself with dignity.”
“Dignity will not aid her this night,” Rose said.“Fighting men always understand their advantage.”
