But, as she quickly learned, they were never tired of inspecting something exceptional.
It wasn’t only Jareth, but the rest of them. They were all curious about Aphrodite’s Feast, and that included every nook and every cranny and every chamber they came across. The building itself was three stories tall, and there were a total of twenty-seven rooms over those three stories, so there was a good deal to see. Desdra took them through the chambers, the corridors, the staircases, and finally down to the kitchens, which were in the lower level. Given that they were so close to the river, it could make for damp conditions, but the kitchens were otherwise quite fine because they were lined with stone, which tended to keep the moisture out.
The cook was a man who had also served Lord Chester’s father. He had two assistants, and between the three of them, they fed up to fifty people every single day. Even now, they were busy making cheese tarts, something that Jareth and the others were quite drawn toward. They had been riding most of the day, as it was, and they had not yet stopped to break their fast. When Jareth mentioned that to Desdra, she asked the cook to feed the men. Being the snob that he was, however, the cook didn’t seem too apt to do it until Desdra informed him that Jareth was the new Lord of Aphrodite’s Feast. Of course, that had the man presenting everything he could for Jareth and his men to eat.
And all of it was delicious.
Along with the cheese tarts there were different types of bread, some sweet and some savory. There were copious amounts of butter, stewed fruit, and even honey. Evidently, the night before, they had roasted half of a pig, and this morning, the cook had made a stew with the leftover pork, beans, carrots, onions, and garlic. He doled out hot bowls of it as Jareth andthe others ate the cheese tarts and the bread, and by the time the stew was presented, the rich smell of pork filled the entire kitchen.
As the eating was going on, Desdra simply sat back and tried to become accustomed to the men who would now be part of her life. She wasn’t entirely sure if all of these men were sworn to Jareth or if they were simply his companions or friends. She knew that Hugh was from Bristol Castle, so he wasn’t part of Jareth’s group, but the men he had with him were incredibly intelligent and well spoken, every one of them. They didn’t seem like men who would be sworn to a simple knight.
Gradually, she began to figure it out.
When the cook brought out some of Uncle Chester’s fine Spanish wine, the men began to drink freely. And talk. The wine was quite delicious, and very expensive, and they enjoyed it immensely. It also had the ability to get a man drunk quickly, so the conversation went from something relatively quiet and neutral to something boisterous and, truthfully, hilarious at times. Desdra began to realize that the men were sworn to none other than King Henry himself, who was also Jareth’s liege, because she knew that the missive she had sent him from Chester had gone to Westminster Palace. Therefore, she deduced they were all men who served the king directly.
Very powerful men.
And in the middle of it was Jareth.
By the time the wine was nearly finished, she had been watching him for the better part of three hours. He was quiet for the most part, although he seemed to have a lot to say. The only time he got loud was when someone else got loud with him or he experienced some kind of jest or insult. There was a big blond knight at the end of the table in the kitchen that no one seemed to like and it was that man most of all who seemed to bring out Jareth’s loud side. His name was Orion, like the huntsman fromGreek mythology. At one point, Hugh tried to throw a punch at the same man, but he was stopped by the others, who accused him of being drunk and tried to take his wine away. That caused him to grab the pitcher and try to run off with it. When they wouldn’t let him, he climbed under the table with it and wouldn’t give it to anyone, which effectively ended their meal at the table. He ended up drinking what was left in the pitcher underneath the table and only coming out when it was gone.
That had Jareth slapping him on the side of the head.
Everyone burst into laughter.
At that point, Jareth seemed to realize that they had completely ignored Desdra for quite some time. He was clearly drunk and the alcohol had seemed to loosen his manner quite a bit.
He stood up from the table unsteadily and headed in Desdra’s direction.
“Forgive us, my lady,” he said, his brown eyes glimmering with mirth. “We’ve not eaten since last night and I fear my uncle’s strong wine has gone straight to our heads. I did not mean to ignore you.”
Desdra smiled timidly, standing up from the stool she’d been sitting on. “I am glad you are enjoying yourselves,” she said. “Aphrodite’s Feast is made for enjoyment, so you are welcome to partake.”
The smile faded from Jareth’s lips. “That is something I must speak with you about,” he said. “Will you indulge me?”
“Of course, my lord.”
“I want to see the ledgers.”
She nodded and motioned for him to follow. But everyone wanted to come, and he had to practically fight them off.
“Nay!” he roared. “This belongs to me and I will investigate it privately! This is not a group activity!”
They were giving him trouble, especially Hugh, so Desdra discreetly called for more wine, and that seemed to distract the group. When they were sharing a new bottle all around, Desdra took Jareth out of the kitchen, up the servants’ staircase to the level where Chester’s solar was located.
Up here, it was quiet but for the usual sounds on the street outside or an occasional gull overhead. He followed Desdra into the solar, coming to an abrupt halt once he entered the chamber. For a moment, he simply stood there and looked at the room—great tapestries, expensive furniture, and the finest art that money could buy. The table that Desdra went to sit behind had lions carved into the legs.
He’d never seen anything like it.
“Now,” she said, pulling a few leather-bound books in front of her, “I have ledgers from all of Lord Chester’s holdings. Some of these are quite old, from his grandfather’s father, but they are all in order. You can see how much revenue the businesses generate and how much they spend.”
Jareth wandered over to the table, sitting heavily on a chair because he was perhaps a little drunker than he thought he was. He was actually alotdrunker than he thought he was. It was a struggle to clear his head and focus, but he had to try. He was finally here, preparing to hear the details of the situation, and he needed his wits about him.
But all he could seem to do was stare at that exquisite creature at the table.
“Will you tell me something?” he said.
Desdra looked up from the ledgers. “If I can, my lord.”
