“I am honored to serve, my lord.”
Hugh pointed in the direction of the river. “The man who inherited all of Chester de Long’s possessions is sitting out by the river, wondering what in the world he has inherited,” he said. “He does not understand what The Feast is. I have tried to tell him, but he thinks I am mad. May I ask you to go and speak with him? Tell him what The Feast has meant to you. Let him understand it through your eyes.”
Anosia nodded. “I am happy to do so,” she said. “He’s out by the river, you said?”
Hugh pointed again. “You cannot miss him,” he said. “A broad knight with a dark beard. Handsome. His name is Jareth.”
Anosia dipped her head in acknowledgment. “I will tell him what I can.”
“That would be helpful.”
Anosia quit the chamber about the time Desdra entered. When she saw Hugh, she smiled politely and headed in his direction.
“My lord?” she said. “You wished to speak with me?”
Hugh nodded. “I did,” he said. “May we go somewhere private?”
She motioned for him to follow, and he did. She took him up a narrow spiral staircase, one that had locking gates at the top and the bottom of it. This was the section of the building where Lord Chester’s chamber was and where the lord’s solar was, where all of the business was conducted and the money counted, so it was well protected from the rest of the establishment. Desdra led him into the solar, with its neatly stacked ledgers and iron chests that were bolted into the floor.
“How may I be of assistance, my lord?” she asked.
Hugh casually wandered over to the windows that faced the entry and the river beyond. He could still see Jareth sitting out there, now with Anosia talking to him. Hugh wasn’t usually so thoughtful of others, but there was something in him that genuinely wanted to help Jareth see the value of what he had inherited. Or maybe he was living vicariously through Jareth, because he certainly wouldn’t have the same reservations about inheriting such a place.
He wanted to make Jareth understand that.
“You’ve met Lord Chester’s nephew?” he finally said.
Desdra paused by the big table that contained the ledgers. “I have, my lord.”
“What did you think of him?”
She drew in a long, thoughtful breath. “He called this place a brothel,” she said. “His opinion of this establishment is not a good one.”
Hugh turned to look at her. “That is natural, don’t you think?” he said. “The man inherited a place where women take money from men. What else is he supposed to think?”
Her jaw twitched faintly. She was unhappy with the subject matter. Hugh was a good customer and she didn’t want to offend him, but she didn’t have much of an opinion on his friend.
“If he did not understand what The Feast is, then he could have asked me in detail,” she said. “I would have told himeverything. But he accused me of being his uncle’s concubine, among other things. He did not seem to want to learn about the place. He only wanted to spout his uneducated opinion on it. Sir Hugh, I will be honest with you. My biggest fear was that Lord Chester would bequeath his empire to someone unworthy. I’ve not seen anything yet from Sir Jareth that would ease my fear.”
Hugh held out a hand, suddenly quite serious. “You go too far, lady,” he said in a low voice. “Jareth is neither ignorant nor unworthy, I assure you. He is an elite knight, a bodyguard to King Henry. One of only six men who are honored with such a position. He is a veteran of Henry’s wars against Simon de Montfort and, I might add, fought with distinction at the Battle of Lewes. I have never met a more just or moral man, so as much as you accused him of being ignorant when it comes to The Feast, you are ignorant when it comes to Jareth de Leybourne. You do not know what you are talking about, so I suggest you still your tongue until you do.”
Properly rebuked, Desdra lowered her gaze. “Forgive me, my lord,” she said. “It is only that I am very protective of Lord Chester’s legacy. I should not like to see it go to someone who will not take good care of it.”
Hugh backed down a little. “I know,” he said quietly. “You have always been very diligent with Lord Chester’s business matters. I know he was quite dependent on you.”
Desdra was still feeling scolded. “As I was dependent on him,” she said. “He saved my life. You will forgive me if I am passionate when it comes to protecting him.”
Hugh turned to the window, still seeing Jareth and Anosia in conversation. “I realize that,” he said. “But in speaking of Jareth’s ignorance of The Feast, I am trying to remedy that.”
She looked at him then. “How?”
He pointed out the window. “By having Anosia tell Jareth her story,” he said. “He needs to understand that this place is farbeyond a brothel. It is a place that does good, for many, so he must be told that from the very women whose lives have been saved by Lord Chester. Mayhap someday you will tell him your story, also. It will help him understand what, exactly, he has come into possession of.”
Desdra wandered over to the window, seeing Jareth and Anosia on the riverbank. “Anosia has quite a story to tell,” she said quietly. “She is very persuasive.”
“She is,” Hugh said. “Now, I will go downstairs and find more women to send out to speak with Jareth. You will go, too.”
She looked at him dubiously. “He will not want to see me, I am certain,” she said. “Our exchange earlier was not… pleasant.”
