The Popewas the name they used for a local priest who thought he was being clever by wearing alternate clothing and amask when he visited. His real name was Father Ignacio Joseph, and he was one of the priests over at the cathedral that Chester had built. He was also a man who lived a secret life, one with a love of women and, some said, a secret family. But he paid well and he was kind to Anosia and another woman named Limenia, who were his favorites. All he ever asked Anosia to do was sing for him and sometimes dance, but Limenia would remove her clothing and dance for him. He seemed to like that a great deal. He also paid her very well simply to touch her while she stood still. He liked to touch her breasts, her buttocks, running his hands over her smooth skin, but he never made any attempt to bed her.
All the man wanted to do was touch.
It was simple enough for Limenia to take his money and let him.
“You could send him word and tell him that only Limenia is available,” Desdra said. “That way, he will not be disappointed if at least one of you is accessible today.”
Anosia nodded in agreement as she moved for the door. But she paused before leaving completely.
“Speaking to Sir Jareth yesterday about my life here was an interesting experience,” she said. “What I mean is that I simply do not speak of my life here, to anyone, so speaking of it makes me realize how fortunate I am, I suppose. Wedohave a good life here, Des. I suppose we need to be reminded of that once in a while.”
Desdra simply smiled at her, nodding, as Anosia quit the chamber. Outside, the gulls were beginning to circle, calling to one another, officially signaling the start of the day. It wouldn’t have been a normal day at all if some of them hadn’t gathered on her windowsill, looking for food or just being genuinely annoying. Chester used to throw things at them or make countless trips to the windows to chase them away, but back theywould come. She wondered if the birds knew Chester was gone and were trying to be bold now about claiming those ledges like some men claimed countries. The thought made her grin.
We do have a good life here,Anosia had said.
Desdra couldn’t agree more.
Hopefully, it was going to get better.
CHAPTER TEN
He called himselfZeus.
Of course, it wasn’t his real name. His real name involved a very recognizable family name, something he’d hidden from for many years, ever since he had sided with Simon de Montfort and his family had sided with the king. His father had distinctly told him he never wanted to see him again and, in fact, seemed to wish his son dead.
That was what the war with de Montfort had done. It had separated families and friends and had left the country nearly bankrupt. It was only seven years ago, but the effects were quite lasting. That included a Kenilworth-trained knight who was currently serving in a brothel. It would have been shameful had it not been so lucrative.
And that was what Zeus wanted at this point in time. If he couldn’t serve in a prestigious household, at least he could make some money. He was too old to start over again and too set in his ways to change. Serving at Aphrodite’s Feast wasn’t so bad, after all. He had six highly trained men to command, and that included two who had been Blackchurch trained. The group of men under him were no slouches, and they made a fortune doing what they did, which mostly included screening the menwho entered, looking for female companionship, and disposing of those who didn’t behave properly. Oddly enough, and given the fact that Aphrodite’s Feast exchanged copious amounts of money on any given day, they’d never had a genuine threat.
That was saying something.
There were hordes of pirates on the west coast of England and Wales, but they never seemed to bother the de Long holdings. In fact, Zeus knew with certainty that a few pirates had visited them as clients over the years, indulging in the good food and fine company. Perhaps there was some respect for a place like Aphrodite’s Feast that kept them from trying to sack it, but even if they tried, the building was quite fortified and designed to keep marauders out. There were no windows on the lower floor and the only doors were heavily fortified with iron. Even if they burned the wood, the iron would remain.
If, by some miracle, an enemy managed to make it inside, all of the stairwells had iron grates. Every chamber had a door that was largely the same as the entry door—iron and wood. Each chamber could function as a cell or a fortress, depending on how an enemy entered, so the idea of greedy pirates trying to roust the place didn’t concern Zeus or The Guardians in the least.
But one thing did concern him.
A new lord.
He hadn’t met the man yet because he’d been taking his usual sleep period when Chester de Long’s nephew and heir arrived with a stable of studly knights behind him. By the time he rose, the new lord and his men were sequestered in the feasting room and didn’t want to be interrupted. He’d remained up, all night, as was usual, but somehow he never came into contact with Lord Jareth, as he’d been told that was the man’s name. He was one of Henry’s elite knights and, quite frankly, Zeus was fairly certain he’d fought against the man in any number of battles with de Montfort. He already had to deal with Anosia, whose husbandhad been killed at Lewes, and now he was going to have to face a liege who had also fought for the king’s cause.
He hoped he wouldn’t be in search of a new position at some point.
As the day began to dawn, Zeus and his guardians, with the exception of the two who had been on guard duty throughout the night, went about opening the facility for the day. Windows were uncovered and the entry door was unlocked. Zeus could see a farmer coming in from the main avenue, a man who delivered their meat to them, and he sent a Guardian by the name of Castor down to the kitchens to supervise the delivery with the cook. Whenever money changed hands, The Guardians were present. Everyone kept ledgers for checks and balances to ensure everyone remained honest. He’d just sent Castor away when he heard someone coming down the stairwell.
A big man he didn’t recognize emerged.
Since there were sleeping chambers above that were sometimes used by guests, it wasn’t unusual to see unfamiliar people. The man who came off the stairs was quite big, muscular, with dark hair and hazel eyes. A faint beard embraced his jaw. He had the look of a knight about him, so Zeus made that assumption.
“My lord,” he greeted the man. “Are you with the new lord’s party?”
The man nodded. “Who are you?”
“Zeus, my lord.”
That seemed to bring some recognition to the man’s features. “Ah,” he said. “The leader of The Guardians. I was beginning to wonder when we would meet.”
“And you are, my lord?”
