Mimsy immediately recognized the Dorset knight that Vietta had been attracted to. He was without his helm but she recognized his face.
“I am from the House of de Lohr, my lord,” she said. “I am seeking Lady de Ferrers. I have a message for her.”
Kevin peered at the woman, thinking there was something vaguely familiar in her eyes. “Who are you?”
Mimsy bobbed her head to him in a gesture of respect. “I am called Mimsy,” she said. “I am Lady Vietta’s nurse.”
Mimsy thought she saw something of shock register across the knight’s face. “You are Lady Alys?” he asked.
She nodded, surprised and suspicious that he should know that. “I am, my lord.”
The big knight regarded her very carefully. In fact, there was great scrutiny in his expression. “What message do you have for her?” he asked.
Mimsy hesitated, now very on guard with the knight. “I do not mean to offend you, my lord, but the message is private.”
Now it was the big knight’s turn to hesitate. He didn’t argue with her, or send her away. He just looked at her. It was difficult to know what he was thinking because his expression was like stone. After a moment, he motioned for her to follow.
“Come with me,” he said.
Mimsy did. She clamored up the stairs after him, following him as he went up to the very first door just off the landing. He knocked, twice, and announced his name.Sir Kevin.Almost instantly, the door flew open.
The duchess was standing in the doorway. Her look of joy at seeing the knight suddenly turned into a grimace of shock when she saw the old woman standing behind him. The duchess simply stared at her and Mimsy stared back, unsure what to say. Finally, the big knight cleared his throat softly.
“My lady,” he said, addressing the duchess. “This woman is from the House of de Lohr. She comes bearing a message for you.”
The duchess stared at the old woman for a long, painful moment before simply turning away. As she wandered back into her chamber, Kevin and Mimsy followed. Kevin shut the door softly but remained in the room, back by the door, as a sentry. Mimsy eyed the big knight, wishing he would leave, but understanding why he remained. The old woman might have a hidden dagger as far as he knew, so protection was prudent against male or female strangers.
Mimsy turned her attention to the tall woman as she lingered by the window that overlooked the area to the north. All the way over to the tavern, Mimsy had been preparing what to say but now that she was facing the duchess, the words wouldn’t come. Nothing she had planned to say seemed right. As she opened her mouth, hesitantly, the duchess spoke.
“What message do you have to give me?” she asked, sounding disinterested. “Hurry and say it.”
Mimsy could see that the woman was being defensive. Her guard was up and rightly so. “Lady Vietta was very concerned with your health, my lady,” she said. “She has sent me to make sure you are well.”
The duchess wouldn’t look at her. “I am well,” she said. “Tell Lady Vietta that I am very sorry I had to leave so quickly. I pray she is not offended.”
“She is not, my lady,” Mimsy assured her. “She hopes that she did not say something to offend you.”
The duchess didn’t reply. She was looking out of the window now, clearly disinterested in the conversation. Mimsy was receiving the distinct impression that the duchess was in no mood for a conversation or even an apology for that matter. She sensed that the duchess wanted her to leave. Sadly, as she did not want to upset the woman, she thought that perhaps it had been a very bad idea for her to come. She’d seen her child, long gone, and she knew the woman was healthy and wealthy. There was nothing more she needed to know. With a faint sigh, she turned for the door.
“Then I thank you for time, my lady,” Mimsy said. “I will tell Lady Vietta that you are well.”
The duchess still didn’t reply but as Mimsy reached the door, expecting the knight to open it, he made no move to do so. Mimsy reached out to lift the latch but a very big hand on the door prevented her from opening it. When she looked at the knight, curiously, his gaze upon her was steady.
“The duchess’ given name is Annavieve,” he said somewhat loudly and deliberately. “She was named for her grandmother and for her great grandmother, a combination of the names Annabelle and Genevieve. Annavieve is a lovely name, is it not?”
Mimsy looked at him, eyes widening, but Annavieve, over at the window, spoke. “Kevin, please,” she begged softly. “Please don’t.”
Kevin pretended not to hear her; he was looking at the old nurse. “The duchess was born at Lioncross Abbey, seat of the House of de Lohr, to a woman named Lady Alys. Thatisyour name, isn’t it? Lady Alys?”
Mimsy, increasingly red in the face, nodded. “It is,” she said, feeling defensive and apprehensive. “How do you know my name?”
Kevin gestured to Annavieve. “The duchess told me,” he said. He went for the obvious question. “Areyou the woman who gave birth to the duchess?”
Mimsy stared at the man. Even Annavieve turned away from the window, looking at Mimsy and waited for her reply. It seemed as if time stopped in that moment, hanging still and heavy in the air, as the world waited for Mimsy to answer the question. So much hinged on her answer; almost nineteen years of a separation were perhaps about to come to a close. Still, they waited for a reply. It seemed as if Mimsy was unable, or fearful, to give one.
But finally, the old woman seemed to shrink a bit as the life drained out of her. There was a chair behind her, part of a table set, and she sat heavily. She almost missed it and gripped the table to keep from falling. Her heart, at the moment, was the heaviest thing of all, and it was difficult to get the words out. The guilt that had consumed her for nearly nineteen years was making a powerful return. She had to force herself to speak.
“There are memories that take up space in our souls, memories that are meant to be kept and caged, never to be released,” she murmured. “This is one of those memories. I have not thought on such things in years but now… now, the lock on the cage is rusty. It is difficult to remove it.”
