As the servants got busy with the hearth and setting out the morning meal, Kevin addressed her.
“Did you sleep comfortably?” he asked.
Juliandra was jolted from her thoughts. “I did,” she said, hoping she didn’t look like a fool for staring at the man. “It is a fine bed, but I… I do not wish to be any trouble, my lord, but I was hoping to ask a favor.”
“What?”
She looked over at the disheveled bed. “The linens could use a wash and the mattress could use new straw,” she said. “I realize this is great trouble, so I am very happy to do it all myself if you will allow it.”
Kevin’s gaze seemed to be lingering on her more than it should have been. Perhaps he was just seeing her clearly for the first time in the daylight, too. But he tore his attention away from her, glancing over at the bed.
“I must be blind not to have noticed that,” he muttered. “One of my knights has been sleeping here since our arrival. I simply never looked close enough and he never said anything.”
Juliandra looked at him in surprise. “This chamber belongs to a knight?” she said, then thought about all of the clothes she’d just pawed through. “Then the things in the wardrobe are… are…”
He shook his head. “They do not belong to him,” he said. “They do not belong to any of us. This chamber simply has a good view of the road. We can watch everything that is happening from here.”
That was true with the big windows that faced out over the road leading to the castle, but Juliandra was focused on the fact that he had given her his bed. She had thought it was because she could be watched more closely in the gatehouse, but perhaps she had been wrong. Perhaps it had been kindness and nothing more.
“You did not have to give me your bed, my lord,” she said. “I could have slept on any pallet.”
Kevin didn’t reply right away. He was watching the servants bring buckets of steaming water into the room, pouring them into the dented copper tub in the small turret room. He directed the servants to bring more water and to locate soap for the lady to wash with. When they were scurrying about, he returned his attention to Juliandra.
“I will have fresh linens brought to you, though it may take some time to locate some,” he said, ignoring the bed issue. “This place was not in the best condition when I assumed command because the former lord’s servants had partially stripped it by the time I arrived.”
She cocked her head curiously. “That is strange,” she said. “There is an entire wardrobe full of clothing that I would assume belonged to Lord Breidden.”
Kevin looked towards the chamber she was indicating. “That old wardrobe?”
“Aye.”
“How did you get into it?”
She tried not to look too guilty for essentially breaking it open. “I hung on the door until it opened,” she said, which was mostly the truth. “The hinges were rusted.”
“I know,” he said. “I saw, but I have not yet had the time nor the curiosity to open it. What did you find?”
“Old clothing, old furs,” she said. “Would you like to see?”
He shook his head. “Later,” he said. “Is there anything else you require?”
She thought that was a rather ridiculous question considering she had absolutely nothing of her own.
“There is,” she said. “I have none of my own possessions– no clothing, no personal things. Last night, I told you that I should like to return home for them. I would at least like to have more than one dress to wear and a comb for my hair.”
He eyed her, sensing her frustration. “And I told you that I would supply everything you needed,” he said. “You are not returning home.”
“But why not?” she said, trying not to sound petulant or demanding. “I told you that I would remain with you in exchange for my father’s freedom. I am a woman of my word, my lord.”
He took a long, deep breath, possibly to fortify his patience. “I do not doubt your word,” he said. “But I also have no intention of sending you deep into Wales where my men and I would not be welcome simply so you can retrieve your clothing. We shall go into Shrewsbury. There is an entire street filled with merchants and I shall purchase everything you need for your stay here.”
“Shrewsbury?” she repeated, dismayed. “All the way there?”
“We can make it there and back in a day.”
“But Pool is much closer,” she said. “My father’s shop is there. I can get everything I need or could possibly want and it will not cost you anything. Moreover, with my father a captive, there is no one to manage the shop but a few servants. I must check in on the shop to ensure everything is as it should be.”
He nodded, conceding the point. “Very well,” he said. “Do what you must do in order to prepare and we shall leave later this morning.”
