Lord Hugh would never have invited her par—Gavin and Fia—here to the keep, so she could not think of who it could be. He walked back to the table, and she waited as Lady Margaret and Adelaide took their places. With a curt gesture, she was directed to the last seat on the end. Never having dreamed she’d eat a meal here in the keep, she did not mind. The servants, the ladies’ maids, and companions who’d accompanied them took seats at the lower table. Glancing down the table, she noticed the one empty place to Lord Hugh’s right.
Only a minute or two later, before cups could be filled or food served, a small group of men entered the hall and walked toward the table. Most of them stopped and sat at one of the lower tables, but one continued up the dais to the high table.
“My lord,” he said, “my thanks for inviting us to share your meal this day.” The tone was not precisely pleasant, but it was respectful. It was Sir William.
“Welcome, Sir William,” Lord Hugh said. “Here is your place. I wish to continue our discussion about your plans for the king’s grant of lands.”
Once he took the seat offered to him, Brienne could see him but he could not see her, unless he leaned and looked past all the others between them. But she could see his men clearly and they her, and they recognized her immediately. Brienne watched as they talked among themselves, nodding in her direction.
He must have noticed, for he leaned forward then and met her gaze. She offered a smile and a nod before Adelaide kicked her under the table.
“My lord father will be displeased if you pay notice to a male guest,” she whispered furiously without looking at her. “Look away, you little fool!”
Reacting to the orders of the lord’s daughter as she had learned to do, she lowered her head and did not look back up.
What must he think of her now? What had Lord Hugh told him about her?
The food placed before her tasted like dirt, and she forced herself to eat enough that she would not gain notice by those watching her. She listened to Lord Hugh’s voice, strong and confident, and Sir William’s as they talked through the meal. Though unable to hear the words, the discussion sounded friendly. Then, as the plates and food were cleared from the table, Lord Hugh’s voice called out to her.
“Brienne, come here.”
William watchedas she stood at the end of the table and walked to Lord Hugh. He’d been trying to watch her through the meal, but her placement made it difficult to see her. Then, as the meal ended, Lord Hugh called out her name.
“You seemed interested in the newest member of my household, Sir William. So,” he said, motioning her closer, “here she is. Brienne, I think you know Sir William.”
“Aye, my lord,” she said softly. Why wouldn’t she meet his gaze? And she trembled as though fearful of him. Why? He glanced down at his men, who watched the scene closely.
“Brienne told me that she met you on your arrival in Yester, Sir William. On the road to the village, I believe?”
He could feel her hold her breath as though she expected repudiation of her words. He looked at Lord Hugh.
“Aye, my lord. That is true. We wanted to know if you were in residence, and we met some of your villagers on their return.”
“And what did they tell you?” Once more the tension thickened around the three of them, as though the other two waited for some misstep to occur.
“They could tell me nothing, for they were returning from some journey and knew not if you were here,” William answered truthfully.
“You may go, girl,” Lord Hugh ordered, and she walked away.
“I was surprised to see her here, my lord,” William said. “I thought her one of your villeins.” From her placement at the far end next to Lady Adelaide, he now thought she might be serving as the lady’s maid.
“Nay, villein no longer. She is one of my bastards, recently claimed and brought here to live,” he said, holding his cup up to be filled. “You understand how difficult it can be to keep track of a lifetime of bastards; do you not, Sir William?” Lord Hugh chuckled as he lifted the cup to his mouth and drank deeply from it. “But I am carrying out my fatherly duties now that I know of her.”
William tried not to let his surprise show. He’d thought of many possibilities and relationships between Brienne and Lord Hugh and never once considered this bond. He forced himself not to look down the table at her where she’d returned to her chair.
The irony of the situation was not lost on him.
As one of the king’s oldest counselors and guardians, Hugh de Gifford knew more than most about William’s parentage—he knew the rumors and he knew the truth. His words were an efficient reminder of William’s small place in the king’s very large world. A large world that Hugh had influenced for years.
Unable to argue or make a sensible reply to his host’s inflammatory comment, William drank from his own cup of ale. After last night’s reaction to the wine, he would avoid that again.
“You trained with my men yesterday.”
“I did. They are proficient, and it felt good to work out after so many weeks of inactivity.” The conversation backed away from personal insult to more acceptable topics between noblemen.
“I saw only a bit of it and would like to see more. Would you remain as my guest for a few more days and show me some of your legendary prowess as a fighter? Eudes, my commander, spoke highly of your abilities.”
“If you wish, my lord,” he said, giving the correct and polite answer. Welcomed, he could observe more and find out what was happening here. And now, with this revelation about Brienne, he wanted to speak to her, to find out more.
