“Kenneth?” she called out to the boy who served the head table. “Bring me a new pitcher, with water this time, please.”
“Ye may drink water if ye choose to, wife, but I want more wine.”
His eyes were red and she could smell the wine on his breath as he held out his cup to the page and demanded more. Would he be a mean drunk? She looked around and noticed the speculative looks from those closest to the head table. Platters of food were placed near them on the table and she reached out to fill her plate.
“Can I fix your plate, Robert? Some food to fill you?”
“Nay, wife. I have no stomach for food. I wish to drinkmy meal.”
This was bad, truly bad. She had no power to stop him from doing whatever he wished to do, be it drink or anything else. Anice decided that her best choice might be to leave and eat in her room. There was no sense in angering him more with her presence after she had refused to consider his request earlier.
“If you will excuse me, Robert, I must check on Craig.” She started to rise, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back down into her seat.
“Nay, Anice. There is no need for ye to leave, for I have no intention of staying here. Enjoy yer meal and yer evening.”
He stood and swayed on his feet, the wine making his balance wobbly. He tripped down the steps and she held her breath, waiting for him to fall. The entire room grew quiet as he laughed his way through the hall. Then, shocking her even more, he paused in the back and plucked Robena from her seat. Dragging her to him, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her from the hall with him.
She could not move. The muscles of her chest refused to draw in air. Her eyes burned with tears of humiliation at his actions. She blinked to try to control them, for crying in front of everyone here would simply add to her shame. Realizing that she had to leave, she rose in one movement and stepped away from the table. If God was merciful, she would escape the room before losing control.
The Almighty must have been paying attention to someone else’s prayers, for she had taken only a few steps when the tears began to fall. Anice gathered up her gown and ran from the room, as much horrified by her reaction as by his behavior.
28
Someone was pounding on his head. Blinded by the light surrounding him, Robert tried to make his eyes open. Lifting his head only caused more agony and he moaned from the pain of it. He heard noises nearby that he could not identify and tried to turn towards them. His stomach rolled and heaved and he missed vomiting on himself by mere moments. Climbing to his feet, he stumbled to some bushes and aimed away as the contents of his belly were ejected.
“Ye deserve every moment of the hell yer suffering now, Rob. Every moment of it.”
’Twas Robena’s voice, but why did she curse him so? Forcing his eyes to open, he saw that he now knelt in the clearing next to her cottage. And it was day. And the village was waking around him. How could this be?
He struggled to his feet and entered through her small back door. Robena sat at her table, sipping from a steaming mug and scowling at him.
“Do ye have any idea of how much damage ye have done to me now? Lady Anice was kind to me and ye have to humiliate her and use me to do it? What the bloody hell were ye thinking?” She slammed down the mug, spilling the contents on the table and on herself.
He pushed the hair out of his face and tried to remember how he got here and what he had done. The last thing he remembered was sitting at the table and deciding that a cup of wine would help him face Anice after his disappointment. He did not remember anything after the first pitcher. Oh, dear God! Not a pitcher? He groaned once more, realizing now what must have happened.
“’Twas at least two pitchers of wine before ye disgraced her by hauling me out with ye.”
“Please. I beg ye to tell me I did no’ do that. No’ in the hall with everyone watching.”
“Aye, ye damn fool, ye did it. Now she will never allow me to step foot in the keep again. If I am lucky, I will simply be chased from the village and no’ tarred like some of the other whores have been.”
He walked slowly to the table and sat across from her. “I will no’ let her banish ye for my sins, Robena.”
She snorted at him. “As if ye will have any say in it. She is still the lady and her word about me is the law. Did ye no’ stop to think?” She stood and went into her room, coming out a few minutes later completely dressed.
“Where are ye going?” he whispered. It hurt to open his eyes. It hurt to speak. Hell, it hurt to live right at this moment.
“I am going to beg her forgiveness. Mayhap she will see me and hear me out.”
“Nay, Robena. Stay here until I send word to ye. If she will no’ listen, I will send ye to Dunbarton.”
“And I would be welcomed there? A whore who took the lady’s husband? I think no’.”
He frowned at her words. Something did not make sense.
“Did we...?” He pointed to the two of them.
“Nay, Robert. Ye were so drunk I almost carried ye here. I was tempted to leave ye in the dirt where ye fell the first time, but I couldna.”
