Valteri was heading back toward the keep when he heard what sounded like the screams of a thousand furies coming for him.
For a moment, he thought the keep might be on fire.
A number of women ran past him.
“She’s insane!”
It wasn’t until he sprinted into the building to find Ariel being pulledaway by a girl named Edyth that he began to comprehend what had happened.
“You cannot do such a thing, milady!”
“I don’t understand why not. Someone needs to teach the beast lessons on behavior.”
“Edyth?”
She froze at the sound of his call. Releasing Ariel, she quickly curtsied. “Milord.”
“What happened?”
“Your lady walloped Margaret.”
He turned at the sound of Wace’s voice. “Pardon?”
Wace nodded. “They had an altercation.”
Edyth bit her lip. “She punched her like a man, milord. Gave her a blackened eye and everything.”
He’d be angry but for the fact that he knew that shrew’s tongue and had seen her mock and belittle enough innocent people that he’d had the urge to slap the woman a few times himself.
Lucky for Margaret, he made it his policy to never strike anyone smaller or weaker, and particularly children or women. No matter how vexing or insulting they were.
“Any particular reason for it?”
“She was laughing at the lady for not knowing how to sew.”
He scowled at Edyth’s words, then met Ariel’s unrepentant gaze. “You punched her for laughing at you?”
“Nay, milord. I would never hit anyone for so petty a crime.”
“Then why, pray tell?”
Edyth turned red in her face. “Margaret slapped the embroidery from my hands, milord. Then said that an idiot shouldn’t teach an incompetent imbecile.”
“And you punched her?”
“Nay.”
Completely confused, he arched a brow at both of them. “At what point did you hit her?”
“After she insulted Edyth, and Edyth, upset at her words, went for more thread. Her actions startled your kitten, milord. Cecile then skittered out and the wretch kicked her. Hard.”
Edyth nodded. “That was when milady socked her one and saved the cat.”
“I see.” He cleared his throat to cover his amusement. “And the cat? Where is she now?”
Ariel opened the pouch that was attached to her girdle to show him the small black ball that was slumbering inside. “Safe from any harm.”
“Margaret, not so much.” Edyth giggled under her breath.
