Entering the establishment was like walking through the gates of Hell. They were hit in the face by a blast of hot, smelly air, and the great room was filled to the rafters with people. It smelled like an ocean of unwashed bodies as Brandt set Ellowyn carefully to her feet.
As hardened as he was to people and places, even he was a bit put off by the sheer smell and volume of people. He glanced at Ellowyn, apologetically, before emitting a shrill whistle that almost immediately silenced the writhing throng. When the sound died down, he bellowed.
“Barkeep!”
Ellowyn jumped at the sound of his voice. It was like the voice of God, echoing off the walls, powerful in its timbre and baritone resonance. As she coughed into her hand, a skinny man with a crooked back appeared.
“M’lord?” he stammered nervously.
Brandt’s intense gaze zeroed in on the man. “You have a room for the Duke of Exeter.”
The man’s eyes widened slightly and he bowed swiftly once or twice. “Aye, m’lord,” he began to walk, motioning them to follow. “This way, if ye please.”
Ellowyn stumbled after the man, following him to the rear of the building where there was a small corridor with three doors. The hunched man led her into the last door, shoving it open because it was stuck in the ill-crafted doorframe. Beyond was a rather large room with two beds and a snapping fire. In fact, Ellowyn came to a halt just inside the doorway, shocked at the room. For all of the crowded dirtiness of the inn, she hadn’t expected something as spacious or well-kempt as this. Her eyes widened.
“All of this?” she asked no one in particular. “Forme?”
The barkeep slipped past her. “I will bring food, m’lady.”
He vanished back into the busy inn, leaving Ellowyn and Brandt standing in silence until Ellowyn began hacking and Brandt stepped further into the room, shutting the door behind him to keep the warmth in.
“Perhaps you should remove your cloak,” he said quietly. “In fact, perhaps you should undress completely so your clothes may be dried before we embark again on the morrow. And a hot bath probably would not hurt, either.”
Ellowyn coughed again, realizing how very cold she was. Her brain was moving rather slowly, muddled with fatigue and illness. With freezing fingers, she fumbled with the ties at her neck.
“If one could be arranged, I would be very grateful,” she said.
Brandt noticed she was having trouble with her cloak ties so he gently pushed her fingers away and politely undid the tie. Then he pulled the cloak off of her and went to hang it on a peg next to the hearth so the radiant heat would dry it.
Ellowyn watched him, aware that his presence was comforting. She wasn’t sure why, but it was. She was also aware that she was glad to see him, having traveled essentially alone for the past ten hours with no conversation or company. She had been lonely, and he offered company. Unusual for the lady who liked to be alone.
But she was sure he did not feel the same. She watched him quit the room and close the door softly behind him, a bit disappointed at his departure. He didn’t even say a word to her. With a heavy sigh, she went over to the fire and began the laborious process of undressing with cold and wet clothing. Her shoes were the first to come off, placed neatly by the fire before pulling off her hose, which ended up draped over a stool as close to the fire as she could get it without igniting it. Then came her surcoat, of which the entire bottom of the skirt was soaking andmuddied. She was untying the stays at her waist when the door opened again.
Brandt was there, holding the door open as a heavy-set man with a mashed face and curly black hair entered lugging a big copper pot. There were a pair of women behind him struggling to carry buckets of hot water, which were dumped into the pot. As they left to get more water, Brandt turned to Ellowyn.
“I will have someone bring your belongings,” he said. “Do you require anything else?”
Did she? Probably not. Just someone to talk to would have been nice, and she had very much enjoyed their conversation the previous night when the duke had spoken of Deston. But the entire conversation had been one of polite duty out of respect to de Nerra, she was sure. It hadn’t been anything personal, because he didn’t want to speak to her personally. She understood that.
“You have been most kind and accommodating, my lord,” she said, her voice hoarse and scratchy. “Please know that I appreciate your attentiveness greatly, but I do not want you to feel obligated. Surely you have more important duties than seeing to my comfort.”
Brandt’s dark gaze lingered on her. “None that I can think of,” he replied. “Seeing to your comfort is an important duty as far as I am concerned.”
She gave him a weak smile, ruining the effect when she burst into a series of harsh coughs. “You are very kind,” she repeated. “You are coming to make me feel very guilty about our first meeting. Had I only known I was becoming irate with a saint.”
He broke into a grin. “I thought we were going to forget about that.”
She grinned in response, shrugging as she turned back to the fire. “We were,” she said. “Eventually. I do not suppose there isanything I can do to make up for that encounter except… oh, wait a moment… perhaps there is.”
He was more than curious. “There is nothing to make up for, but I would be willing to listen to suggestions.”
She stood up on her cold, bare feet and pointed to the two beds in the room. “This,” she said. “There is only one of me but there are two beds in the room. Perhaps we could string a curtain between the two, for propriety of course, and you could sleep in one and I could sleep in the other. It seems an awful waste for one of these beds to remain empty while you sleep outside in the foul weather. That way, you can enjoy a dry bed as well.”
He looked at her, seeing that she sincerely meant what she said. She also meant it quite innocently, which disappointed him, although he couldn’t figure out exactly why except that an inappropriate offer would have flattered him deeply. But she hadn’t meant it that way, mostly because he was sure she didn’t find anything about him remotely attractive. It was a kind offer, but inappropriate. After a moment, he shook his head.
“You are very generous to suggest such a thing,” he said, “but I am afraid I cannot.”
She cocked her head. “Why?”
