Ellowyn was finished being polite. Already, the conversation had taken a terrible turn and she crossed her arms impatiently.
“I believe that I do,” she said. “If you think to slander him, I would not do it if I were you. You will not like my response.”
Lady Sabine began pointing fingers. “How long have you been married to the man?”
“That is none of your affair.”
Lady Sabine’s eyes widened with indignation. “He is a man of immoral and lascivious character,” she declared, then dramatically lowered her voice, speaking as if scolding. “He made inappropriate suggestions to my daughter that would clearly compromise her moral standards. I heard it myself. He asked her to play her harp for him.Alone. What kind of man would do this? If I were you, my lady, I would make all due haste back to your family and away from that… thatmonster. Being exposed to French whores and immoral women has taken away his sense of propriety.”
By the time she was finished, Ellowyn was looking at the woman in complete shock. Her mouth fell open.
“Are we speaking of the same man?” she asked incredulously.
“We are!”
Ellowyn wasn’t over her shock, but she was fully aware of the fury overtaking her. No one could speak that way of Brandt and get away with it.
“I do not know who you are and I do not care,” she said, her gaze riveted to Lady Sabine. “Do you seriously think to come to my husband’s home, slander him and call him a monster, and expect me not to defend him? You are a low-bred, foolish woman to say such things to a man’s wife and I have no doubt you are lying about his proposition to your ugly daughter. My husband has far better taste than that fat little toad. Now, you will remove yourself from my sight immediately before I find a switch and beat you both within an inch of your lives. Now,go!”
She was roaring by the time she was finished. Lady Daphne shrieked, grabbing her mother by the hand and yanking her towards their fine carriage.
“Oh!” Lady Sabine gasped as her daughter dragged her along. “How dare you say such things to me! You ill-mannered…!”
She didn’t get the words out fast enough before Ellowyn was hitting her in the mouth with a clod of earth she had scooped up at her feet.
“Get out!” Ellowyn bellowed as she picked up another handful of dank, dirty earth and threw it again, hitting the woman on her pristine-white wimple. “Get out of here, you stupid cow, and take your revolting child with you!”
Lady Sabine and Lady Daphne were running, with Ellowyn following and intermittently stopping to pick up more dirt to toss it. She had a good aim. She hit them five out of the six times she had thrown. But they were attracting attention, including Brandt’s, and he turned away from Dylan when he heard the yelling. He wasn’t particularly astonished to see his wife chasing after Lady Sabine and Lady Daphne, but he was surprised when he saw her snatch a rock from the ground and throw it at Lady Sabine with all her might. Lady Sabine shrieked when it the rock hit her on the arse.
Both Brandt and Dylan ran towards the women. Brandt intercepted his wife just as she collected another handful of dirt. He grasped her wrist to keep her from pitching it.
“No more,” he said softly, firmly. “What on earth are you doing?”
Ellowyn was mad enough to spit. “That… that image of a woman’s vagina called you a lascivious monster,” she said angrily. “She said you made an indecent proposal to her daughter.”
Brandt had to slap a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing at her rather vulgar insult. It was funny as Hell. Buthe refrained, instead, rolled his eyes in disbelief, turning in time to see Dylan quickly usher the ladies into their carriage. As Dylan waved the driver on, Brandt forced Ellowyn to open her hand and he scraped the dirt from it. Then he brushed off the remaining dirt from her hand with the hem of his tunic.
“She is upset because she did not know I was married and had brought her daughter here with the hopes of perhaps making her an attractive marital prospect to me,” he said firmly but gently. “I am sorry that she upset you so.”
Ellowyn was cooling but still unhappy. She frowned at her husband. “Who is she?”
He sighed faintly, putting his arm around her shoulders and turning her for the keep. “Lady Sabine de Ferrers,” he said. “Her husband is one of my vassals.”
Ellowyn shook her head. “I do not care who she is,” she declared. “I will kill her if I see her again for saying such terrible things about you.”
He smiled, giving her a squeeze as they walked. “Your defense of me is flattering.”
“You are my husband and a fine example of man. I will kill anyone who says otherwise.”
He was genuinely touched. “There are many who do.”
She looked up at him, her anger gaining speed again. “Who are they?” she demanded. “Tell me right now.”
He laughed softly. “Well,” he pretended to be thoughtful, “there is the King of France, the Lords of Navarre, the entire population of the Aquitaine, and….”
She cut him off, understanding that he was jesting with her. He was trying to calm her down and she appreciated his gentle, humorous manner. As Sabine and Daphne’s carriage tore off for the gatehouse, Ellowyn realized just how irate she had been. She eyed Brandt, trying not to look too ashamed.
“I understand,” she said, fighting off a contrite grin. “Everyone in France hates you. Well, you must start a list, then, so I know who it is I must defend you against. According to you and to my father, it might take a very long time for me to work my way through the ranks of haters.”
