Page 64 of Sweet Mead for Lady Martine

Chapter 15

Martine waited nervously in the kitchen of the Cross Hare Inn as her father and the rest of the nobles entered the tavern. She didn’t want to be seen. If so, it would only mean trouble for David, and she didn’t want that. She needed to give David time to meet and greet her father and to try to get to know him.

“It’s crucial that everything goes well tonight,” she told Greta, watching as the woman prepared a dish consisting of pork, root vegetables and dried currants for the nobles. Cecelia busied herself washing dishes.

“We don’t have any white bread,” Greta told Martine, wrapping a cloth around her hand to pull loaves of brown bread from the embers of one of the dying cookfires. “Farley said we needed more bread tonight, but they didn’t have enough at the baker’s so he suggested we make it this way since we don’t have an oven.” The bread was hot and she dropped the loaf on the table, blowing on her fingers to cool them down.

“Brown bread will be fine,” said Martine. “They won’t expect anything but that in a tavern.”

“They’re nobles and of course they’ll want white bread,” came a voice. Martine looked up to see Ava standing in the kitchen door.

“You?” gasped Martine, Ava being the last person she wanted to see right now. “I thought David sent you to wait on the tables of the commoners.”

“I no longer feel like doing it.” Ava strolled into the kitchen, acting haughty as usual. “After all, if you’re going to be the wife of an innkeeper instead of me, I think you should start getting used to waiting tables.”

“Ava, nay!” gasped Cecelia, looking over with a cloth in her hands.

“You cannot speak to a noblewoman in that manner,” scolded Greta.

“She won’t be a noblewoman once she marries David, will she?” asked Ava. “She’ll be living in this small place, sharing a room with the rest of you and tending to the needs of drunkards from now on.”

“How can you say that?” asked Cecelia. “Lady Martine will always be a noble, even if she marries my brother.”

Martine felt a knot in her stomach. This is something she hadn’t thought about at all. Her commoner sisters-by-marriage ended up with courtesy titles and living at the castle after marrying noblemen. But her situation was different. She didn’t think David would feel comfortable at the castle. She was also sure he wouldn’t want to give up the inn and leave his family. After all, his family needed him. He was the head of the family and his mother depended on him. His sister was going to have her baby soon, and had no husband. His cousin Dirk couldn’t even read or tally a ledger, and Uncle Joe was blind. What would they all do without David? This was something Martine hadn’t thought about and also something she didn’t want to think about right now.

“Here, Ava. Take these loaves of bread to the noble’s table.” Greta hurriedly stacked the freshly baked loaves onto a tray.

“Nay. I won’t do it.” Ava crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at Martine. “Why would I do anything to help her? She stole my husband from me.”

“David is not your husband.” Martine was helping to scoop the porridge into wooden bowls, and spoke as she worked. She had even changed out of her good gown and wore one of Cecelia’s gowns at the girl’s insistence since she couldn’t fit in it anymore. Since Martine realized kitchen work was messy, she hadn’t argued, but instead donned the commoner’s clothes.

“He would be my husband if it weren’t for you. I won’t let you get away with this.” Ava stormed out of the kitchen.

“What do you think she is going to do?” asked Martine.

“Oh, don’t worry about Ava. You have much more important things to tend to right now,” said Greta, loading the bowls of food onto the tray. “Where is Matilda? She needs to bring this tray to the noble’s table since Ava won’t do it. The food is going to get cold.”

“I’ll see if I can motion to Matilda to come in here.” Martine peeked out the door, looking for David’s younger sister. The room was crowded and she didn’t see the girl anywhere. David was behind the drink board while Dirk brought tankards of ale to the nobles. Joe sat at the door, holding on to his cane waiting for Oldrich to hand him the entry fees collected so he could bounce them on the board.

“Raise a cup with me to celebrate that we are home and alive,” said her father lifting his cup in the air.

“Aye,” answered Lord Corbett, following suit. The rest of the men laughed heartily and spoke loudly, while banging their fists against the table. David came over from the drink board with a bottle in his hand.

“I’d like to introduce myself,” said David. “I am David Stone, proprietor of the Cross Hare Inn and would like to welcome you all here tonight.”

“Hello, David,” said Madoc, eying up the bottle in his hand. “What have you got there?”

Before he could reply, Ava walked up to the table. “I’m Ava Swift,” she told the nobles getting odd looks from them. “I’m betrothed to David.”

“That’s nice,” remarked one of the men, not caring in the least. Until they heard what she had to say next.

“David, however is in love with a noblewoman, so he says. He’s scorned me for someone he can’t even have but thinks that he will convince one of you to let him marry her.”

“What does that mean?” asked Madoc.

“What’s going on here?” growled Lord Gar.

“Oh, no!” Martine put her hand to her mouth. The foolish girl was going to ruin everything.