Chapter Five #2
However, Greenie had never seen Creston with a single, special woman, and there had been plenty of opportunity for it.
Serving wenches passing in and out of the tavern, as well as travelers and villagers who haunted the place.
Greenie had seen Creston and the other trainers sup with women and even dance with them on occasion, if there happened to be music, but none of the trainers were the predatory type.
They seemed quite focused on their duties for Blackchurch and distractions like women weren’t really needed or wanted.
Of course, a few of the trainers had married, and Greenie knew their wives, kind and upstanding women, but whoring for the trainers was nonexistent. They were married to their duties.
But now, one more would be taking a wife.
Greenie had to admit that she felt rather sorry for the young woman.
“Where did ye come from, lass?” she asked quietly. “Has yer journey been long?”
Ophelia had finished the stew and was now starting on the fruit. “Not really,” she said. “I am from South Devon. Along the sea.”
“What village?”
“Sidmouth,” Ophelia said, mouth full of apples. “That is where my grandfather lives. He is the Earl of Sidbury, which is the area around Sidmouth. Sometimes people call the town Sidbury, too. In any case, my mother and I live elsewhere, but we have been staying with Grandfather recently.”
“Do ye like it along the sea?”
Ophelia nodded. “I do,” she said. “I like the fresh air, the sand. I grew up in a village that was not near the sea. We would visit my grandfather on occasion and I always loved being near the ocean. There is peace in something that has been here since the beginning of the world and will be here until the end of it. The sea has seen much.”
Greenie was fluffing the back of her hair to encourage it to dry faster. “Ye sound as if ye miss it.”
“I do,” Ophelia said, finishing with the fruit. She set the bowl down and wiped her mouth with the cloth that covered the food. “But here we are, in the wilds of Devon’s north coast. I hear there are beasts in these woods.”
Greenie continued to fuss with her hair. “No more than usual,” she said. “I’ve lived here all my life and I will admit that sometimes, ye hear sounds from the trees that don’t sound like a man or an animal, but I’ve never seen anything unusual.”
“What do you think it is, then?”
“Only God knows, lass,” Greenie said, deciding the hair was dry enough as she started to heavily comb through it. “Do ye plan to live here with Sir Creston?”
“I do not know,” Ophelia admitted. “I will live wherever he wishes me to live. He may not even want me here. I do not blame him, though. He was forced into this marriage and I am certain he is unhappy about it.”
“Forced?”
“Aye,” Ophelia said. “My grandfather forced us both.”
Greenie didn’t reply to that. The young woman seemed uncertain enough, even depressed, so there was no eagerness on her part for this marriage. If Greenie hadn’t known better, she would have sworn that the lass was behaving as if she were going to her own funeral.
The uncertainty in the air was palpable.
“I’m going to say something to ye, m’lady,” she said as she stopped combing and came around front so she could look the young woman in the eye.
“If ye’ve never met Creston, let me tell you what I know about him.
He’s a kind and moral man. We’ve never had any trouble from him here.
He’s very loyal to his friends and, I’d be willing to wager, he’ll be very loyal to his wife.
He’s a good man, m’lady. He deserves to have someone who recognizes that and treats him with kindness, too. Can ye do that?”
Ophelia was listening to the woman intently. When the words sank in, her eyes filled with tears. “Damnation,” she muttered, looking away. “I was hoping for someone… someone I would not like.”
Greenie thought it was a strange thing to say. “But why?”
Ophelia blinked rapidly, trying to chase the tears away. “I don’t know,” she said. “I suppose because… because my heart belongs to someone else. Someone I wanted to marry. I was hoping that Sir Creston would give me a reason to be indifferent and not feel any remorse over it.”
Greenie understood now. “Lass, I’m sorry for ye,” she said sincerely. “I cannot imagine not marrying the man I love. But I’ll give ye a word of advice—don’t take out yer sorrow on Sir Creston. He’s done nothing to deserve it.”
Ophelia took a deep breath as she wiped at her eyes. “I know,” she said. “I will not be unkind. I am expected to be a dutiful wife and that is what I will be.”
“Good,” Greenie said gently. “And he’ll be a dutiful husband. Ye must keep that in mind when ye meet him. Any man would be honored to marry ye.”
Ophelia simply hung her head, resigned. “Thank you,” she murmured. “Your words are appreciated.”
Greenie patted her on the shoulder and went back to combing her hair.
Truthfully, Ophelia was a lovely woman, but she was a lovely woman with a heavy heart.
In Greenie’s opinion, she was too young for such a burden.
Although she knew Creston, she didn’t know him well enough to be able to predict just how he’d react to a sensitive young wife whose heart belonged to someone else.
That was going to be tricky.
For them both.
A knock on the door jolted her from her thoughts, and the first thing she did was rush to the tray of empty dishes and shove them far under the bed before answering.
Ophelia was so frightened that she ended up burping, loudly, something Greenie had to cover for because the person at the door was none other than the lady’s mother.
My grandfather starved me and my mother let him.
Nay, Greenie couldn’t let the woman know that her starving daughter had been fed.
The subject never came up, thankfully, because the mother had come to announce that Sir Creston had arrived, so Ophelia was hastened into the garments on the bed and the jewel case was brought forth.
Her mother, a flighty thing, seemed most concerned with the fit of a dress that was loose and voluminous to begin with.
Greenie didn’t understand it, but it wasn’t any of her business, anyway.
Once the young lady was dressed and her hair properly combed and adorned, the mother practically dragged her out of the chamber and into the common room beyond.
Greenie couldn’t help but hope for the best for both Creston and the lady.
Difficult situation, indeed.