Chapter Two
Bronwyn winced at the pain. “Let go of me.”
Tristan’s grip on her left arm was like iron. His upper lip curled. “I ought to turn you in.”
“I—”
“I don’t trust you. You’re that kitchen maid from the other day. What are you doing, lurking around the empress’s tent? Wait till I tell my master about this. He’ll be sure to throw you out.” Tristan’s smile was sly.
“Bronwyn, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.
” Lady Alice’s voice cut through their exchange.
She came up to them and said, “Oh, hello.” She curtsied prettily and let her eyes rake up Tristan’s tall body to rest on his face, lingering on his muscular arms and chest. “Who might you be?”
Tristan released Bronwyn’s arm and bowed. “Tristan Langforde, my lady. At your service.” His eyes rested on Lady Alice’s bosom, flicking upwards to glance at her face.
Bronwyn thought Lady Alice looked especially pretty that day.
The sun shone on her fair skin, with a light dusting of freckles on her nose.
Her jet-black hair was combed and hung in soft waves around her shoulders, and she gave Tristan a sweet smile.
She wore a long, green dress with a thin, leather belt around her waist and a bodice with strings that only showed off her bosom.
She was a fetching young woman at age nineteen and knew it—from the way she walked to the slightly flirtatious stance and hand resting on her right hip.
Nineteen. Yes, she was a year older now.
She had missed doing anything special on the day of her birth, a day in early June, which her family had sometimes chosen to celebrate with a nice meal, if times had been good and they could afford it.
The realization she’d missed that day made her ache with homesickness all the more.
“Bronwyn, if I’d known you were talking with a knight, I’d have gone myself.” Lady Alice batted her eyelashes at Tristan.
Tristan turned pink and tugged at his shirt collar. “I’m no knight. Not yet. I’m a squire to Sir Miles Fitzwalter.” His chest puffed up ever so slightly and he ran a hand through his short, blond hair.
Bronwyn tried not to roll her eyes as Lady Alice smiled prettily and ducked her head.
“My mistake. I should have known. But then, you look so strong, I instantly assumed you were a knight. Anyway.” She thrust a finger beneath Bronwyn’s nose.
“You went running off, when I’d told you I wanted breakfast. You were looking for that young man of yours, weren’t you? ”
“I…” Bronwyn stopped, turning pink. Lady Alice was giving her an alibi. “He’s not my young man.”
“Oh, ho, this is good. Who is he?” Tristan asked.
“No one.” Bronwyn looked away.
“I’ll tell you, as it’s no great secret,” Lady Alice said. “She fancies Theobold Durville, the squire to Sir Robert.”
Tristan whistled. “Him? What do you like him for?”
Bronwyn glared at Lady Alice, her cheeks flaming. “I don’t. I mean…”
They laughed and Bronwyn turned her head. She knew it was all in jest, but she had never liked teasing.
“Go and prepare my breakfast, Bronwyn. I’ll be waiting.” Lady Alice made a shooing motion with her hands. “Go on now.”
Bronwyn flushed. She wasn’t some stray dog to shoo away. She was a person.
“And I’ll tell Theobold you were looking for him,” Tristan said with a grin.
Bronwyn ducked her head in a small nod and turned and dashed away, slipping into the crowds of people. She held a hand to her cheeks. She hadn’t thought she’d blush so easily.
True to her word, she brought Lady Alice a bowl of potage and a roll, right before the tents were being packed up.
Lady Alice accepted the bowl gratefully.
“Thank you. I can’t believe you were caught snooping.
If I hadn’t helped you, you could have landed in real trouble.
” She took a wooden spoon, blew on the steaming potage and tasted it.
Bronwyn relayed what she’d heard.
“That’s a relief. I mean, I had no doubt that the empress’s forces would overwhelm Henry of Blois’s men, but now we will be in haste to take residence.
” Lady Alice quickly finished her bowl and pushed the empty bowl, and spoon into Bronwyn’s hands.
“That was tolerable at best. I will never get used to living life on the road.” She gave a little sigh.
“I cannot wait until we are in a castle again. Real civilization. None of this sleeping on the ground nonsense.”
Bronwyn looked around the tent that Lady Alice shared with one or two other ladies-in-waiting. They had pallets and blankets and even chests of clothing with them. She wisely held her tongue and said, “I’d better go.”
“Wait.”
Bronwyn paused.
“Aren’t you going to thank me? I did save your skin earlier,” Lady Alice pointed out.
“Thank you.”
“What were you really doing there? It was risky, hanging around the empress’s tent.”
“I wanted to know more about the fighting. The scout who’d ridden into camp had said some, but not a lot,” Bronwyn said.
“It’s not your business, Bronwyn. You should stop nosing around. They’ll tell us when it’s time for us to know.”
Bronwyn cocked her head at Lady Alice. Sometimes they were friends, and other times, they were rivals, it seemed. “I’ll go.”
“Bronwyn—wait a minute. That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What is it?”
“Rupert.”
Bronwyn swallowed. She’d only thought about him twice today already. “What about him?”
“He’s been… distant lately,” Lady Alice said. “Like his mind is elsewhere. He says nothing is wrong, but I don’t believe him. Can you talk to him? I know he views you as a friend, or like a sister.”
There was a lump in Bronwyn’s throat. Talk to Rupert about his romantic relationship with Lady Alice? She’d rather fall into a deep hole. “Um…”
“Thank you. I wouldn’t ask this of you, it’s just… I don’t have anyone else to turn to. No one I can trust.”
“What about the other ladies-in-waiting?”
“Lady Susanna? No.”
“Wait. Lady Susanna is back?”
“Yes. She pleaded and begged for the empress to take her back and said that her locking Rupert and Theobold in the room was a prank, for she didn’t trust them ahead of her coronation.
The empress agreed and believed every word she said.
I think it’s because she has such a naturally innocent face, and she’s always so kind and sweet. ”
Bronwyn’s body stilled. The day was warm, but she felt a chill run through her.
Lady Susanna was a young woman with a sweet expression, an expert at convincing others of her innocence.
She absolutely could not be trusted. The noblewoman was a liar and had locked Rupert and Theobold away at precisely the wrong moment, when they would have been present to help the empress at her coronation. Thank goodness they had broken free.
Lady Alice let out a noise of frustration. “And now we’ve got that horrid taster woman sharing our tent as well.”
“Lady Agatha Carre?”
“She’s no lady,” Lady Alice said. “I can tell you that. Mistress Carre. She’s a snoop, and she’s got a nasty habit of digging through other people’s things. I found her in here the other day going through my clothes.”
Bronwyn’s eyebrows rose.
“I know. Inexcusable behavior. I demanded to know what she was doing and she said, ‘Just looking.’ Can you imagine? In what world would someone like her have the right to go rummaging about in someone else’s things?”
“It is odd,” Bronwyn agreed. She hadn’t even met the woman and yet already suspected her of being up to mischief.
It wasn’t a good sign. And being a servant, one did not dare rummage through a noble person’s clothes unless directed to do so.
Otherwise, it was just inviting trouble.
“I should get back. They’re packing up the kitchen. ”
“Oh, yes, of course. You will talk to Rupert for me and come back and tell me what he says, won’t you?”
Bronwyn bit her lip. She didn’t like all these requests to spy and talk about other people behind their backs.
“Please, Bronwyn. As a friend.”
“I don’t know. It feels wrong. Can’t you just ask him?”
“I have, but he won’t say. He just says everything is fine and then trains and sharpens his sword.” Lady Alice pouted prettily.
Bronwyn thought on this. He was probably nervous about the battle ahead. In a way, the ladies and servants had it easy because they missed all the fighting and stayed out of the battlefields until it was over. But if their side lost, they would all suffer for it.
“I’ll talk to him.” If there was something bothering Rupert, she wanted to know.
Friend or no friend, even if that was all Bronwyn would ever be to him.
She still cared. And even though Bronwyn wouldn’t admit it aloud, Lady Alice’s request gave her an excuse to talk to him.
A part of her warmed at that thought. But did she tell him that Lady Alice had sent her?
To whom did she stay loyal? The squire she fancied, or the young woman who was sometimes a friend?
Bronwyn joined the ranks of the servants and helped wash and pack up everything.
In an hour, they were on the move, walking on foot toward the Winchester city gates.
Bronwyn looked up high, as the stone gates were formidable, and the road was clear of travelers, as many stayed back to avoid the fighting.
The sounds of the fighters could be heard, with great cries and shouts, and many thunderous poundings of horse hooves that drummed the dirt roads.
Bronwyn looked around. She moved at a slow walk with the other servants but still felt wary. The stone walls of the city were strong, but would they protect people from a siege? She would hate to be with Henry of Blois’s forces at that moment.