Page 5
Story: Knights, Knaves, and Kilts
He patted her affectionately on the head. “No need,” he said. “I will be back before you know it. And if you see Lavenham, hide under the table until he goes away.”
She grinned at him as he winked in return. But that smile faded as she watched him walk away, trying to burp the entire time.
He simply wasn’t a healthy man.
As Lord Daventry disappeared into the crowd, Delaina’s attention returned to the knights who were still lingering just inside the entry, but it was in some manner of formation.
She soon found out why.
Edward II made his way through the hall entry to great fanfare.
Men began to cheer for him, or at least some did, and he waved to the crowd as he headed toward the dais at the other end of the hall.
But he moved slowly, smiling and lifting his hands, acting as if this adoration was something he always enjoyed.
That was far from the truth.
Everyone was on their feet, and Delaina was forced to rise also.
She didn’t want to. She didn’t like Edward and hadn’t since her days with his father, who had been a genuinely kind man to her.
But his son had been an odd one—humorous one moment, petulant and spoiled the next.
He had been generous to those who served him and enjoyed pastimes that servants might enjoy, much to the displeasure of his father.
Delaina might not have had any opinion at all about him, except he didn’t like to see her around his father even if the man’s wife, Margaret of France, didn’t seem to mind.
My father’s pet…
My father’s concubine…
All things that Edward the son had called her.
But it hadn’t been like that at all, her relationship with the king, and she intensely disliked the man who seemed to think she was only good enough to warm his father’s bed.
Other than speak dismissively of her, he hadn’t paid much attention to her, mostly because his father made his displeasure at his son’s behavior known.
But there was no father to deter him now.
Therefore, Delaina kept her head down, hoping he didn’t look in her direction, hoping that there were so many other people in the hall that she would blend in with the crowd.
She could hear the people around her calling to Edward, and she finally dared to glance up to note that he had passed by her table.
He had quite an entourage following him, men with swords in addition to the royal knights, who were now heading toward the dais with him.
There were other men in fine silks, with pointy-toed shoes and clothing that might have been better suited to a woman.
Knowing the king couldn’t see her, Delaina inspected it all.
But eventually, the man did take his seat, along with his retainers, and the feast began in earnest. Almost immediately, gaily dressed servants began to bring out platters of lavishly decorated birds—roasted peacocks, swans, and geese with their feathers returned to the brown flesh to resemble the live bird.
The smell of fowl was overwhelming. Everyone was taking their seats at this point, so the table around Delaina began to fill with men and women.
Drink was brought forth, along with trenchers, water bowls for washing fingers, and more.
In fact, Delaina was so distracted with the food and other things, including a group of entertainers who had begun to sing and dance, that she failed to notice just how long Lord Daventry had been gone.
She had more wine and even boiled fruit juice with rose petals in it presented to her, and across the table, where Lavenham had once sat, a young noble couple sat down, and the woman smiled openly at her.
Delaina smiled in return, and soon a conversation was struck up, though it was over the noise of the hall.
But Delaina felt rather good that a young woman hadn’t snubbed her.
Clearly, she didn’t know who she was… yet.
But the woman was quite friendly. Her name was Lillian, and her husband was the son of an earl or baron or something. Delaina couldn’t quite hear her.
The food was being served in courses, with the first course being the fowl accompanied by baked egg dishes.
Between the food and the conversation, the second course was beginning when Delaina finally became aware that Lord Daventry hadn’t returned.
He’d told her to stay at the table, but he’d also told her he would return shortly, and he hadn’t.
Concern began to clutch at her.
She tried to leave her seat. She tried to leave twice.
But both times, Lady Lillian engaged her in conversation, and Delaina ended up sitting down again, until she finally told the woman that her lord was missing and she intended to look for him.
Lillian looked at her rather blankly before nodding, and Delaina quickly left her seat, heading in the direction she had seen Lord Daventry go.
The man had been in search of the privy, so surely he hadn’t gone far.
And then she heard something.
Lavenham was suddenly in her proximity. She could hear his voice.
She had no idea what would happen if he caught her without Lord Daventry, so she whirled about, trying to find a place to hide.
She hoped that Lord Daventry wouldn’t be too angry with her for leaving their table, but she also hoped he would understand her concern when he had not returned promptly.
Those thoughts flitted through her head, along with panic at the sound of Lavenham’s voice, as she took aim for one of the pillars in the hall to hide behind.
With her beautiful dress shimmering like a shower of gold, she reached the pillar and slipped in behind it, only to run headlong into an enormous, solid body.
Startled, not to mention slightly in pain, she gasped as she stumbled back. Hands—enormous hands—reached out to steady her.
“My lady, my deepest apologies.” The low, rumbling voice sounded full of concern. “Did I hurt you?”
She’d hit him with her left arm and hand because she’d been grabbing for the pillar, and her momentum had her left shoulder taking the brunt of their collision.
When she blinked and cleared her vision, she found herself looking into eyes of a shockingly pale blue.
The face was strong and angular, with a square jaw and prominent cheekbones.
The hair on his head was cropped, but not too short, a shade of light brown with a good deal of gold in it.
He had it cut in a way that had it standing up a little, feathering back.
She’d never seen such a handsome man in her entire life.
“I… I am not injured, my lord,” she said. “It was my fault. I was not looking where I was going.”
The blue eyes twinkled with some relief. “Nor was I, my lady,” he admitted. “I had my head turned as I rounded the pillar and was not paying attention to what was in front of me. It was utterly my fault.”
He still had his hands on her, the biggest hands she’d ever seen. His grip was like iron, but it wasn’t uncomfortable or even intimidating. It was simply… strong.
She’d never felt such strength before.
“Mayhap we are both to blame, my lord,” she said, looking over her shoulder to see if Lavenham was still in the vicinity. “I will not tell anyone if you will not.”
He grinned, flashing big, straight teeth and deep dimples in both cheeks.
In fact, something about that grin made Delaina’s heart jump in a way she had never experienced before.
Her heart was fluttering and pounding to the point where she thought she might actually become ill, yet it wasn’t unpleasant.
Quite the contrary.
“I swear upon my oath that I will not tell anyone how clumsy I was, my lady,” he said. “As long as you are uninjured, I am satisfied.”
She smiled at him, reluctantly, but she simply couldn’t help herself. His smile made her feel so very warm and giddy. “Be at ease, my lord,” she said. “I am well enough. But I fear I am taking too much of your time, and I, too, must continue onward. I must…”
She stopped abruptly as Lavenham came into her line of sight. She must have looked startled, or frightened, because the enormous man turned to see what had her attention. Lavenham was close, speaking to someone else, and when he suddenly looked up and saw her, his features lit up.
“My lady!” he said happily. “I was hoping to find you. Where is Simon?”
She was clearly uncomfortable as she answered, “He is not with me, my lord.”
“Are you alone?”
It was such a leading question, his intent clear by his mere tone.
He’d dropped it about an octave, giving her a somewhat lascivious glance as he spoke those three words.
As Delaina took a step back and choked on her reply, wanting to discourage him but not wanting to be rude, the massive man at her side put himself between her and Lavenham.
“She is not alone, my lord,” he growled. “Unless you are blind. You must be, for you clearly did not see me standing here. Move along.”
Lavenham looked at the man as if Lucifer himself had just made an appearance. He looked at Delaina, at the man, and then back again before slipping away without another word.
“God’s Bones,” Delaina said, exhaling heavily. “I did not know what to say to him. Your intervention was most appreciated.”
The man turned to her again. “Is he harassing you, my lady?” he asked. “I am more than happy to toss him from the feast if he has been making a nuisance of himself.”
Delaina looked at him, surprised at his declaration.
She’d been so busy looking into that handsome face that she had completely failed to notice he was wearing the garb of a royal knight.
In fact, when he put himself between her and Lavenham, she realized she had seen those shoulders before. Now she recognized him.
It was the man Lord Daventry had called de Wolfe.
“You are Magnus de Wolfe, are you not?” she finally asked.
His smile was back. “You have me at a disadvantage, my lady,” he said. “You know my name but I do not know yours.”
Table of Contents
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