Page 46

B ronwyn cringed and shuffled her feet. “Sorry. I was just excited.”

Lady Alice sniffed, her dark eyes wary. “Go back to the kitchens, Bronwyn. They need you. You shouldn’t be dancing here, anyway. Not when there’s work to be done.” She smiled sweetly, but her eyes were like daggers.

Bronwyn nodded and backed away, happy to let Lady Alice take her place. She was too excited to care. She needed to act, but then she bumped into a wall of hard muscle. “Oh.” She whirled around.

Theobold’s expression was suspicious. “Dancing, Mistress Baker? And here I thought you didn’t dance. Or maybe you just choose not to dance with me.”

“What?”

“You don’t remember? I asked you to dance the night of the bonfire, and instead, I found you… elsewhere.” His eyes narrowed.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m just glad I know the truth now.

It’s not that you dislike dancing—you just had a different dance partner in mind.

Far be it from me to get in the way of your happiness.

” He voice was gravelly, his expression stone.

His dark eyes were filled with hurt, when Lady Susanna touched his arm.

“Theobold, I should love to dance. Will you dance with me?” she asked.

“Gladly.” He turned his back on Bronwyn.

Bronwyn heard Lady Alice laugh, and walked away, darting around whirling couples and back out around the tables again.

“Oh, Bronwyn, don’t forget to take the jug Lady Morwenna was sick in,” Lady Alice called.

Bronwyn’s cheeks heated and she ignored Lady Alice, keeping her back straight and her head held high. Laughter followed her, but she didn’t care. She felt embarrassed enough, anyway, although not by Lady Alice’s dismissal.

Rupert had looked shocked when she’d made that slip of the tongue and said she could kiss him.

Physically shocked, as if the very idea was unheard of.

Was she so repulsive? Was the very thought of kissing her so horrible?

And yet it had been an innocent slip of the tongue, for her mind did not dwell on him, but on the murder, rose scent, and Theobold.

She’d hurt his feelings, but knowing him, he would soon have another admirer on his arm already, if Lady Susanna’s attentions toward him were any indication.

That evening, there was no more investigating to be done, as she had no desire to spy on the lovers.

She waited until the dancing ended and people dispersed, then helped clean up, happy to have something to do.

She would have wanted to tell Theobold what she’d learned from Rupert but was too mad at him, and she wanted to be sure.

Lady Morwenna had stolen the poison, she was sure of it.

But then why had Lady Alice suggested she spy on Lady Susanna?

The next day, she slipped out of the kitchens and went to Mass. Bronwyn wasn’t the most religious or devout woman, but she did believe in God, and since the fall of Lincoln, had prayed most nights that she might see her family again.

She hung back and waited for people to leave, having spotted and watched Lady Susanna through most of the service. As Lady Susanna stayed longer than most of the parishioners, her head bowed in prayer, Bronwyn came to stand behind her.

“Lady Susanna,” she whispered.

Lady Susanna’s head shot up. She turned. “What do you want?”

“To speak with you. Lady Alice said—”

“Oh, not you too. You’ve come to tease me as well, eh? Laugh at me for my choice of lover? Well, don’t bother. I get enough torment from facing Lady Morwenna each day.”

Bronwyn cleared her throat. “No, I don’t know anything about that. “I thought you might be able to help me.”

“With what?”

“Find out who might have killed Lady Eleanor.”

Lady Susanna’s face grew long in regret.

“I did like her. She was so kind. Do you know, when I first arrived, I could barely string two sentences together in French, and she spent time teaching me so I wouldn’t make a fool out of myself?

I’ll never forget it. Especially when she might have preferred to go walking with her man. ”

“Sir Edward.”

“Yes. It’s a horrible shame what happened to him.”

“Were you there?”

“Yes. I saw the whole thing.” She repressed a shudder. “I don’t want to think about that.”

Then why had Lady Alice said to talk to her, Bronwyn wondered. She pressed on. “Lady Susanna, do you know something about what happened that night, to Lady Eleanor?”

The other young woman paused.

Bronwyn was about to speak, when Lady Susanna said, “I don’t see why I should tell you. You go around asking a lot of questions. Why is that?”

“Because I want to find out who did it.”

“To what end?”

“So that Lady Eleanor didn’t die in vain. Is that not enough?”

“Is that all? It’s not to attract Theobold?”

Bronwyn shook her head. “He doesn’t care for me. He’s Lady Morwenna’s man.”

Lady Susanna snickered. “No, he’s not.”

“What do you mean?”

Lady Susanna was about to turn and face her, a wide-eyed grin on her face, when a monk walked past, watching her. She turned back to face front and said quietly, “Lady Morwenna likes Theobold. She always has. And she makes it as though she has a claim on him, but she’s playing him false.”

“How?”

“She’s not interested in him at all. Or if she is, she’s hardly showing it. She’s bragged about seeing another man. An older one.” Lady Susanna covered her mouth, as if it were a great secret.

Bronwyn wondered, what about Lady Morwenna’s teasing about Lady Susanna’s lover? Could this be her taking a bit of revenge? “What do you know about him? Was he involved in Lady Eleanor’s death?”

“All I know is that when the battle broke out that night in the camp, Lady Morwenna knew it was happening. The rest of us huddled together for protection and shelter, but she ran out. I went after her and saw she’d gone to the empress’s tent.”

So Lady Morwenna had been there.

“And Lady Eleanor?”

“She wasn’t there. Lady Morwenna went in, and then Lady Eleanor came to check on us, and went to see after Lady Morwenna. That was the last I saw of her.” Lady Susanna sniffed. “She was so kind to us all. Life at court isn’t easy, you know.”

“So Lady Eleanor and Lady Morwenna were in the tent.”

“I suppose so.”

“Did you see the guards who were there?”

“There was only one guard.”

“How do you know that?”

“It was something I overheard in passing; some of the men were discussing the guards needed to be put to better use. One man said, ‘There’s naught but her clothing and bedding in that tent; she doesn’t need a retinue of guards for that.

One will do.’ And the other man agreed and said he’d make the arrangements. ”

“Who was it you heard?”

“I couldn’t say. They sounded familiar, but I didn’t know who, sorry.”

Bronwyn asked, “And Lady Morwenna wears a rose perfume, does she not?”

“Yes. How did you know?” Lady Susanna cocked her head.

Whilst this wasn’t new information, hearing it from another source was interesting. Lady Morwenna had been in the tent when Lady Eleanor had died, and she most likely had broken into the stores of the healer. But why?

For love, Bronwyn realized. “Who was Lady Morwenna’s lover?”

Lady Susanna simpered. “That’s the odd thing, I don’t know. She would talk about him but was secretive; she wouldn’t say his name. Only that he was very high up in the empress’s camp among the trusted men. I thought she meant Theobold, but she denied it was him.”

So Bronwyn needed to figure out who Lady Morwenna was seeing.

She had taken serious risks, and all for what?

To please her lover, but why would he have her do such things?

Was she acting alone or was she playing a part in a greater scheme?

And why had she been dangling from the stone that morning back in Gloucester?

Had she tripped, or had her lover pushed her?

“Thank you, Lady Susanna.”

“Don’t thank me. I hope you find out whoever did this. And Bronwyn?”

Bronwyn paused, halfway up out of her seat.

“Lady Morwenna isn’t all bad. She just has a certain way of doing things and her own particular view of the world. She doesn’t mean to be unkind.”

Except when she’s stealing, accusing Lady Alice of theft of the crown she may have planted herself, or teasing others for their romantic affairs , Bronwyn thought. She thanked Lady Susanna and left.