“What exactly,” Ludovic said, one eyebrow raised, “is going on?”
“Oh, my lord,” said the young man with evident relief, “I am most particularly pleased to see you, my lord. If somewhat surprised, begging your pardon. May I have the honour to speak to your lordship for a moment downstairs?”
Ludovic nodded, but continued watching Alysson. “Well, child,” he said quietly, “will you tell me yourself?”
Alysson gulped, voice faint. “Afterwards. Talk to the doctor first, if you will.”
Downstairs again in the one cramped chamber, light streaming in through the open door, Ludovic questioned the village doctor. “But the women will not explain, my lord,” the young man said, blowing out the candle and setting the stub on the table. “And in spite of my insistence, no one will inform me how the accident occurred. They refuse to answer my questions, but it was a brutal attack, I am sure of it, since no ordinary tumble could have produced such injuries. The young woman has a broken arm, at least three ribs also broken, as you have seen she is much bruised and cut about, and there may yet prove to be internal damage. I have straightened and strapped her arm, while the women have washed and bandaged her other wounds and applied some ointments of their own. I have prescribed a tonick of willow bark for the pain, and have taken blood once, but am loth to do so again since the young woman is very weak. She is being fed a nutritious milk diet, and will surely recover in time. But she must stay in bed for a month at least.”
“Alum, for the wounds?” inquired Ludovic.
“These are humble people, my lord, and I doubt they could afford it.”
“But I could,” said Ludovic. “You may now consider yourself employed by me.”
“Doctor Manders at your service. I have served your esteemed father from time to time in the past, my lord.”
“Well Doctor Manders, you will now hurry to the village apothecary and order a supply of alum salves. As it happens, I have very good reason to know the man’s recently taken in a new supply. You will also obtain anything else you prescribe as appropriate, without consideration for cost. You will return here promptly. Tomorrow I may arrange to have Mistress Alysson transferred to the castle for further treatment, but in the meantime you will visit her here. I expect her to be cured as soon as possible.”
The doctor frowned. “Broken bones, my lord – it is not usually -”
“Cured,” said Ludovic curtly. “As soon as possible.” He then turned his back on the doctor and once again climbed the stairs.
Dulce and Ilara were attempting to tidy the bedcovers, tucking Alysson’s small lumps and bumps into a neat and invisible confinement. Ludovic smiled at them. “If you will allow the impropriety,” he said, “I wish to speak to Mistress Alysson alone. The doctor will probably return within the hour, and I shall be down before that to discuss the situation with you. But perhaps, first -?”
With much curtsying they scuttled downstairs while Alysson and Ludovic stared warily at each other. Ludovic abruptly sat on the edge of the bed, gazing through the gloomy shadows. “I suppose,” murmured Alysson, “Jenny’s furious with me, but I don’t care. Ilara was going to walk all the way to the castle to explain what happened, but she’s old and tired so I told her to wait till later. Jenny must be spitting daggers.”
“What that woman does is of no conceivable interest to me,” said Ludovic. “Now tell me, child, how did this happen?”
Alysson took a slow and deeply exhaled breath. “Once when I told you I was attacked, you didn’t believe me.”
“The proof this time would be rather hard to dismiss,” said Ludovic. “And stop turning away. If you imagine I’m squeamish about a few lacerations and bruises, then you underestimate me as usual.” He smiled and took her hand in his, resting on the old woollen counterpane. Her other hand was concealed within a large sling, her arm heavily bandaged. “Now, while I concede it to be no specific business of mine, I should like an explanation,” he continued. “How did this happen? How serious are the injuries? How do you feel? And who was it?”
The covers were pulled up almost to Alysson’s chin, although the day was exceedingly warm, but what was visible seemed almost entirely disguised. Her head was thickly bandaged around the top of her skull, as though she wore a round white turban. Her hair, bedraggled and partly pulled back, did not quite hide the huge weals and scratches around her neck. Without the doctor’s candle, the light was poor, but Ludovic could clearly see the destruction of Alysson’s face. One eye was swollen, the lid closed and darkened. Beneath the eye a series of scars ran open down her face, though smudged with layers of ointment. The cheekbone was blackened with bruises, and the right side of her mouth was cut, the lips blood caked and puffy. Her nose was also swollen and deeply marked with small grazes and cuts, the nostrils ripped on both sides. Her left cheekbone bore another huge bruise, yellowing through the purple. She appeared to find breathing difficult and her voice lapsed into gasps, indicating a throat too sore to speak. The one small hand that Ludovic held was roughened and cut across the back and fingers, and he knew her other arm was broken. He said nothing and waited for her reply.
Eventually she shook her head, though that seemed to hurt her. “I did see who he was. But you won’t believe me.”
“Because I disbelieved you before? You think it was Humphrey?”
“I pulled out a handful of his hair. I couldn’t mistake him.”
Ludovic said, “So as before, you tried to defend yourself? You attacked him in return? Would the signs be fairly evident?”
“Yes,” said Alysson at once. “I did what little I could. I scratched him a lot and pulled his hair out. I bit his nose, hard. It bled. If you saw him, you’d know.”
Ludovic sighed, leaning back. “I have seen him. For the past three days, Humphrey has been quite evident at all times. He is fat and complacent as usual, delighted with his son, and pleased to spend time again with his once more restructured wife. He eats, he belches, he sings the infant lullabies. He shows not a mark nor a bruise. He is completely unscathed.”
Alysson stared. “That’s not possible.”
“Answer my other questions,” Ludovic said. “How did this happen?”
Alysson’s perplexity turned to scowl, exacerbated by bruises. “I feel wonderful. Nothing is in the least serious. I tripped over a twig and fell down on my way here three days ago. That’s all. Nothing else. And I don’t want to go back to the castle and I don’t want to see you ever again.”
Ludovic smiled widely. “How inconvenient,” he said, “since I have every intention of seeing a great deal of you, and will probably arrange to take you back to the castle tomorrow.”
“I won’t go.”
“You are hardly in a position to resist,” Ludovic pointed out. “I just need to decide whether to settle you back in Jennine’s apartments, or install you in mine.”
Alysson gulped. “Jenny won’t have me. And I don’t want you.”
“I could put matters right with Jennine easily enough,” Ludovic pondered. “But I doubt there’s a place for anyone to be properly nursed there, apart from the lady herself, with the nursery quarters below and the infant already stealing most of the attention. In fact, Jennine wouldn’t welcome you until you’ve recovered sufficiently, which seems fair enough. On the other hand, much as I should like to keep you to myself, and my own rooms are certainly large and comfortable enough, it would set up a deal of gossip which might prove a nuisance.” His smile had spread to a grin. “However, since I always imagined I’d take you as my mistress sooner or later, it might as well be sooner.”
“You can’t. I won’t. I’ll scream.”
“As it happens, the western tower is quite well isolated from the rest of the personal quarters,” Ludovic said. “The only ones who would hear your screams would be Brice and the seagulls. Neither would take the slightest bit of notice, I promise.”
Alysson opened her mouth in fury and then paused, thinking. “You’re only teasing,” she deci
ded. “I look frightful. You wouldn’t want to touch me. And since you’re calling me a liar, I don’t want you.”
“I might consider waiting for you to recover from the first attack before instigating my own.”
“I don’t believe you could even think about – what you’re thinking about – for months and months, the way I must look.”
“On the contrary,” smiled Ludovic, and leaned over and kissed her lightly on her left cheek where the swelling was slight, but the bruise spread large. “I find you charmingly – different,” he said. “And can quite easily contemplate – almost anything. However, although my father seems convinced I already have you regularly in my bed, it might not be the most tactful moment to establish it as the truth. I shall have to consider the options.”
“I won’t go to Jenny’s,” Alysson said. “Apart from not being wanted, I won’t go anywhere near Humphrey. And I’m not a parcel to stay wherever you put me.”
“You would certainly need to be guarded, “Ludovic admitted. “And my own personal protection would be the best, since anything else has been sadly deficient up until now. But I’m not sure of the ideal way to achieve it.” He smiled, taking up her hand again. “Perhaps I should take you to Bedfordshire.”
“Good gracious,” said Alysson. “Where’s that?”
Ludovic shook his head. “No, I can hardly expect you to travel so far in this condition. The doctor would never allow it. But something must be done.”
“I can stay here.” Alysson pulled her hand away.
“But I can’t,” Ludovic said, “and I need you close. I need to keep you under watch, and besides, the medical attention you’ll get at the castle would be far superior. I might even be able to arrange for your odd little nurses to come and help look after you, though I do wish they’d stop being so damned grateful. Each time I see them, they’re so confoundedly humble and honoured, it’s exhausting.”
“You know,” Alysson said, “apart from all the money you’ve showered on them, they’ve a very good reason to be grateful.” He once again reached for her hand but she quickly tucked it away under the covers. “Now the great Ludovic Sumerford has been seen visiting here a few times, the locals are quite in awe of Ilara, and have taken her to their hearts.”
Ludovic raised an eyebrow. “I’m glad to have been of service.”
“More than you realise,” smiled Alysson. The smile appeared distorted, her right eye remaining closed in a permanent wink, and the smile curling only at the left side of her mouth. “There’s now a good deal of local gossip regarding romantic assignations and the possibility of you making Ilara an autumn bride.”
Ludovic blinked in stupefaction. “Me?” he said blankly. “And your nurse?”
Alysson managed to nod. “They seem to think the nobility capable of anything. And clearly they’re quite right. Of course, they believe you’re all somehow next to the saints and the angels, but they never expect any of you to behave normally.”
Ludovic regarded the patient with amazed suspicion. “I refuse to believe a word of it,” he said. “And although your nurses may be uncomfortably over-honoured at my presence, you, brat, are not nearly honoured enough. And I warn you, once I’ve decided exactly what to do with you and where to put you, you will go where I say and behave with suitable obedience.” He leaned over again, rearranging Alysson’s pillows in a more comfortable manner and readjusting the bed cover. He saw her wince as he straightened the blanket, his hand brushing against the sling that held her right arm. “Feeling dreadful, my dear?” he said, leaning back again. “The doctor will be here with better medicines shortly, and in the meantime I shall be off to organise your return to the castle. Our tame medik there is extremely efficient, better I’m sure than any local barber.” He sat a moment, watching her, then stood. “I shall be back tomorrow,” he said. “Until then, little one, you’ll be quite safe, I promise.”
Once again downstairs he smiled at the two bobbing women, explained about the doctor and his own immediate intentions, and left quietly. He was not smiling at all as he rode slowly back to the castle.
The page in the corridor outside bowed quickly, and opened the door. Ludovic strolled in, smiled widely at the lady spread on the deep cushioned settle, feet up and head supported by pillows, and nodded briefly, the semblance of a bow. “It is of course most improper of me to visit you here alone, my lady, especially since you are – let us say – confined to your chamber after the rigours of childbirth. But I’ve an idea you are more than averagely unshockable.”
The lady sat up hurriedly and smiled with a slight simper. “My lord. An honour.”
Ludovic closed the door sharply behind him. He stood by the hearth, one elbow to the mantle and one boot to the iron grate. He took a leisurely and slightly impertinent look around the chamber before slowly returning his gaze to the lady. “I believe we have a few matters of interest to discuss,” he said.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The countess gasped, one fluttering and outraged hand to the stiffened stomacher just below her heart. “Ludovic, you are clearly suffering from sunstroke if not a fevered dysentery. Do you seriously expect me to house a maidservant in one of the available bedchambers, as if a respected guest of the family?”
Ludovic smiled, though his eyes showed neither warmth nor compliance. “It is precisely what I expect, Madam. My suggestion may seem unprecedented, but the girl’s origins are respectable enough, being the orphaned daughter of an alderman. Indeed, under the circumstances I believe some form of aid is due her from the Sumerford estate. You will no doubt remember something of her past experiences with this family. Her brother, apprenticed here as a groom, was killed by my father’s battle charger. Her younger brother disappeared somewhere on these premises, presumed drowned. She herself discovered me when I was attacked in the forests last year, and was particularly instrumental in my recovery. She has been satisfactorily employed here for many months as the Lady Jennine’s personal maid and my good-sister seems unusually fond of her, treating her more as friend than servant. Now she has been assaulted and seriously hurt on our estates and probably by a member of the castle staff. It would seem we owe the girl something.”
There was a momentary pause, broken as the countess smiled suddenly and unexpectedly. “Oh, that girl. In which case, just perhaps -”
Ludovic raised his eyebrows. He had been prepared for a far more prolonged argument, ranging from blunt and immovable refusal to the reluctant offer of a small purse, the payment of her medical expenses and the promise to rehire the girl after her return to rudimentary health. This would have left him with only two alternatives: to take Alysson into his own apartments after all, or to revise his entire plan within a more complicated framework. Instead he regarded his mother in astonishment.
“You agree?”
“Under the circumstances, I can have no objection,” said her ladyship. “Besides, I am quite sure it will annoy your father.”
“But I suggest that Mistress Alysson is not installed on his lordship’s side of the castle. I intend something nearer my own quarters.”
The countess sniffed. “How unimaginative of you, Ludovic. But you may do as you wish of course. I am really not in the least interested in any unsavoury involvements you hope to indulge. I have sanctioned your request. You may arrange all further details with Hamnet. I presume I have no need to remind you not to house this common female too close to my own chambers?”
“Certainly not, Madam,” bowed Ludovic. “That would not serve my interests in the slightest.”
The younger Sumerford passed his instructions to the steward early on the following morning. There was one small and one larger adjoining room situated a few paces from the west tower, looking out from within the main building. These enjoyed wide casement windows gazing both to the right over the seashore, and to the left across the tip of the stretching forest boundaries. On a level identical to Lord Ludovic’s rambling apartments, these two rooms also led to a stair up to th
e battlements where walks could be enjoyed on mild days, with further windy access to the western tower. The chambers were therefore adjacent to Ludovic’s without being interconnected. They were frequently sun clad, usually bathed in light from the late morning on until the day sank. They were also particularly private. They could not easily be reached unseen, and they could be overlooked only from the upper level of the western tower.
“You will have both chambers aired and warmed,” Ludovic informed Hamnet, “then prepared in appropriate comfort. The inner chamber will house the patient, necessitating a complete change of mattress and suitable bedding. I shall arrange the young woman’s arrival for late this afternoon. She will not be joining the family at mealtimes and nor will she expect any particular personal service, but I want her kept comfortable and treated with respect. I trust you understand, Hamnet?”
Hamnet bowed, a little stiff. “Certainly my lord.”
“Gossip amongst the staff does not concern me in the slightest,” Ludovic continued. “But should I learn of any direct disrespect shown to my guest, I shall deal with it severely. That is all, Hamnet.”
The entire family was present at the noontime dinner table, but Ludovic did not discuss his unorthodox intentions with any of them. Nor did his mother appear to remember the affair. Conversation centred on the inane, though Brice twice inquired of Gerald how his pet pretender to the throne was adjusting to life in the Tower. Gerald returned scowls and scathing expressions in silence and no other personal business was discussed. Humphrey entertained his parents and younger brothers with an accurate imitation of his two week old son’s snuffles, burps and whimpers, and remained excessively cheerful due to the generous excess of eggy custards served as part of both courses and in various shapes, sizes and casings.
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