“Of course, I’d be happy to stay at Rose’s side until your return,” agreed Claude. “I also want to offer my condolences on the hardships you two have experienced in the past years. I am sorry, but I didn’t know about the loss of your babies until today.”
“You didn’t know?” asked Toft. His brows dipped in confusion.
“Didn’t your mother tell you?” asked Rose. “After all, she visits you in France several times a year.”
“Nay, she didn’t mention it.” Claude felt like a heel and cursed himself inwardly for burying his head in the sand. He had to explain things, or his mother would look like the fool. “I asked her not to tell me any bad news, so it isn’t her fault. I was going through . . . some rough times. I am sorry.”
Rose reached out and touched Claude lightly on the shoulder. His body stiffened and he held his breath, not wanting to feel the warmth of her hand on him. It was just too much to bear.
“I understand, Claude,” said Rose. “It’s all right.”
There was an awkward silence between them. Claude felt the heat rising to his face. He had to say something and didn’t want to talk about Rose, her baby or Toft anymore. It was just too hard to take. He turned and looked at the nursemaid instead. She stood there so quietly that he had almost forgotten she was there. Her face was turned to the ground.
“I’m sorry, Nursemaid, but what was your name again?” he asked, knowing it was Evelina, but wanting the girl to speak so he would have someone else to talk to.
The girl’s eyes snapped up in surprise, and he got his first look at her face. A round face with big, hazel eyes stared up at him almost as if in fear. She was a petite girl, with a small frame. Her oaken hair was braided and coiled around each ear and covered partially by a wimple. It reminded him of the way the nobles wore their hair. Her skin was fair and smooth. She seemed to be a few years younger than his age of twenty-three.
“Moi?” she asked in surprise, then corrected herself quickly. “Me?” Her eyes shot back to the ground.
“Her name is Evelina,” Rose told him.
“Evelina,” he repeated, thinking it was the prettiest name he’d ever heard. The prettiest name, that is, besides Rose. “Does she have a surname?” he asked.
“She does,” said Rose. “But perhaps you should ask her directly.”
Claude reached out and lifted the girl’s chin with two fingers. Her face turned upward, but her eyes would not meet his.
“Look at me,” he said, wanting to get another glimpse of her magnificent, large eyes.
Evelina had no choice but to look into Sir Claude’s eyes. If she didn’t, she would be disobeying orders to a noble. She wondered if this is how all servants felt. It wasn’t a good feeling at all.
“That’s better,” he said, studying her face, cocking his dark head to each side as he inspected her as if she were a side of beef. His eyes were bright blue like the sky while his hair was dark like a dense forest. “Comely for a servant.” His eyes traveled down her entire body and then back up to her face.
She wanted to bite off his head and had to keep from crying out. She wasn’t used to being treated this way.
“Tell me your surname, and from where you come.”
“I am Evelina Du – Bisset,” she said, almost telling him her real name.
“Du Bisset?” He wrenched his face. I’ve never heard that name before. What part of France do you come from?”
She came from Tarbes in the Languedoc region near Toulouse but didn’t want him to know. She also wanted to find out where he was from before she answered.
“Where is your abode, Sir Claude?”
He dropped his hand to the side. “My, you are brash for a servant.”
“I – I’m sorry, my lord,” she stammered, thinking she pushed it too far. “I just meant, I’ve never heard of you and wondered where you resided.”
“I am Sir Claude Montague of Stonebury Castle in the north of France.”
“Oh. I come from the southern part of France,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t ask her more.
“My lord,” said the man’s squire, running on foot, entering the courtyard out of breath. “I have your present for your sister in the travel bag and forgot to give it to you. I hope it’s not too late.”
“Nay, Felix,” he said, thankfully taking his attention away from Evelina. “However, if I don’t get into the great hall soon, I’m sure my sister will be hunting me down to retrieve her present.”
“Come,” said Rose, taking Toft’s hand and heading toward the keep. “Claude, you’ll want to greet Lord Nicholas and his wife, Muriel, I’m sure. You should see how tall the twins, Nelda and little Nicholas, got in the past few years. They are eight now, and little Nicholas is already a page.”
“My, that time went fast,” said Claude.
“They have more children as well,” Toft told him. “Another boy and two more girls that are named Holly and Heather.”
“Holly and Heather? What kind of names are those?” Claude asked, making a face and shaking his head.
“I think those names are pretty,” Evelina blurted out, not able to stop herself from saying what she thought.
Claude looked over to her and narrowed his eyes. “Nursemaid, I was talking to Lady Rose and Sir Toft, not you.”
Evelina felt outraged but couldn’t say anything. She was supposed to be a servant but, at times like this, it was challenging.
“I like the names, too,” said Rose.
“How could you?” asked Claude. “I think Lord Nicholas has been letting his wife influence his decisions. What is their other son’s name? Clover? Or perhaps Dan – delion,” he said with a chuckle.
“It’s Glen,” Rose told him.
“Of course,” said Claude with a nod. “A glen for all those flowers.”
“What is the matter with you, Claude?” asked Rose. “My name is a flower. Do you think my name is silly, too?”
That shut him up, and Evelina was happy it did.
“Nay, of course not,” Claude apologized. “I’m sorry if I sounded blunt. I am only tired from the journey and not thinking straight, that’s all.”
“Let’s get you a big tankard of ale,” said Toft. “I’m sure that will fix you right up.” Toft put his arm around Claude’s shoulder, walking with him on one side and Rose on the other. Evelina followed behind them with the squire.
“Lord Claude seems very uncomfortable,” Evelina stated, hoping to find out more information about the man through his squire.
“Oh, that’s just because he is still in love with Lady Rose,” blurted out Felix.
“I can see that. What I don’t understand is how Lady Rose could have been in love with someone like Lord Claude. He is handsome but not very likable at all.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that,” warned Felix. “Lord Claude had a hard life. Did you know when he first came to England and met his father, Lord John thought he was a girl?”
“A girl?” She giggled, letting her eyes roam over to the back of Sir Claude. The man was well built with broad shoulders and looked to have muscles under his tunic and cloak. He wasn’t as tall as some of the other knights she’d seen, but he was still a good two heads taller than her. His face was covered with a dark stubble of whiskers. “It is hard to imagine that Sir Claude once looked like a girl.”
“I’ve been told Sir Claude was very skinny and soft-spoken,” the squire explained. “His hair was long and kept getting in his eyes. Supposedly, his own father took his blade to Claude’s hair because everyone kept calling him a girl and John didn’t want a son that they thought was a daughter.”
She giggled again, and Claude turned his head, looking back over his shoulder.
“Is something funny?” he asked. “Mayhap you would care to share it with the rest of us?”
Evelina looked at Felix and shook her head slightly. “Please, don’t tell him,” she whispered, not thinking Claude would appreciate his squire revealing all his secrets.
&n
bsp; “Nay, my lord,” answered Felix in a loud voice. “I am just making conversation with the nursemaid. Evelina is very nice. And also pretty.”
“Why thank you,” she told him.
“Evelina is a lovely name,” said Felix. “It suits you.”
“Thank you, once again.”
Claude looked over his shoulder for the second time. Evelina couldn’t miss the scowl on his face. Something about Felix complimenting her and making her laugh seemed to upset him. Was there nothing that made this man merry?
“Felix, hurry to the great hall and find my sister. Tell her I will give her the present now,” Claude commanded.
“Aye, my lord. Right away,” Felix answered. Then he looked over to Evelina and winked, holding a finger to his lips. She giggled again as he ran off to the great hall.
Watching him go, she paid little attention to where she was walking and crashed right into someone. Putting out her hands to steady herself, she looked up to find she was touching Sir Claude’s chest. His arms wrapped around her and he glanced down at her with partially hooded eyes.
“Sir Claude! I didn’t see you,” she said, stepping back and straightening her gown.
“You are not very trained in your duties, Nursemaid.”
“What do you mean?” she asked him.
“You giggle at silly compliments and are not even aware where you are going.”
“I didn’t think Felix’s compliments were silly at all. And it wasn’t the compliments that made me giggle. I am sorry I crashed into you, but the last I knew you were headed for the great hall.”
“Well, I changed my mind as well as my direction. Does that bother you?”
“Nay, my lord. It just surprises me that a man can’t make up his mind. After all, that is more of a trait of a . . . girl.” She giggled again and stepped around Claude, hurrying to catch up to Lady Rose.
Chapter 3
“Thank you for my doll, Claude.” Charlotte reached up and kissed her brother, holding tightly to the rag doll he had given her for her birthday. It was dressed in a velvet gown that looked like a lady’s. It even had a golden cloth crown sewn to its yarn-covered head.
“Please, everyone be seated as the meal is about to begin,” announced Conlin, lord of the castle. Claude looked up to the very crowded dais table. There was an empty seat next to Rose, and she was waving him over. Toft sat at her other side.
“You’d better hurry, my lord. They want to start the meal,” Felix told him.
Claude groaned inwardly. He didn’t want to sit next to Rose because it was too much to bear.
“I would rather sit below the salt right now,” mumbled Claude.
“Ah, I see,” said Felix. “Too hard sitting on one side of Lady Rose while her husband is on the other?”
“Something like that.” Claude dragged a hand through his hair wondering why he had ever come back to England after all. How was he going to endure the fact that Rose wanted him at her side every minute of the day?
“You can always sit down here with me,” offered Felix. “I’ll be eating with the nursemaid, Evelina.” He nodded toward the table.
Evelina sat on the bench, not talking to anyone. The children of the nobles were all up at the dais with their families and she had nothing to do. She didn’t seem to have any friends, either.
“What did you say to her earlier?” he asked.
“To Evelina?” asked Felix.
“Yes, Evelina. Tell me what you said that made her laugh.”
“I was just rambling on, my lord. Sometimes it’s hard to remember what I said.”
“She commented on me changing my mind.” His eyes drilled into her although she didn’t know he was watching. She daintily broke off a small piece of bread, dipped it in her soup and brought it to her mouth. Then she proceeded to take a little square of cloth from her pocket and dab at the corners of her mouth. Odd, that a commoner acted so refined.
“Really? What did she say?” asked Felix.
“She compared my indecision to . . . to that of a . . . girl.”
“Oh,” said his squire, swallowing hard. “Perhaps I rambled on too much about your earlier years. I’m sorry, my lord.”
“God’s eyes, please don’t tell me you told her that everyone used to think I was a girl?”
“Well, not exactly everyone. But I might have mentioned that your father thought so.”
“What is the matter with you, Squire? I told you that in confidence. If I wanted the world to know, I would have had the herald shout it from the battlements. When I went back to France, I thought I left those and other memories behind.”
“She looked lonely and I wanted to make conversation.”
“Well, couldn’t you have talked about the weather instead?”
Felix made a face and shrugged his shoulders. “She asked about you, my lord. I only thought it polite to answer.”
“She asked about me?” Claude tore his eyes away from the girl and stared down at his squire. “What did she want to know?”
“It’s hard to remember.” The squire’s eyes roamed over to Evelina. When Claude glanced back to her, she was smiling at Felix and waggling her fingers in the air. Felix smiled and waved back to her.
“Then think harder,” Claude growled. “I want to know what she said about me.”
“I believe she mentioned you looked uncomfortable. I told her that was only because you were around Lady Rose and used to be in love with her.”
“You didn’t.” Claude squeezed his eyes closed, feeling things going from bad to worse.
“It’s not as if everyone doesn’t already know you are still in love with Lady Rose.”
Claude’s eyes popped open. “What do you mean? I’m not still in love with her. That is in the past.”
“Evelina didn’t seem to think so. Girls can tell those things, I guess. She was surprised that Lady Rose could have ever been in love with you in the first place.”
“Rose wasn’t in love with me,” he grunted. “And what do you mean Evelina was surprised by that? Is it that unbelievable that it could have ever happened?”
“Nay. Of course, I don’t think so. But Evelina said even though you were handsome, she couldn’t believe anyone could ever be in love with you because she said you were not likable at all.”
“Not likable?” His eyes flashed over to Evelina. She was watching him, but when he caught her eye, she looked the other way. “How can she say that? That is preposterous. I’m likable. Everyone likes me. How can anyone think I am not likable?”
“Excuse me, my lord,” interrupted a young page.
“What do you want?” snapped Claude. The young boy jumped.
“My name is Nicholas Vaughn. My father said he knows you. He sent me over to get you. He said the meal is starting and you need to join the nobles at the dais.”
“I’ll go when I’m ready to go.”
Felix cleared his throat. “Likable, my lord. Likable,” he mumbled.
“Oh.” Claude realized he snapped at the boy and now felt horrible about it. He had been so upset at hearing that the nursemaid thought he was unlikable and that she knew he used to look like a girl, that he couldn’t think straight. “Tell your father I will be there presently.” Claude looked up and nodded to Lord Nicholas who raised a tankard of ale in the air and nodded back to him.
“Yes, my lord.” The boy ran off.
“So, you won’t be sitting below the salt with us, then?” asked Felix.
Claude studied Evelina. She was using the side of her spoon to cut a piece of chicken into smaller portions. Most of the servants he knew gobbled down their food quickly, using their hands and no spoon at all. They were just happy to have something to eat and eager to get back to work. She looked as if she were separating the food on her trencher into neat little piles before she even took a bite. This girl was like no other servant he’d ever met.
“Nay, I’ll not be sitting down here with the servants. I am a noble and will sit at the dais, no ma
tter how unlikable I am.”
“Aye, my lord. I understand.”
“Felix, keep an eye on that one,” he said nodding toward Evelina.
“What do you mean, my lord?”
“There is something odd about her.”
“I think she is delightful to be around.” Felix smiled at Evelina. “She is stunning, too.”
“And she smells like rosewater instead of sweat and tallow.”
“Pardon me?” asked Felix.
“When she crashed into me in the courtyard, she was close enough that I smelled rosewater on her. I also noticed her hair was clean and not tangled at all. It smelled like fresh air. I think she is not who she pretends to be.”
“Who do you think she is?”
“I’m not sure. I need to think about it. She seems familiar, but I don’t remember anyone named Du Bisset in France at all. I don’t think that is her real name.”
“So, she is hiding something?”
“I would bet on it. I wouldn’t trust her at all. Keep your ears and eyes open and report back to me if she says or does anything suspicious at all.”
“Aye, my lord. I will stay close to her at all times. It would be my pleasure.”
“Not too close,” Claude mumbled, walking away. “And stop telling her anything about me. If she wants to know something, tell her she can ask me herself.”
Evelina tried to listen to Claude and Felix’s conversation, but there was way too much noise in the great hall to make out what they were saying. She had seen them looking at her several times and got the feeling they were talking about her.
“Hello, Evelina,” said Felix happily, squeezing into the empty spot on the bench next to her. “How is the food today?”
“We are sharing a trencher,” she said pushing the old, stale piece of bread being used as a plate closer to him. “I found it a little challenging to cut the meat without cutting into the trencher, so I apologize for the mangled look of the bread.”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” he said, digging into the food.
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