by Jackie Ivie
“You can really do as you say?”
“Even if you think I lie about my wealth, you know who my guardian was. Who would dare say me nay?”
“Does this mean I am not...so selfish?”
Lizzy and Alicia had returned, Olivia was whispering to Henry, yet it felt like she and Devon were alone. Bessie cleared her throat.
“I spoke hastily earlier. I regret it.”
“Such words almost make all the arguing worthwhile.”
“I do not argue.”
“Prove it.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“Tell me you’ll allow me entrance to your bed tonight, without one word of dissent. That should prove it. No?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Open this door, my lady! Bess? Are you still asleep? I can’t get in. Bess!”
The knocking awakened her as much as the words. Bessie lifted her head from the bed and stared at the armoire she’d blocked the door with.
“I can’t get this door to budge. What have you done to it?”
“Quiet down, Roberta. You’ll have the entire house awake.”
“Like they’ve not all awakened, already. I’d go fetch his lordship! I just don’t know where he would have gone to. I thought all husbands slept beside their wives. Shows what I know about the ways of the higher-ups.”
“Must you shout so?”
“I’m speaking to a large, wooden door. Do you wish me to whisper?”
The maid had lowered her voice as she spoke. Bess shoved her hair from her face and stood. “Give me a moment. I’ll let you in.”
The closer she got to the heavily-carved wardrobe, the larger it looked. Solid. Heavy. Impregnable. It was unbelievable that she’d shoved it against the door by herself. Bess stood beside it, looking it over. It stood nearly double her size, and despite what she’d thought of the castle, this particular piece wasn’t remotely shoddy or cheaply made.
She bent her shoulder to it and shoved. Nothing happened.
“Where have you gone to, now?” Roberta’s voice came through the blocked door again.
“I’m right here. I wish you’d quit making such a fuss.”
“I’ve not fussed, yet. Why, you’d best get out here and keep that Miss Olivia at bay. She’s feisty. You have your hands full with that one.”
“Olivia? What has she done?”
“She is trying to dismiss me and Augusta. We’re to be sent packing on sight, we are.”
“But, why?”
“We’re costing the family more than they can afford, of course. Why else? You should have told him the truth.”
“I did!”
“Shouting at me isn’t going to correct the fix you’re in.”
Bessie narrowed her eyes at the wooden armoire. It had seemed so easy last night. Then again, she couldn’t recall ever being that angry.
She’d met all of them now, except the feisty Regina and Will. The camaraderie amongst the Hildebrand siblings was impossible to fake. It was enjoyable to watch and join. Bessie had been isolated her entire life. She didn’t know how entertaining it was simply to converse without worrying over double meanings, careers ruined, lives destroyed, or possible imprisonment, just because one spoke a hasty word.
Bess actually pitied the queen. She’d almost agreed to allow her own husband into this chamber, too. He’d been so charming. She’d caught his gaze on her more than once. Her heart had responded each time. That’s when she’d known another truth. Love was worth everything, just as the troubadours opined.
But then James had ruined everything by mentioning the redheaded wench from the joust, and how much he and Devon longed to search her out.
Bessie scrunched her face into a grimace at the recollection.
James’ words had stopped the banter and made her feel like she was back at court, where every word was examined for content. Nor was Devon’s response any better. He’d said he was of the opinion the wench was no doubt securely in another man’s arms by now, and they’d best find another subject. James had responded that he wouldn’t have let her slip through his fingers if he’d had her in his arms. Bessie had made some exclamation, and then she’d fled. She didn’t even remember walking back to her own bedchamber.
Now, in the light of morning, she recalled that she’d run here.
Bessie hitched her chemise nearly to her waist and sat on the floor next to the enormous piece of furniture. She wondered if she could recreate the emotion that had seen it moved in the first place. She set her back against the wall, put her feet against the wood, bent her knees and pushed until it felt like her head would burst. The armoire moved a bit, groaning the entire time. Bessie gathered another breath.
“Do you need some assist with that?”
Bessie’s mouth dropped and she swiveled, covering her legs as she moved. There was a Hildebrand standing in her room, munching on a pear. He wasn’t as large as Devon or James, nor did his eyes look to be as green. He was definitely a Hildebrand, though. He swallowed his bite and smiled. She didn’t return it.
“You must be Devon’s wife. I must say you are nothing like I’ve heard.”
“How...did you get in here?”
“The window.” He shrugged and took another bite from the pear in his hand.
“You came in through my window? How dare you!”
He moved the bite into his cheek to answer. “Yes, it was daring of me, wasn’t it? You’ll not tell my big, bad brother, will you?”
“I’m well within my rights to scream.”
“And I’d be within mine to claim I had no idea who you were. For all I knew you were a serving wench. The new Lady Hildebrand is supposed to be fat and ugly. Scarred. You know. Hideous. And that can only mean one thing.”
“And what would that be?”
“My brothers haven’t seen you. They’d not spread such nasty rumors, if they had. I doubt Devon would be up and about this early, either. If I were your husband, I wouldn’t be.”
“Bess? Is that a man’s voice I hear? Open this door or I’ll fetch your husband! Immediate-like!”
“Quiet down, Roberta. You will have the entire countryside knowing I rejected him last night. Is that your intent?” Bessie whispered it into the crack of space she’d made when the armoire had shifted.
“Well. That probably doesn’t happen to him often,” the Hildebrand male commented from behind her.
“Hush!” Bess turned her head back to him. His eyebrows lifted, but he did put a finger to his lips.
“Don’t tell me to hush, Missy. I’ve about had all I can handle of your idiocy!”
“Roberta, please? Give me a moment.”
Bessie and Devon’s bedchambers were in one of the castle’s towers. Perhaps the rest of the family was far enough away, this entire episode wouldn’t be overheard.
“A moment? To do what with? Look some more at that fancy piece of wood you’ve blocked your door with? A moment isn’t going to help you.”
“You are right. I can’t seem to move it by myself. Maybe you should go and get help. See if Augusta will assist.”
“You didn’t harm yourself, did you?”
“No.”
“Just sit tight. I’ll bring someone.”
“Don’t bring my husband. I forbid it.”
“You should think these things through before you go about them.”
“Roberta, just this once could you act like a real servant and do as I say?”
“Don’t go getting any ideas. I will be right back.”
The young man behind her was holding in laughter as she turned. Bess glared at him until it subsided.
“You are Will, then?”
He swallowed, his grin broadened, and then he folded his arm across his waist to execute a perfect court bow. “William Hildebrand. At your service. It looks like I’m just in time, too.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“How did you shove that, anyway? Devon can hardly move it and he’s stronger than y
ou’d believe.” Will speared his half-eaten pear onto one of the posts of her bed. Then, he approached where she stood.
“Can you help me move it?”
“If I do, I’ll have to leave sooner.”
“You shouldn’t even be in here!”
“You are very attractive, especially when you’re angered. It makes the shade of your lips stand out. Do you rouge them a-purpose?”
“You shouldn’t be here. And definitely not saying such things.”
“Your hair is unique, too. I will hazard a guess it is the exact shade as this wench James tells me of. Is that a coincidence, or what?”
He grinned. Bess swallowed.
“Is it true you own Stansbury Hall?”
“Of course, it’s true.”
Will whistled, and his eyes lit up. “Devon always was lucky. I’m not surprised he disbelieves you. It is too much to absorb. You were a ripe catch, weren’t you?”
“Once a man gets over his fear of my face.”
“There’s naught to fear that I can tell. You’re quite striking. You know it, though. Why else would you have purported yourself at the joust as James says?”
“James seems to have quite the imagination. I did nothing to arouse such a description.”
“You gave a favor from your leg, didn’t you?”
Bessie reddened. Without her veil, it was impossible to disguise.
“Why would you do such a thing, if you didn’t want Devon enamored?”
“Because I am fool. Roberta should have hired you. You are worse than dealing with her and her sister combined.”
“Can you truly arrange marriages for all of us?”
“You’ve heard that, too? Words travel fast in this household,” she said, wryly.
“How do you plan on introducing us? Word is Devon was banished from court. Dismissed from the queen’s favor. He’s earned her anger. I don’t know why.”
“I do. But Her Majesty isn’t angry. She just needed him to think so.”
“Why?”
“So she could gift the Twin Keeps to him, just like she’d told him she could.”
“You truly own them, too?”
“Of course.”
He whistled again. This time, she reddened with something akin to pleasure.
“My big brother has no idea of his luck. I’m not certain what I should do about it, either.”
“You’re to tell him nothing. I forbid it.”
“No wonder your maid speaks to you as she does. You can’t forbid it. I speak to whom I please.”
“How old are you?”
“Eighteen. Just. James is twenty. Alicia is between us. We are all too old to be unwed. I did not know you were available, though. I would have been at your door.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Well...Devon caught you.”
“The queen gifted me to him. Actually, she gifted him with my lands. I’m the bitter potion he has to swallow in order to gain them.”
“You can always show him the truth. It wasn’t so difficult with me.”
“I don’t think Devon sneaks through windows.”
“How do you think I learned it?”
“Devon climbs through the windows? I don’t believe it!”
“Uncle Francis is a hard taskmaster. Wait until you meet him. James does it, too. It’s the only way to escape this hell.”
“I’m putting glass in every aperture. It’s the first thing on my list. And, you’re wrong, Will. This is not hell. Being at the beck and call of a monarch is.”
“That sounds better than boredom.”
“You don’t like plowing fields?”
“Devon told you of that? I’d think he’d keep it hidden. If it had been me tilling the soil, I’d not go bragging it about. It wouldn’t have intrigued the Queen.”
“He only told me.”
“Then he must trust you.”
“He was trying to shock me. It worked.”
“Bess? Are you still there, my lady?”
“Where would I go, Roberta?” Bess called over her shoulder.
“I did not ask for insults. I asked for—why do I bother? I’ve got Augusta with me. We’ll have you freed in no time.”
“You have to go,” Bess whispered.
“You haven’t told me your plan. You do have a plan, don’t you?”
“For what?”
“Introducing us. You know. To court. And prospective spouses.”
Will was sliding onto the window ledge as he spoke. He crouched into a squat like it was nothing to have so much distance between him and the ground below. Bessie knew she was on the fourth level and they’d made high ceilings in this castle.
“I’ll host a gala, of course. At Stansbury. It will take a fortnight of planning, but I’ve already written the instructions.”
“A fortnight? So long?”
“I want the most influential families there. We’ll need at least ten days.”
“They’ll come?”
“I’m the queen’s ward. I’ve a crest on my seal that says so. They’ll come. They won’t dare refuse.”
“Move aside, Bess!”
The wardrobe squealed as it slid along the floor, making her wince. Will glanced over her shoulder.
“Will you be attending?”
“Of course. It is my gala. I’ll be the hostess.”
“I mean, will you appear as the redheaded wench? Or The Widow?”
“Why would I want the redhead there?”
“Because Devon will be looking for her. He said as much last night, I’ve heard. That was the reason behind your fit of temper, wasn’t it?”
“What...fit of temper?”
“That wardrobe didn’t move by itself. It’s a good thing you wear a veil. You’re much too transparent.”
“I can’t come as the redhead. It’s impossible to be two places at once.”
“You managed it at the joust. Who did you put in your place?”
“Stand back, my lady!” Roberta’s voice came clearly.
Will stood. Then he bent down and leaned back into her room. “Use her again.”
“I am having latches put on my shutters until the glass arrives.”
“You’d lock me out? How can I conspire with you if you do that?”
“I’ve an entire day of time outside this chamber that would be more proper. You’d be much in demand at court, you know. Enterprising young lads are difficult to find.”
“I’m not a lad. I’m a man.”
“An even better reason for locking you out. Now go!”
He swung himself out her window, and disappeared upward. It coincided perfectly with an enormous thud as the wardrobe fell over. Bessie jumped from the window, spun, and did her best to look innocent.
That’s when she saw the pear still perched atop her bedpost.She barely had time to pitch it through the window before Roberta scooted around the fallen armoire.
Oh! This was getting absolutely disastrous.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“What are all these men doing here? I’ve not ordered workmen. I’ve not ordered any of this. I see workers crawling about my home and I’m not even informed.”
Devon’s uncle might have been handsome once. It was difficult to tell. He was loud. Barrel-chested. Aggressive. He never seemed to display any reasonable attributes. He might be taller than her, but that placed him quite a bit shorter than she’d come to expect from a Hildebrand male. Bessie stopped before him, looked down and then up to his florid face as if measuring his appearance, and then she folded her arms before she answered. “I ordered them.”
“You’ve a lot of explaining to do, then. My nephew won’t stand by and tolerate this type of goings-on.”
“Well, he is not here now, is he? Cease delaying me. I’ve things to accomplish.”
“What are you using for payment? The marshland he’s gained isn’t worth the paper to deed it. You’d best have some funds of your own. That’s all I can say.”
“You�
��ve too much to say, already.”
Devon’s uncle stood to his full height to glare down at her. She’d only been at Hilde two days and already there had been several run-ins with the man. Bessie had deliberately waited until mid-morn to leave her chamber. He’d been waiting for her. The moment she reached the Great Hall, the lecturing had started. She could understand why Will said the Hildebrand boys used the windows to escape their uncle. Had she grown up here, she would have, too.
Devon was no help. As far as she knew, he’d disappeared again. He did so the moment the sun was up and came in just before sunset. Last night, he even missed the family dinner. He was avoiding her. She didn’t have to ask anyone. It was obvious.
“I’ve not said enough. You think you can charge in and change everything without a by-your-leave? No wonder you were widowed so oft. You drove your other husbands to their deaths. My nephew stays away to save his life!”
“Do you have some point to make, Francis?” Bessie asked in a sweet tone.
“Tell me what they are doing to the walls. At least, answer that.”
“The walls are being smoothed in preparation for the new tapestries.”
“They don’t need smoothing.”
“Yes, they do. And more. They need holes patched and some of the stonework replaced. You can’t even keep a fire in the North wing. The draft blows it out.”
“No one lives in the North wing.”
“Because it’s uninhabitable. I just remarked on it. We will need the rooms at some point, though.”
“What for? We’ve no guests. Haven’t had any in years.”
“I look forward to remedying that situation. Now that Devon has been lorded, we have to put up with certain things. Things like guests. And visitors. It will be expected.”
“Refurbish the North Wing then, but leave the Great Hall alone.”
“This room is shabby. It’s high on my list.”
“What is this nonsense of glass in the windows, then? We’ve no need of it. Never had it. Never needed it.”
“You need to find someone else to accost, Francis. I’ve lessons for the girls to attend to.”