Now, she wished she’d paid more attention.
As she’d noticed at the first meeting, Val de Nerra was a very big man, broad-shouldered, but now that he wasn’t wearing his mail protection, she could see that he had a head of curly, dark hair and a square jaw. His skin was darker, too, as if he spent a lot of his time out in the sun, which made his bright eyes even brighter.
And that smile… Vesper wasn’t one to find attraction with men. In fact, they rather frightened her. But Val was the most attractive man she’d ever seen and that smile was a large part of it. Something about those big teeth made her heart flutter strangely.
“I am ready, my lord,” she said quickly, realizing that her mind had been wandering at the sight of him. “I am extremely grateful for your hospitality.”
Val’s gaze lingered on her, perhaps as appraisingly as hers had lingered on him. “It is my pleasure for my old friend and his daughter,” he said. “I only returned home a short while ago so I’ve not seen your father yet. Was your trip from Whitehill uneventful?”
Vesper nodded. “Uneventful, my lord,” she replied. “The weather was excellent and we suffered no difficulty.”
Val stepped away from the door, extending his hand to the stairs as if to invite her to follow him. “I am glad to hear that,” he said. “My mother said you were traveling on foot. What happened to your horses?”
Vesper faltered a bit, trying to appear as if she wasn’t. But she couldn’t think up a reasonable answer swiftly enough because she never thought this question would be asked. It was too close to the reason for their journey altogether.
My brother kept the horse….
“My… my father does not have any,” she lied. “I am sure he will tell you more about his situation this evening. Since it has been such a long time since you have seen him, I am sure there will be much to speak of.”
Val could see that he’d unbalanced her with a simple question. But her answer made him curious. “What situation?” he asked, but then it began to occur to him – his mother had mentioned how slovenly McCloud had appeared. Poverty, she’d said. Was it possible his old friend had fallen on hard times? “Forgive me, my lady – I do not mean to pry, but I am genuinely concerned for your father. He was a great friend to me in France. Is… is he in need of money? Of work?”
Vesper was growing increasingly uncomfortable. “Truthfully, I do not know,” she said. “Until last week, I’d seen my father only once in the eight years I was at Eynsford. I do not know what he needs. He will have to tell you.”
Val could see that he’d upset her with his questions, for she seemed nervous now, unable or unwilling to look him in the eye. Perhaps he had been too inquisitive, asking her things he should not have. He paused just as they reached the stairs.
“I am truly sorry,” he said. “I did not mean to offend you. I did not realize… well, I did not realize you’d not seen your father in so long. I thought you knew his needs.”
“Alas, my lord, I do not.”
“Then I will, once again, apologize for asking. But I am sure it has been a blessing for you coming to know him again.”
Vesper had to bite her tongue. If you only knew! “It was surprising to see him again,” she said, forcing a smile. “I hardly recognized him. He has a great bushy beard now that he’d not had before.”
Val laughed softly, taking the stairs first and reaching out to take her elbow to help steady her as she followed him. “That is nothing new,” he said. “He had that terrible beard in France. It grew wild, like a forest, and he used to say that after each meal, he could run hot water through it and make soup from the crumbs.”
That brought a genuine smile to Vesper. “How disgusting,” she giggled. “Now I will have this terrible image in my mind all night about my father making soup from his beard.”
She continued to giggle and Val found himself completely upswept in her silly little laugh. It was enchanting. More than that, when the woman smiled, she was quite beautiful. The prospect of staring at her across the feasting table all evening did not distress him.
“So I have said the wrong thing again, have I?” he said, taking the steps slowly because she was. “I must apologize yet again. It seems that I have been completely clumsy in my attempts at conversation. Do not tell my mother or she will take a strap to me.”
Vesper was still grinning, looking into his glimmering green eyes now. “You are quite a bit larger than she is,” she reminded him. “Surely you can best her.”
Val’s dark eyebrows flew up. “My mother? God help you, my lady, for you do not know what you are saying. My mother is so fearsome, the devil himself would run from her.”
Vesper remembered the brusque woman who had showed her to her chamber and she could understand why Val would make such a statement. But she would not agree with him. To do so would be impolite.
“Your mother was very kind when we arrived,” she assured him. “I found her very pleasant.”
They had reached the landing with a second flight of steps leading down to the entry level. Val cocked an eyebrow at her.
“Are we speaking of the same woman?”
Vesper fought off a grin. “I believe so. A white wimple and round cheeks?”
“And she carried a pitchfork?”
Vesper burst out into laughter. “She did not.”
He grunted. “Then she must have hidden it away.” His hand was on her elbow as he began to take the second flight of steps down. “Believe me, she has a pitchfork. It is her weapon of choice.”
Vesper shook her head at him reproachfully. “Do you slander your mother, my lord?”
He shook his head quickly. “It is not slander if it is the truth.”
“Should I ask her, then?”
“If you do, you may see both the pitchfork and the strap come out at me. You would not want that, would you?”
There was a twinkle in his eye as he spoke. He was deliberately flirting with her and Vesper couldn’t ever remember having such an engaging conversation with a man. There were rare occasions when she would receive flattery from any one of Eynsford’s men and, in particular, one man who seemed to be quite solicitous of her, but it wasn’t something Vesper reciprocated. Therefore, she was badly out of practice when it came to the art of flirting. All she could do was speak of the first thing that came to mind.
“Nay, I would not,” she said, watching him flash a smile at her. “I suppose I would not ask if it would mean your downfall.”
Val bowed exaggeratedly. “You are most gracious, my lady,” he said. “I will be forever in your debt.”
Vesper smiled coyly. “I am sure that is not necessary,” she said. “In fact, my father and I should be the ones in your debt to show us such hospitality. It was most kind of you.”
Val hit the bottom of the stairs, helping her down the last few slippery stone steps. “We rarely have guests, so this is a special event. Your company is most welcome.”
Vesper came off the stairs, her skirt lifted slightly so she wouldn’t step on it. Something about his last few words sounded very inviting and almost personal. It was enough to bring a blush to her cheeks.
“I am glad,” she said, noticing that he hadn’t let go of her arm. Not that she minded. “I… I am sure it will be a memorable evening for us all.”
“Of that, I am sure.”
Val led her towards the keep entry, with the mild evening sky above and the hall across the bailey, light emitting from the lancet windows. Val moved through the entryway but Vesper paused, drinking it all in. It was a beautiful night.
“This place reminds me of Eynsford,” she said wistfully, looking across the torch-lit bailey. “Such a lovely castle. Have you ever been there, my lord?”
Val nodded. “I have been there on business,” he said. “But I have never seen you there.”
Vesper looked at him, smiling weakly. “That is because Lady Eynsford was very careful with her ladies, my lord,” she said. “Whenever Lord William had visitors,
we were kept away. I would have never known you were there.”
Val lifted his eyebrows. “I do not blame Lady Eynsford for keeping you away from male visitors. One look at you and men would lay siege to the castle simply to gaze upon your beauty.”
Even in the moonlight, Vesper flushed violently. “I cannot imagine such a thing, my lord,” she said. Then, she began to walk, heading to the steps that led down into the bailey. “I hope they are not waiting for us to arrive. I do not mean to be late.”
She was trying to change the subject, embarrassed that Val’s gentle flirting had caused her to blush. She loved it and was unnerved by it at the same time.
But Val figured that out fairly quickly. Vesper had moved out of his range, her head lowered as she descended the steps, and his hand had dropped from her elbow. The reason for her behavior began to occur to him. He followed.
“You have no idea how lovely you are, do you?” he asked softly.
Vesper wouldn’t look at him, having no idea how to gracefully answer him. “I… I would not know, my lord.”
“Stop addressing me formally. We are old friends now. You may call me Val.”
She came to a stop, looking at him with great surprise. “I… I am not sure that is proper, my lord.”
He cocked a disapproving eyebrow at her, reaching out to take her hand. He tucked it into the crook of his elbow, possessively. “It is proper if I say it is proper,” he said. “It is impolite to refuse to call me by my name when I have asked you to. Did you ever think of that?”
She hadn’t. She continued to wallow in embarrassment as he resumed their walk towards the great hall. “I did not mean to offend you,” she said. “I will call you Val if that is your wish.”
“It is. And I would like to call you Vesper but mayhap I will wait until your father gives me permission. I should not like to become too familiar with you and anger McCloud. I have seen what that man can do with a sword and I have no desire to be on the receiving end.”
Vesper’s lips twitched with a smile as she dared to look up at him. “Val,” she repeated as if mulling over the name. “Is that your Christian name? The name you were given at birth?”
He shook his head. “My given name is Valor,” he said. “I am the only son of Sir Gavin de Nerra and Lady Margaretha Byington de Nerra. I was named Valor because that is what my parents wished for me – a life of strength and valor. And you? I did not realize that McCloud was so pious that he would name his child after evening prayers.”
Vesper’s smile grew. “It was my mother’s idea,” she said as the entry to the great hall loomed before them. “She was very devout. I also have a brother named Matins.”
Val could see the door to the hall looming, too, and he slowed his pace. He was enjoying their conversation so much that he didn’t want it to end, knowing that the moment he set foot in the hall, he would lose her company all to himself. He would have to share her.
He didn’t want to.
“I never met your mother,” he said, “nor have I met your brother although I recall McCloud speaking of him on occasion. Where does he serve?”
Vesper quickly realized they were treading into the exact territory she wanted to avoid. Any subject of her brother made her vastly nervous and she struggled not to show it. She silently cursed herself for even bringing him up but the deed was done. She couldn’t take it back. She labored to give him an answer that sounded relatively benign where Mat was concerned.
God help me not to give anything away!
“Mat was born simple,” she said quietly. “He was never capable of serving as a knight should.”
It was a truthful response. Val seemed sympathetic. “I wondered why he did not serve with your father in France,” he said. “He is older than you, is he not?”
She nodded. “He is five years older than I am.”
Val pondered that. “Then I am sure he is proficient at whatever profession he chose,” he said. He came to a halt, looking at the entry door. “It seems we have arrived.”
Vesper was vastly relieved to be off the subject of her brother. She took to the change readily. “Shall we go in?”
Val gave her a half-smile but he didn’t move. “They are expecting us.”
“Are you not hungry?”
He shrugged. “A little. But I was very much enjoying speaking with you.”
The flush in her cheeks returned. “And I, you, my lord.”
“Val.”
“I mean Val.”
His smile grew. “I will not let you starve. Let us go in but do not be surprised if I sit next to you. It is not often I have the opportunity to speak with so lovely and accomplished a lady.”
Vesper simply smiled, that charming gesture she wielded like a shield when she wasn’t sure what to say to him. But that smile seemed to say everything to him, at least everything in his own mind. Who knew what was really in her thoughts? He could dream, couldn’t he? Chuckling at her modesty and liking very much her coy manner, Val escorted her into the great hall.
He hoped it would be an evening to remember for them both.
CHAPTER FOUR
The moment Val and Vesper entered the great hall of Selborne, they were hit in the face by the heat from not one but two blazing hearths.
Given that the night was so mild, the heat was nearly oppressive. Dogs roamed the hall, looking for a handout, as servants bustled about to deliver food to hungry diners. The hall was big enough for a few hundred people and, given that it was where the soldiers usually ate, it was full of men noisily eating and drinking.
The difference, however, was that on this night Lady Margaretha wasn’t dining in the small hall, as was usual, but was sitting at the table reserved only for the family and honored guests. The table was in better repair than the four others in the hall and could seat nearly thirty people at any given time. It was also positioned in its own alcove off the main hall, with its own small hearth, for a measure of peace and privacy.
It was to this table that Val escorted Vesper. Already, Margaretha and McCloud were there, as were Kenan, Mayne, and Calum and his wife, Lady Celesse de Geld de Morville. Calum and Celesse had been married six months and Celesse was already with child, a pregnancy that had caused her great illness. Val was surprised to see her, in fact, as he brought Vesper to the table. Celesse usually didn’t deal well with food. He specifically sat Vesper down next to Celesse so Vesper would have a female at her side to make her more comfortable. He could have sat her next to his mother but he feared that would only terrify the young woman.
“Good men, if you have not yet met this lady, permit me to introduce you to Lady Vesper d’Avignon,” he said as Vesper took her seat on the bench. “Lady Vesper has been a ward of William Eynsford and is now returning home with her father, my dear friend, McCloud. My lady, this is Sir Calum de Morville and his wife, Lady Celesse, and across the table is Sir Kenan and Sir Mayne.”
Vesper smiled politely to those around the table, relieved when Val took up a seat at the end of the table, right next to her. Since he was the only one she knew at the table other than her father, she hadn’t wanted him to go far and was pleased when he didn’t.
“Good evening,” she greeted those at the table.
Immediately, servants appeared with trenchers of boiled pork and cups of tart red wine. The food was quite generous – in addition to the pork, there were boiled apples, carrots, and big hunks of bread. In fact, it was more food than Vesper had seen in a week and her mouth was already watering. When a servant presented a bowl of warmed water with rose petals floating in it so she could wash her hands before eating, she could barely take her eyes off the food to accomplish the task. Wiping her hands on the towel that the servant offered her, she was preparing to rip apart the pork when she heard a soft voice from her left.
“Welcome to Selborne, my lady,” Celesse said. “Your father was just telling us of your trip from Eynsford. He said you passed through a town that had a troop of entertainers with trained apes.”
Vesper looked over at the woman. She was pale and willowy, with skinny arms and long fingers. Her enormous blue eyes were looking at Vesper with kind interest.
“That is true,” Vesper said pleasantly. “They were performing in the street for the coinage people would toss them. I saw at least two monkeys and a bear that danced on its hind legs. It was in Guildford, I believe, so it is possible the troop is moving this way. Mayhap you will have the opportunity to see them.”
Celesse’s pale features lit up. “I would like that,” she said. “I have always loved to watch animals perform. Once, a man with trained dogs came to Selborne to stay for the night. He entertained us with his dogs.”
“And she tried to steal them,” Calum put in from the other side of his wife. “The man brought five dogs. The next morning, I woke up and four of those dogs were in my bed sleeping peacefully.”
Everyone at the table grinned to varying degrees except Celesse; she frowned at her husband. “I told you that I do not know how they got there.”
“Lies.”
Across the table, Kenan and Mayne chortled, their mouths full of food. “Are you sure it is not one of those dogs that is the father of your wife’s child?” Kenan asked.
Mayne burst into guffaws as Calum threw a bread crust at Kenan, hitting the man in the forehead. “At least I have a wife, de Poyer,” he said.
The insults began to fly but Margaretha suddenly slammed her pewter cup on the table two or three times, breaking up the building argument with her banging.
“I will not listen to your filthy conversation this night,” she said pointedly, looking at Kenan. “Not only are we close to the day of the Christmas celebration, but we have guests. If you cannot behave yourself, then you can eat out in the stable with the rest of the animals. Is this in any way unclear?”
Kenan was instantly rebuked. Lady Margaretha wielded more power than her son in times like this. “It is clear, my lady,” he said, lowering his head back to his food.
Masters of Medieval Romance: Series Starters Volume II Page 98
