Knowing Yourself - A Medieval Romance (The Sword of Glastonbury Series Book 1)

by Lisa Shea

  Kay winked at Reese, reaching behind her to fetch a fresh tankard from the shelf against the wall, then leaning forward to pour it full before handing it over to him. “I am a paragon of patience and understanding,” she offered with a tone of great humility, refilling her own mug as well.

  A loud snort sounded from behind the curtain. “I bet you were on that castle wall in under fifteen minutes to get away from him,” she challenged.

  Reese gave a low chuckle. “I believe she was,” he agreed, toasting his mug toward Kay. She returned the toast, then took in a long drink.

  There was a coughing splutter from the black curtain, and in a moment Em’s voice snapped in a combination of mirth and pique. “Kay, you could have told me Reese had come in.”

  “If you did not think to cut eyeholes in that curtain of yours, I can hardly be blamed,” countered Kay, her grin growing wider. “Besides, I am sure we are not telling Reese anything he did not see for himself.”

  “Still, it is not right for us to share confidences with one of the men about the others,” reminded Em in a reasonable tone.

  “I think we can trust Reese,” smiled Kay. “And besides, he is our last visitor for the day, which means we can take as long as we like with him. Although I am curious,” she added, turning to gaze at Reese, “just why did you take the final spot?”

  “Maybe it was for that very reason,” he commented with a smile. “It also means there will always be at least one man coming out before me, so I can judge his expression and get a sense of the mood of the day.”

  “Always, at least until the final day,” smiled Kay.

  “Yes, until then,” agreed Reese, nodding.

  Em’s voice eased out from behind her wall of fabric. “So, Reese,” she encouraged, “tell us about your life.”

  Reese rolled his shoulders gently beneath his leather tunic, settling back into the chair. “I am the second of two sons, so my elder brother inherited our entire family estate,” he explained without a hint of ire. “As with most second sons, I was sent off to be a soldier. I took readily to the life, and have spent most of my adult years around the Mediterranean on one campaign or another.”

  Kay leant forward on the couch. “How did you find the landscapes?” she asked, intrigued.

  “Hot,” mused Reese, “and desolate. One could go days without finding a drinkable source of water, with nothing but poisonous snakes to keep a person company.” He glanced out the window at the sweep of mountains and hills beyond. “It is why I was surprised to hear this area called barren. It is green and welcoming, I would even say beautiful.”

  Em’s voice was warm. “Tell us about your times abroad.”

  Reese nodded and began his stories. Kay found them fascinating - enriching. He told of disparate peoples in distant lands, how their cultures clashed and complemented. He explored how their style of dress, their speech patterns, their food and drink changed with the landscapes. She became immersed in exotic music and unimaginable creatures. The time spun by in a drifting dream.

  A knock sounded at the door, and Kay looked up, startled. The guard poked his head around the door, his eyes bright with amusement.

  “It is after noon, Kay,” he commented wryly. “Should I have the others start lunch without you?”

  “Oh!” cried Kay in consternation, drawing herself to a standing position. “Thank you, we will be down right away.”

  Reese rolled to his feet. “I am sorry to have taken so much of your time,” he apologized, his face shadowed in contrition.

  Kay shook her head, smiling. “It was fascinating, really. Maybe we could hear more tomorrow?”

  “Of course,” he agreed, bowing. He turned toward the curtain. “Until tomorrow, then,” he added.

  “Good day, Reese,” Em agreed, a smile in her voice.

  Kay came around to Reese’s side, and together they descended the steps toward the main hall.

  Anne was already serving the roast beef out to the men as they entered the room, and Kay’s stomach rumbled at the lush aroma. She wended her way through the chairs and people to reach the head table at the far side of the space.

  Jack looked up as they approached, his eyes surly. “And where have you been,” he grumbled. “Your allotted time ended a half hour ago.”

  Kay drew up short, flaring at the notion that Jack had any right to judge her on her actions.

  Galeron’s voice smoothed gently into the tense silence. “Why, my dear Jack, Kay is not a slave. She is free to do as she wishes once her duties to her lady are complete.” He turned to her with a welcoming smile. “Come, take a seat; you must be famished.”

  She blushed at the implication that she and Reese had been alone together somewhere, but she held her tongue. Better to let the moment pass. She dropped her eyes, taking her seat next to Reese.

  Anne was by her side in a moment with their drinks. Her pink cheeks were even more flushed than usual, and Kay watched her carefully as she moved down the line of men. When the blonde walked past Uther, his hand snaked up to give her a fond pat on the rump. Anne seemed half pleased, half embarrassed by the contact.

  Kay shook her head, focusing on the meal before her, soaking up the gravy with a piece of bread. It was bad enough that he was flirting with Jessica last night, but was he going to steal the heart of every maid during his quest to wed? Was he going to leave a trail of broken hearts behind him?

  Galeron’s voice poked into her thoughts. “Well, Uther, how did you enjoy your first full morning at the keep?”

  Uther beamed, and he downed a long draught of his ale. “Ah, very well, very well,” he enthused, glancing back at where Anne watched from the doorway. “The keep’s inhabitants are quite welcoming and friendly. I could get very used to this. Very used.”

  Alistair’s quiet voice seemed almost a wheezy whisper in comparison. “I spent time in the small chapel here on the keep grounds,” he murmured. “It was expertly built, and was quiet during my morning. I gave thanks again for our peaceful journey.”

  He glanced down the line of men. “A practice we have in the monastery is to spend an occasional lunch in silence. It helps to settle nerves. Could I ask that we do that today? I find I am not feeling very well …”

  With various shrugs and smiles, the other men concurred, and Kay found herself quite pleased with Alistair’s odd request. She found her own stomach growing tense with Uther’s behavior. Jessica and Anne were both sweet girls, and both had childhood sweethearts who lived in the area. What were they risking with their flirtatious behavior with Uther? Surely they knew that either Uther would stay, and become her husband, or he would leave, never to be seen again. She hoped that they were enjoying a harmless flirtation but not risking anything more than that.

  She was just mopping up the last of her bread when a pair of young tow-headed boys came racing down the length of the hall. She put out her arms in delight, and the pair leapt into her embrace, yelling wildly in pleasure.

  “Auntie Kay! Auntie Kay!” they screamed with a lungpower which seemed far beyond their five years.

  Jack’s brows furrowed. “You have a sister here?” he snapped in confusion.

  Kay flushed with heat. She buried her face in the young lads to cover herself. It was bad enough to play a ‘game,’ but she still felt qualms about outright lying. She dodged the direct question. “These two darling boys are the sons of Jevan, one of our most trusted guards,” she explained. “They just call me Auntie out of fondness. This is Joey, and this one is Paul. Twins, as you might guess.”

  Joey tugged at her hand. “The leaves are ready!” he cried out in delight.

  “If you would excuse me, gentlemen,” she apologized, then turned to follow the boys out into the main courtyard area.

  They were of course exactly right. A gigantic pile of leaves – far taller than her head – had been gathered by the front gate, up against the curtain wall. It was swept just beneath the walk which ran along the edge of the wall, some ten feet above.


  Kay could barely keep up with the boys as they scampered up the narrow stone steps, their eyes shining with delight. Jevan was standing at the top and chuckled as Kay reached him.

  “They have been waiting for this all year, you know,” he offered by way of apology.

  She smiled, looking down at the leaves. “As did I, when I was their age,” she pointed out. “Believe me, I am just as happy to be a part of this as they are!”

  Joey stepped forward with glowing pride. “I go first, for I am the eldest,” he announced.

  “Yes, you are,” agreed Kay. “You remember the rules?”

  Joey nodded, his pudgy face becoming solemn. “No squirming. No kicking.”

  “Right,” confirmed Kay. “Also, if you must scream, please only half shatter my eardrums. I might need them later on.”

  “Agreed!”

  Kay gathered up Joey in her arms, cradling him across her chest. Jevan stood alongside her, helping her line up with the gigantic, incredibly dense pile of leaves. Her heart pounded with excitement.

  A reedy cry came from below. “Are you completely insane?”

  She looked down. Alistair was staring at her with open mouthed horror, his hands clutched to his chest.

  Kay shook her head with a smile. “Did you never leap into a pond in your youth, Alistair?”

  The man looked as if she had spoken in tongues. “And risk drowning?” he gasped, aghast.

  Reese came up beside him, looking at the depth and breadth of the leaves, nodding in appreciation. “I do not think you could miss that pile even if you tried,” he commented. “I am sure this is a once in a lifetime adventure for those tykes.”

  “Once in a year, anyways,” agreed Kay, her eyes twinkling. “And here we go!”

  She pulled Joey in close to her chest, then jumped out and away from the wall. They were soaring, flying - for a moment they were one with the birds and the clouds. Joey let loose with an unbridled yell of pleasure.

  PHOOMPH!

  They landed in the giant pile of soft leaves. It billowed up around them, sinking with them to a soft landing.

  Paul’s voice sounded eagerly from the wall. “My turn! My turn!”

  A hand was offered to her, and Kay gladly accepted Reese’s help in extricating herself from the giant leaf mound. She made her way back up the stairs, and in a moment she was flying, soaring, releasing the joy of Paul’s soul as he became one with his dreams. Another fountain of leaves, and their safe landing embraced them.

  Alistair shook his head in dismay. “I will pray for your souls,” he intoned, his voice shaking. “Man was meant to stand on the earth, not to soar in the sky.” He turned in a huff, moving off to the quiet of the chapel.

  Reese’s eyes sparkled. “For someone who looks up to God so readily, he is awfully hesitant to take a step up in that direction,” he commented with a grin.

  Kay winked in return, then she was back up the stairs again, drawing Joey into her arms.

  The afternoon spun by in a mosaic of laughter, leaf explosions, and smiling faces. It was only when the boys were too exhausted to climb the steps for one more run that she bade a fond farewell to the group and moved up the spiral stairs toward her own quiet retreat.

  She pushed open the door with a worn out satisfaction. The afternoon shadows tinged the room in glowing embers of light. Em had pulled back the curtain and lay sprawled on the central sofa, a bowl of grapes by her head, lazily reading a scroll. Kay plunked herself down on the chair by her side, letting out a long sigh of contentment.

  Em rolled up her scroll and laid it on the table beside her. “So, made a decision already?” she teased with a smile. “There do seem to be several options in this pack of wolves.”

  Kay shook her head, her thoughts dragging away from the simple pleasures of the afternoon to the far more serious challenges before her. It took an effort, but she went back over the events of the morning, one by one.

  “I think I may be able to at least start winnowing out the chaff from the wheat,” she commented after a while. “That Uther man -”

  Em chuckled. “Now, now, we all know how incorrect first assumptions can be,” she cautioned. “Maybe his flamboyance is a front, something the man does when he is nervous. Maybe this is simply an appearance, and his actions will show him to be the most honorable, sturdy man of the group.”

  Kay grabbed a grape and popped it into her mouth. “I am sure you are right that people who are nervous do all sorts of foolish things,” she agreed, chewing. “Maybe it is the case here. Still, sometimes people simply are the way they are and it is not a good fit. Maybe Uther would be the perfect man to -”

  “To run a brothel,” chimed in Em with a wicked smile.

  They both burst out in gales of laughter which echoed across the room and out into the courtyard beyond.

  The sun drifted across the room in a gentle progression of gold, peach, and rosy red. Then came a soft knock at the door. In a moment Anne peeked around the corner, her blonde curls pulled back from her face, her arms laden with a heavy tray full of food.

  Kay ran to help. “Oh, let me get that for you.”

  “No, miss, I can manage it,” insisted Anne, her voice tight. She carefully balanced the load, carrying it over to the central table. She attentively laid it down, then stood up again.

  Her face laced with tension. “Is there anything else you need?”

  Kay looked over at Anne more closely. They had known each other since they were children. “Anne, is everything all right?”

  Anne flushed deeply, and her fingers twined into each other. There was a long pause. “Truly, miss, I am fine. If you need nothing else, I will be leaving you to your dinner.” She turned, almost fleeing the room.

  Kay and Em looked at each other in surprise. Kay sat down and took a pull on her mead. “I think I need to poke around the keep after dinner and see what is going on,” she commented, her shoulders hunched.

  “I would agree,” returned Em, and they set to work on their meal in silence.

  The meat was long cold before a new knock sounded, and Jessica’s brown head looked around the corner. “Are you done with the plates?” she murmured. Kay nodded, and watched with a careful eye as Jessica came in to gather up the items. The maid’s eyes were downcast, her movements almost furtive.

  Was it her imagination, or was Jessica just as distraught as Anne was? Were they both that roiled about Uther’s flirtation with the other? When Jessica left the room, Kay nodded to her sister then quietly slipped out the door after the maid.

  Jessica worked her way nimbly down the spiral stairs with her load, balancing it easily down the two flights, bringing it out across the empty courtyard and into the fragrant kitchen building with quick efficiency. Once there she handed the large tray off to the cleaning crew. Then she slipped back across into the courtyard and over to the small chapel.

  The deep shadows of night had fallen, and Kay found it easy to slip in the door behind her, to tuck herself into the back corner of the quiet stone building unseen. Was Jessica meeting Uther here? It seemed a location more suited for the studious Alistair.

  To Kay’s surprise, Jessica dropped to her knees before the statue of Mary, bowing her brown head in abject misery. Kay flushed. She had no intention on listening in on a person’s private prayers. She would try to slip out as soon as -

  “Blessed Mary,” began Jessica, “hear my plight. It seemed easier to humor him than to struggle. I had the sense that, had I resisted, he would have forced me anyway, and I did not want to cause trouble for a guest, not on his first day! It was the keep’s peace I thought of - you must believe me. But now he says he wishes me as his mistress, even after he is married!” Her voice caught. “A mistress! I could never do that to Kay. Not when she is as dear to me as -”

  Kay reeled in shock, and she nearly cried out when the door flew open and a cascade of blonde curls came swirling into the chapel. Anne pulled up short when she saw Jessica before the altar.

  “Je
ssica! I am so sorry, I thought I would be alone in here,” Anne stuttered out.

  Jessica stood in an instant, flushing deeply. “I am done,” she bit out, “please, the room is yours.” She nearly ran as she headed back to the keep proper.

  The door fell shut, drawing the room into a leaden silence again, only the two small candles at the back of the altar sending their feeble light into the room.

  Kay could hardly breathe as Anne ran her fingers through her thick, golden hair, then moved to kneel in front of the statue.

  Anne’s voice came out low and broken. “Beloved Mary, my sin is my own. It is one thing to give in to a man who is unattached and free, especially one who is a guest, and one who is stronger than you. But what when he seeks to pursue other women after taking a holy vow? What sort of a man would -”

  Kay could hear no more. She scrambled toward the back door, sliding it open only a crack, easing herself out. Then she was running, stumbling toward the thin stairs which led up to the wall. Tears stung her eyes as she reached the top, as she leant against the crenellations, catching her breath, feeling lost in the dark, alone …

  “Are you all right?” came the low voice at her side, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Reese’s green-grey eyes were looking down at hers, concern reflecting in them. She pressed a hand to her chest, taking in long breaths, fighting to steady herself.

  “I am fine,” she responded, struggling to keep her voice even.

  The corner of Reese’s mouth quirked slightly. “You are not a very good liar,” he countered gently.

  Kay thought of the elaborate ruse that was being put on, the false role she was playing twenty-four hours a day. A laugh bubbled out of her and her shoulders eased. A smile drew across her face, and Reese’s answering smile washed away the remaining clouds.

  “That is better,” he commented, the corners of his mouth tweaking up. “Surely it is too soon for anyone here to have upset you that badly. I am sure it will take another day or two for someone to truly drive you to the brink of ruin.”

  “Oh?” asked Kay, “and why is that?”