[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
if someone else lived there now instead of her. The first thing she did was put on clothes more clothes
than were dictated by the weather, but she wanted to be covered completely. If she could arrange it, no
one would ever see her naked again.
Then she stretched out on her bed, eyes wide open, her mind racing. The future was unsettled; it
was not a given that the Romans would accept the deal her father offered. She could, possibly, end up
back in their gentle hands. She aimed to make sure that that never happened, one way or the other. She
fingered the blade that lay next to her on the bed. She d been unable due to the bruises - to strap to her
calf where it usually lived.
When Ula came in, she was in much the same position. You need to get ready for dinner your
father wants you in the great hall at his side this evening.
Brietta snorted derisively. I was held captive, raped, and beaten. Yet my dear father still
commands that I dance attendance on him.
Ula saw her wince as she moved. Take your clothes off, girl; I ve brought some salve for that
back of yours. He certainly did do a fine job on you, didn t he? What did you do to provoke this?
She stood, but remained silent. No one who knew her was going to believe that she hadn t done
something blatantly disrespectful to deserve such a beating. Having just found the comfort of clothing
again, she also wasn t about to abandon it. Instead she pulled her robe up enough that the older woman
could get to the parts she needed. The salve stung as it was applied, but it did help relieve some of her
pain.
Ula was watching her charge carefully. She knew what was going to happen at dinner tonight,
but her mistress was thankfully oblivious to it. She fully intended to be a fly on the wall during that scene.
It would be very interesting to see who survived the uproar.
64
Chapter eight
That evening the head table bulged. Cedric and Camlin were there, along with Dirce and
Brietta, as well as Tredan and two people she recognized vaguely as his parents. That particular group of
people would have set off alarms in her head if this had been more usual circumstances. But Brietta was
very numb right now, and wasn t catching all the subtle nuances she would have normally.
She at very little of the dinner, although it was all of her and Dirce s favorites. Tredan noticed
how little she was eating, but said nothing, not wanting to badger her.
At the end of the meal, her father stood and lifted his mug, toasting to their safe return from the
invading hoards, most of whom were now enjoying the hospitality of an Anglo-Saxon dungeon. We do
have something else to celebrate here, though. Oswulf of Kilth and I have agreed on a betrothal for our
children and we could not see any reason for a delay of any sort. Tredan and Brietta will be married this
evening.
Brietta couldn t process what he was saying she certainly couldn t believe it. She had no
intentions of marrying anyone. She couldn t! Amidst all of the cheers of hear, hear and the eager
congratulations of what seemed to be the entire village, she stood and ran out of the room, into the dimly
lit garden that had often been her sanctuary. She just wanted to get way from everyone who seemed
doggedly determined to act as if nothing untoward had happened to her while she was being held captive.
She didn t even want to argue with her father about getting married, because it would be so hard to admit
something so shameful to him, especially when he already disliked the mere fact of her womanhood.
For a long, soothing time, she merely wandered the meandering paths, drinking in the healing
scent of the herbs, vegetables and flowers. She was so lost in thought that she didn t hear the soft
footsteps behind her that was a true testament to just how distraught she was. A few mere weeks ago,
such carelessness would have resulted in ending up where she did end up.
I brought some dinner, he said quietly so as not to startle her.
Despite the care he d taken, she jumped and whirled on him as if she expected him to put a knife
to her throat.
Easy, easy, there. I m not going to hurt you, he put his hands up, palms towards her, so she
could see his hands were weaponless. The fact that he carried a sword around his waist at all times was
not a consideration most people, men and women were armed. He waved a truncheon towards her
that was heaped with food.
Brietta s eyebrows rose. That s enough food to feed the entire hall.
He had the grace to blush, which only made him better looking, which Brietta hated. She didn t
want to like him. He d never been anything but a thorn in her side, and just because their parents wanted
them to marry tonight didn t mean that she had to revise her opinion one bit.
Well, I had hopes that you might be willing to share with a poor, honest lad.
And where would I be finding one of those around here?
He glared at her in a manner that probably made most people cringe. But not her. She was
amazing. Tredan had always admired her, and her captivity had not lessened that admiration one bit. In
fact, he was awestruck that she d managed to stay alive at all, even though he figured he knew exactly how
she d managed to do it.
While she was in her room trying to recover from having been put on such obscene display in
front of her kinfolk, he d gone down to where the prisoners were held beneath the keep. The one who had
been dragging Brietta was by himself, bound wrist and ankle to the rough stone wall. And naked. He
65
had heard Dirce say that this man should not be allowed to keep his clothing under any circumstances [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
if someone else lived there now instead of her. The first thing she did was put on clothes more clothes
than were dictated by the weather, but she wanted to be covered completely. If she could arrange it, no
one would ever see her naked again.
Then she stretched out on her bed, eyes wide open, her mind racing. The future was unsettled; it
was not a given that the Romans would accept the deal her father offered. She could, possibly, end up
back in their gentle hands. She aimed to make sure that that never happened, one way or the other. She
fingered the blade that lay next to her on the bed. She d been unable due to the bruises - to strap to her
calf where it usually lived.
When Ula came in, she was in much the same position. You need to get ready for dinner your
father wants you in the great hall at his side this evening.
Brietta snorted derisively. I was held captive, raped, and beaten. Yet my dear father still
commands that I dance attendance on him.
Ula saw her wince as she moved. Take your clothes off, girl; I ve brought some salve for that
back of yours. He certainly did do a fine job on you, didn t he? What did you do to provoke this?
She stood, but remained silent. No one who knew her was going to believe that she hadn t done
something blatantly disrespectful to deserve such a beating. Having just found the comfort of clothing
again, she also wasn t about to abandon it. Instead she pulled her robe up enough that the older woman
could get to the parts she needed. The salve stung as it was applied, but it did help relieve some of her
pain.
Ula was watching her charge carefully. She knew what was going to happen at dinner tonight,
but her mistress was thankfully oblivious to it. She fully intended to be a fly on the wall during that scene.
It would be very interesting to see who survived the uproar.
64
Chapter eight
That evening the head table bulged. Cedric and Camlin were there, along with Dirce and
Brietta, as well as Tredan and two people she recognized vaguely as his parents. That particular group of
people would have set off alarms in her head if this had been more usual circumstances. But Brietta was
very numb right now, and wasn t catching all the subtle nuances she would have normally.
She at very little of the dinner, although it was all of her and Dirce s favorites. Tredan noticed
how little she was eating, but said nothing, not wanting to badger her.
At the end of the meal, her father stood and lifted his mug, toasting to their safe return from the
invading hoards, most of whom were now enjoying the hospitality of an Anglo-Saxon dungeon. We do
have something else to celebrate here, though. Oswulf of Kilth and I have agreed on a betrothal for our
children and we could not see any reason for a delay of any sort. Tredan and Brietta will be married this
evening.
Brietta couldn t process what he was saying she certainly couldn t believe it. She had no
intentions of marrying anyone. She couldn t! Amidst all of the cheers of hear, hear and the eager
congratulations of what seemed to be the entire village, she stood and ran out of the room, into the dimly
lit garden that had often been her sanctuary. She just wanted to get way from everyone who seemed
doggedly determined to act as if nothing untoward had happened to her while she was being held captive.
She didn t even want to argue with her father about getting married, because it would be so hard to admit
something so shameful to him, especially when he already disliked the mere fact of her womanhood.
For a long, soothing time, she merely wandered the meandering paths, drinking in the healing
scent of the herbs, vegetables and flowers. She was so lost in thought that she didn t hear the soft
footsteps behind her that was a true testament to just how distraught she was. A few mere weeks ago,
such carelessness would have resulted in ending up where she did end up.
I brought some dinner, he said quietly so as not to startle her.
Despite the care he d taken, she jumped and whirled on him as if she expected him to put a knife
to her throat.
Easy, easy, there. I m not going to hurt you, he put his hands up, palms towards her, so she
could see his hands were weaponless. The fact that he carried a sword around his waist at all times was
not a consideration most people, men and women were armed. He waved a truncheon towards her
that was heaped with food.
Brietta s eyebrows rose. That s enough food to feed the entire hall.
He had the grace to blush, which only made him better looking, which Brietta hated. She didn t
want to like him. He d never been anything but a thorn in her side, and just because their parents wanted
them to marry tonight didn t mean that she had to revise her opinion one bit.
Well, I had hopes that you might be willing to share with a poor, honest lad.
And where would I be finding one of those around here?
He glared at her in a manner that probably made most people cringe. But not her. She was
amazing. Tredan had always admired her, and her captivity had not lessened that admiration one bit. In
fact, he was awestruck that she d managed to stay alive at all, even though he figured he knew exactly how
she d managed to do it.
While she was in her room trying to recover from having been put on such obscene display in
front of her kinfolk, he d gone down to where the prisoners were held beneath the keep. The one who had
been dragging Brietta was by himself, bound wrist and ankle to the rough stone wall. And naked. He
65
had heard Dirce say that this man should not be allowed to keep his clothing under any circumstances [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]