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Authors: Tamara Gill
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She ignored his worried countenance and proceeded into the Great Hall. It seemed to take forever to make her way to her room. With shaking fingers, Maddie shut her door and turned the massive key in the lock. Slumping against the wood, she sighed in relief before she touched her lips.
When he’d kissed her, with such demanding softness, had she not been so angry with his obnoxious audacity, she would have unravelled like a ball of wool. She would have kissed him back and enjoyed every second of it. Her stomach fluttered as the memory of his tongue sliding into her mouth raced through her mind.
Holy mother of Christ, after everything he had done; ignored her, cheated on her, and frustrated her, she was in lust with him. She closed her eyes in self-disgust, thumped the door behind her. How could a twenty-first century woman fall so low? But fall she had, for the worst kind of fiend alive.
*
Later that evening, Maddie sat alone in her room. Her hand idly twisted the rosary beads Mistress Rhode had given her the day before. She wondered how she would go about hiding her mixed emotions from William. God forbid he try to touch her again, she may not have the sense next time to push him away. And why, when she made him so obviously angry, would he kiss her? She shook her head as she stared out over the darkened land beyond her windows. A group of outlying cottages the only shadows that marred the hills, dimly lit by the scatter of stars appearing in the night sky. As an all too familiar knock sounded on her door, Maddie turned and watched Mistress Rhode bustle into the room. Flushed, she fluttered over to her in excited haste.
“M’lady, there you are. I have been searching everywhere for you, the baron wishes to see you.”
“I’ve already had the pleasure.”
“You have?”
“Yes…he happened upon me as I came back from my daily walk to the river,” she replied, half-smiling as her maid visibly relaxed at the news. Her jaw clenched in annoyance. How dare the man frighten people? It was pathetic that they ran themselves ragged just to please His Lordship.
“So, m’lady, did His Lordship tell you of the new bathing quarters in the castle? This is my surprise for you.”
Maddie stood at the mention of bathing and cleanliness, not something she’d seen a lot of in this time. “He never mentioned a bathroom.”
“Over the past months the floor beneath this one has been having some improvements. The new bath chamber is now ready for use, m’lady.”
“Can I see it?”
“’Twould be my pleasure. Follow me, if you please,” Mistress Rhode said opening the door for her.
Moments later, Maddie entered a room, no doubt once a bedchamber, now decked out as a medieval bathroom. A maid busily stoked a fire, pots of boiling water bubbled over the large hearth. A round wooden tub lined in cloth, sat in the centre of the room. Soaps that smelt of lavender lay within a bowl. Cloths and towels, neatly folded on a wooden shelf, sat ready for use. Despite the lack of running hot water and a flushable toilet, the room was lovely. Maddie took in the room before she noted a door beside the window.
“Where does that door lead to, Mistress Rhode?” she asked, sure no balconies joined this side of the keep. Her room, directly above, would have revealed this.
“That, m’lady,” her maid said in enthusiasm, “is the new garderobe.”
“Garderobe?”
“Come, m’lady. It is most visionary.”
Maddie walked across the room and stepped into the wooden structure, which seemed to protrude from the castle wall. She looked down a circular hole and into the flowing moat below.
“Is this the toilet then?”
“I do not understand toilet, m’lady. But this is the garderobe, where you may do your…private business.”
Maddie stemmed a laugh. “So they built this wooden structure onto the wall just so a toilet could be housed within the keep?”
“Garderobe, yes, m’lady.”
“What’s the little pot for, the one on
When he’d kissed her, with such demanding softness, had she not been so angry with his obnoxious audacity, she would have unravelled like a ball of wool. She would have kissed him back and enjoyed every second of it. Her stomach fluttered as the memory of his tongue sliding into her mouth raced through her mind.
Holy mother of Christ, after everything he had done; ignored her, cheated on her, and frustrated her, she was in lust with him. She closed her eyes in self-disgust, thumped the door behind her. How could a twenty-first century woman fall so low? But fall she had, for the worst kind of fiend alive.
*
Later that evening, Maddie sat alone in her room. Her hand idly twisted the rosary beads Mistress Rhode had given her the day before. She wondered how she would go about hiding her mixed emotions from William. God forbid he try to touch her again, she may not have the sense next time to push him away. And why, when she made him so obviously angry, would he kiss her? She shook her head as she stared out over the darkened land beyond her windows. A group of outlying cottages the only shadows that marred the hills, dimly lit by the scatter of stars appearing in the night sky. As an all too familiar knock sounded on her door, Maddie turned and watched Mistress Rhode bustle into the room. Flushed, she fluttered over to her in excited haste.
“M’lady, there you are. I have been searching everywhere for you, the baron wishes to see you.”
“I’ve already had the pleasure.”
“You have?”
“Yes…he happened upon me as I came back from my daily walk to the river,” she replied, half-smiling as her maid visibly relaxed at the news. Her jaw clenched in annoyance. How dare the man frighten people? It was pathetic that they ran themselves ragged just to please His Lordship.
“So, m’lady, did His Lordship tell you of the new bathing quarters in the castle? This is my surprise for you.”
Maddie stood at the mention of bathing and cleanliness, not something she’d seen a lot of in this time. “He never mentioned a bathroom.”
“Over the past months the floor beneath this one has been having some improvements. The new bath chamber is now ready for use, m’lady.”
“Can I see it?”
“’Twould be my pleasure. Follow me, if you please,” Mistress Rhode said opening the door for her.
Moments later, Maddie entered a room, no doubt once a bedchamber, now decked out as a medieval bathroom. A maid busily stoked a fire, pots of boiling water bubbled over the large hearth. A round wooden tub lined in cloth, sat in the centre of the room. Soaps that smelt of lavender lay within a bowl. Cloths and towels, neatly folded on a wooden shelf, sat ready for use. Despite the lack of running hot water and a flushable toilet, the room was lovely. Maddie took in the room before she noted a door beside the window.
“Where does that door lead to, Mistress Rhode?” she asked, sure no balconies joined this side of the keep. Her room, directly above, would have revealed this.
“That, m’lady,” her maid said in enthusiasm, “is the new garderobe.”
“Garderobe?”
“Come, m’lady. It is most visionary.”
Maddie walked across the room and stepped into the wooden structure, which seemed to protrude from the castle wall. She looked down a circular hole and into the flowing moat below.
“Is this the toilet then?”
“I do not understand toilet, m’lady. But this is the garderobe, where you may do your…private business.”
Maddie stemmed a laugh. “So they built this wooden structure onto the wall just so a toilet could be housed within the keep?”
“Garderobe, yes, m’lady.”
“What’s the little pot for, the one on
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