Read Online Droit De Seigneur by Carolyn Faulkner - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Carolyn Faulkner
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friend, as soon as he got the chance. The two of them sat in the great hall, while servants scuttled about them, spreading fresh rushes on the floor along with small, tied bundles of sweet smelling dried herbs. “Any more of them jackanapes sniffing after Amber?”
“Not a one.”
“I thought not.”
Piers chuckled, taking a long pull on his wine. His friend seemed to want to say something, but was hesitant. “What is it?”
Bruce was uncomfortable with what he was about to say, but came out and said it anyway. “The girl. With what I just said to the men, you’ve condemned her to spinsterhood, not that she isn’t really already too old. But no one is ever going to offer for her now.” He hadn’t thought of that. Piers had allowed his jealousy to overtake him, and he had made a declaration to all the men in the area that she was his, without actually making her his, without giving her the benefit of his name in marriage or even taking her as his mistress, which would have given her at least some small measure of protection. As it was, there would be nowhere she’d be safe from the gossip, ridicule and speculation about the fact that he’d told the male population that he desired her, and that he intended to trump any man who wanted to give her his name in order to take her virginity for himself.
In essence, he’d labeled her his whore, however unintentionally.
Piers frowned deeply at his own blunder.
“The King’s been spotted an hour away!” a servant boy announced loudly, and the furor inside the hall tripled in pace.
He trusted his people to do what they needed to do. He had to find Amber. Piers sought out Mrs. Tulane, who was just coming out of Amber’s room.
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know, Sir. She finished her work; she made all the bundles of herbs for the rushes – don’t they smell wonderful, now? But I’ve lost track of her. She’s probably gone wandering in the woods again, you know how she does, Sir.” Piers was thinking that she better hadn’t, since he’d expressly told her to stay close to the castle.
Mrs. Tulane was prattling on. “Those tunics you had made for the staff arrived just now, though, Sir. I was putting hers in her room. That was a lovely thing you did, Sir. Everyone’s clothes were looking right worn. Now we’ll all look fresh and bright for His Majesty!” If he’d thought he could have gotten away with just getting new clothes for Amber, he would have, but he’d thought that might have singled her out a bit too much. He wished he’d carried that idea through to his solution with the men. It had cost him a pretty penny to get one new set of clothes for every servant in the castle, but it would be worth it to put on a nice face for the King, he supposed, and it would definitely be worth it to see Amber in something new, that was of good quality.
He slipped into her room and grabbed the deep green garment that was on the bed and tucked it into his shirt, then headed out to see if the hunter could track the hunter.
He was gratified to find that he could. Her feet were smaller than those of the men usually found in the woods, so her tracks were generally easy to spot, although there were a lot of them, and it took a careful eye to discern which were the most recent, and he found he enjoyed the challenge. When he finally found her, though, he was not of a mind to disturb her, of a moment, but rather kept well back and watched, grateful for the cover and the chance to observe her at her most natural.
She swam like a water nymph, diving under and holding her breath for an impressively long time, diving for a white rock she threw further and further into the pristine lake. There was a small waterfall at one end, and he enjoyed the immeasurable pleasure of watching her swim out there and wash herself most thoroughly, wishing, as parts of him began to ache, that he was out there to assist.
When he was younger, he might well have thrown caution to the winds
“Not a one.”
“I thought not.”
Piers chuckled, taking a long pull on his wine. His friend seemed to want to say something, but was hesitant. “What is it?”
Bruce was uncomfortable with what he was about to say, but came out and said it anyway. “The girl. With what I just said to the men, you’ve condemned her to spinsterhood, not that she isn’t really already too old. But no one is ever going to offer for her now.” He hadn’t thought of that. Piers had allowed his jealousy to overtake him, and he had made a declaration to all the men in the area that she was his, without actually making her his, without giving her the benefit of his name in marriage or even taking her as his mistress, which would have given her at least some small measure of protection. As it was, there would be nowhere she’d be safe from the gossip, ridicule and speculation about the fact that he’d told the male population that he desired her, and that he intended to trump any man who wanted to give her his name in order to take her virginity for himself.
In essence, he’d labeled her his whore, however unintentionally.
Piers frowned deeply at his own blunder.
“The King’s been spotted an hour away!” a servant boy announced loudly, and the furor inside the hall tripled in pace.
He trusted his people to do what they needed to do. He had to find Amber. Piers sought out Mrs. Tulane, who was just coming out of Amber’s room.
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know, Sir. She finished her work; she made all the bundles of herbs for the rushes – don’t they smell wonderful, now? But I’ve lost track of her. She’s probably gone wandering in the woods again, you know how she does, Sir.” Piers was thinking that she better hadn’t, since he’d expressly told her to stay close to the castle.
Mrs. Tulane was prattling on. “Those tunics you had made for the staff arrived just now, though, Sir. I was putting hers in her room. That was a lovely thing you did, Sir. Everyone’s clothes were looking right worn. Now we’ll all look fresh and bright for His Majesty!” If he’d thought he could have gotten away with just getting new clothes for Amber, he would have, but he’d thought that might have singled her out a bit too much. He wished he’d carried that idea through to his solution with the men. It had cost him a pretty penny to get one new set of clothes for every servant in the castle, but it would be worth it to put on a nice face for the King, he supposed, and it would definitely be worth it to see Amber in something new, that was of good quality.
He slipped into her room and grabbed the deep green garment that was on the bed and tucked it into his shirt, then headed out to see if the hunter could track the hunter.
He was gratified to find that he could. Her feet were smaller than those of the men usually found in the woods, so her tracks were generally easy to spot, although there were a lot of them, and it took a careful eye to discern which were the most recent, and he found he enjoyed the challenge. When he finally found her, though, he was not of a mind to disturb her, of a moment, but rather kept well back and watched, grateful for the cover and the chance to observe her at her most natural.
She swam like a water nymph, diving under and holding her breath for an impressively long time, diving for a white rock she threw further and further into the pristine lake. There was a small waterfall at one end, and he enjoyed the immeasurable pleasure of watching her swim out there and wash herself most thoroughly, wishing, as parts of him began to ache, that he was out there to assist.
When he was younger, he might well have thrown caution to the winds
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