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session of justice and you
see for yourself what you agree to in joining us.”
    His expression darkened again when he turned to face her and
look into her eyes. “I hope you do not come to hate me before our time ends.”

Chapter Seven
     
    Dinner was a jovial affair, with most of the household
gathering in the great hall for the meal. Jests and snatches of song and
laughter burst out between and during courses of fragrant soup, savory roast
fowl, fish, flavorful vegetables and sweet pies. A piper and fiddler played
merry tunes at intervals, and a fine ale flowed freely. Before the feast began,
Lord Jeoffrey had introduced her to the gathered assembly, then acquainted her
individually with his fighting men and advisors, including Sir Philip de Mont
Charles, a dark, handsome, stern-faced man, whom he identified as his closest
friend.
    She was seated at the main table with Jeoffrey and his
knights, though positioned on his left side rather than the spot on the right
his lawful wedded wife would someday occupy. Sir Philip and the other men at
the table kept her occupied with jokes, suggestions for trying bits of this and
bites of that, and some light flirtation, but she felt keenly the eyes of the
other members of the household upon her. Some stares held only curiosity, a few
admiration, but most were dubious or even hostile.
    There were no petitions for justice that evening, or the
next. Two more days would pass before that event arose. She spent most of the
intervening time in the quarters they now shared, repairing Lord Jeoffrey’s
clothes, fixing tears, restoring seams, darning socks and folding over ragged
hems. She tried to converse with the serving girl who appeared at intervals to
refill the water pitchers and serve her lunch, but the child was too shy and in
awe of her to do more than nod and giggle, so she learned little of the
household in that time. Though they shared a bed and he held her in his arms,
he did no more than touch and kiss her for the next two days. When she asked
him about it, he said he did so to allow her time to heal.
    The day after they had made their promises to each other, at
Lord Jeoffrey’s request, Ferris, the majordomo she’d met her first day,
conducted her on a tour of the keep. The building wasn’t quite large enough to
be a castle, but too big to truly be called just a manor, and insufficiently
fortified to be a fortress. It was large enough to be confusing, however, and
the head servant helped her sort out how to get to the most important places.
It was also plainly decorated, somewhat drafty and ornamented with few of the
tapestries and pieces of art which had graced the walls of her father’s manor.
    Aside from pointing out which corridors went where, and
introducing her to the chief cook, head housekeeper, a couple of maids and the
chief groom who was in the kitchen for a late breakfast, Ferris volunteered
little information. He answered her questions as briefly as possible. Rosalind
quickly placed him in the camp of those who disapproved either of her
personally or of her relationship with their Lord.
    The justice session occurred on the fourth day after her
arrival and was held, as he’d told her, after dinner. On the afternoon
following her morning tour with Ferris, Jeoffrey informed her he’d received two
petitions for redress and would hear them that evening. With such a prospect
hanging over it, Rosalind expected the meal to be full of dread or
anticipation. In fact, the laughing, joking, and music went on just as usual.
Nothing very different occurred until after sweets were consumed and Jeoffrey
pounded on his table for attention.
    He announced his receipt of the petitions for redress. He
took the less serious charge first. One of the cook’s assistants had thrown a
temper tantrum over another servant’s request and had broken several dishes.
Lord Jeoffrey listened carefully to the cook’s account of events, heard the
woman’s own story, and allowed others who’d