Lincoln, knew all about the boy who had grown up in town as the foster son of the sheriff and who amazingly had turned out to be the missing son of the Earl of Wiltshire. So now he looked with hidden but intense curiosity at the face that looked back at him.
It was a startlingly beautiful face. Alan stared at the light gray eyes, the thin straight nose, the high cheekbones, and severely beautiful mouth, and felt his eyes widen.
A clear, level voice said, “You can hand me that towel, if you would.”
Alan stepped forward hastily and brought the towel to the young man in the tub, who rubbed his wet hair with it and then stood up, wrapping it around himself. Deftly avoiding the canopy, he stepped onto thesmall rug that had been placed next to the tub.
A charcoal brazier had been lit, but the room was still cold. Lord Hugh looked at Alan. “I should like to get dressed quickly,” he said.
“Of course, my lord!” There were two piles of clothes in the room, a heap of muddy ones on the floor beside the tub, and a clean, folded set on top of the chest. Alan went to the neatly folded pile and picked it up.
He began by holding out a pair of linen drawers, which Hugh stepped into and tied at his waist. Then Hugh donned an exquisitely embroidered long-sleeved white shirt. Long hose came next, attaching to the string that held up the drawers, and then, over the shirt, a long-sleeved green wool tunic, which Hugh fastened at his neck with a plain gold brooch. The tunic came to just below the knees and was embroidered along the hem.
When Alan served his own lord, Richard always talked to him, making the squire feel as if he were a friend, not merely a faceless attendant. But Lord Hugh was silent, appearing to be preoccupied by his own thoughts. He hardly glanced at Alan.
Once the brooch had been fastened, Alan handed Hugh a soft leather belt, which he buckled around his waist. Next came a sleeveless blue surcoat, which was lined with lambskin, not fur.
Alan was a little surprised by Hugh’s clothes. They were of good quality, and well made, but they were far from new. Somehow, they were not the kind of garments that Alan expected to see the heir to an earldom wearing.
Of course, Alan thought, Hugh had not held that position for very long. Probably he had not yet had the chance to acquire a new wardrobe.
Still wrapped in silence, Hugh sat on a chest so that Alan could cross-tie his hose. Then he slipped his feet into the pair of soft, low boots that Alan knelt before him to put on. The squire buckled them securely.
In all of this time, the only words Hugh had spoken were to ask for a towel and to express a desire to dress quickly.
Alan, who had been spoiled by Richard’s very different treatment, was a little put out. He straightened up from his kneeling posture and said steadily, “Will that be all, my lord?”
Finally Hugh looked at him. Alan thought that he could almost see the preoccupation lift from the dark-fringed gray eyes. It was as if Hugh were seeing the squire for the first time. He smiled and said, “Thank you. You are very efficient.”
Pleasure out of all proportion to the measured words flooded through the young squire. He found himself smiling back. “Thank you, my lord.”
“Are you the boy who found Bernard Radvers in the Minster with the body of Gilbert de Beauté?” Hugh inquired.
Alan’s smile died. “Aye, my lord.”
“That must have been quite a shock,” Hugh said.
“Aye, my lord, that it was,” Alan returned fervently.
Hugh walked over to the room’s one small table, picked up his knife, and thrust it into the holder that hung from his belt.
“Did you actually see Bernard in the act of stabbing the earl?” he asked, turning once more to face the squire.
“Nay, my lord,” Alan replied. He stood erect, with his arms hanging stiffly at his sides. “I never said I saw that. What I saw was Bernard leaning over the earl.The earl was already dead when I came into the
It was a startlingly beautiful face. Alan stared at the light gray eyes, the thin straight nose, the high cheekbones, and severely beautiful mouth, and felt his eyes widen.
A clear, level voice said, “You can hand me that towel, if you would.”
Alan stepped forward hastily and brought the towel to the young man in the tub, who rubbed his wet hair with it and then stood up, wrapping it around himself. Deftly avoiding the canopy, he stepped onto thesmall rug that had been placed next to the tub.
A charcoal brazier had been lit, but the room was still cold. Lord Hugh looked at Alan. “I should like to get dressed quickly,” he said.
“Of course, my lord!” There were two piles of clothes in the room, a heap of muddy ones on the floor beside the tub, and a clean, folded set on top of the chest. Alan went to the neatly folded pile and picked it up.
He began by holding out a pair of linen drawers, which Hugh stepped into and tied at his waist. Then Hugh donned an exquisitely embroidered long-sleeved white shirt. Long hose came next, attaching to the string that held up the drawers, and then, over the shirt, a long-sleeved green wool tunic, which Hugh fastened at his neck with a plain gold brooch. The tunic came to just below the knees and was embroidered along the hem.
When Alan served his own lord, Richard always talked to him, making the squire feel as if he were a friend, not merely a faceless attendant. But Lord Hugh was silent, appearing to be preoccupied by his own thoughts. He hardly glanced at Alan.
Once the brooch had been fastened, Alan handed Hugh a soft leather belt, which he buckled around his waist. Next came a sleeveless blue surcoat, which was lined with lambskin, not fur.
Alan was a little surprised by Hugh’s clothes. They were of good quality, and well made, but they were far from new. Somehow, they were not the kind of garments that Alan expected to see the heir to an earldom wearing.
Of course, Alan thought, Hugh had not held that position for very long. Probably he had not yet had the chance to acquire a new wardrobe.
Still wrapped in silence, Hugh sat on a chest so that Alan could cross-tie his hose. Then he slipped his feet into the pair of soft, low boots that Alan knelt before him to put on. The squire buckled them securely.
In all of this time, the only words Hugh had spoken were to ask for a towel and to express a desire to dress quickly.
Alan, who had been spoiled by Richard’s very different treatment, was a little put out. He straightened up from his kneeling posture and said steadily, “Will that be all, my lord?”
Finally Hugh looked at him. Alan thought that he could almost see the preoccupation lift from the dark-fringed gray eyes. It was as if Hugh were seeing the squire for the first time. He smiled and said, “Thank you. You are very efficient.”
Pleasure out of all proportion to the measured words flooded through the young squire. He found himself smiling back. “Thank you, my lord.”
“Are you the boy who found Bernard Radvers in the Minster with the body of Gilbert de Beauté?” Hugh inquired.
Alan’s smile died. “Aye, my lord.”
“That must have been quite a shock,” Hugh said.
“Aye, my lord, that it was,” Alan returned fervently.
Hugh walked over to the room’s one small table, picked up his knife, and thrust it into the holder that hung from his belt.
“Did you actually see Bernard in the act of stabbing the earl?” he asked, turning once more to face the squire.
“Nay, my lord,” Alan replied. He stood erect, with his arms hanging stiffly at his sides. “I never said I saw that. What I saw was Bernard leaning over the earl.The earl was already dead when I came into the
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