Elizabeth Elliott (33 page)

“You will understand soon enough,” Guy told him. He turned to Claudia. “As I was saying, the builder told Kenric
that the project will take many months to complete, even though the final structure will not be all that large.”

He went on to tell her the numbers and types of craftsmen involved, how much work could be accomplished by each in a day, and the total effort to complete the project. “Kenric’s builder says it will take one hundred and fifty days to complete the project at a cost of three hundred florins for the labor,” Guy said. With all the facts and figures laid out, he leaned back in his chair and eyed Claudia expectantly. “Is he right or wrong?”

“What are you doing?” Kenric asked Guy. He gave Claudia a sympathetic glance that silenced her own objection. It was the first time Kenric had looked at her with an expression that came anywhere close to kindness. “A team of your clerks could not answer that question with any accuracy in less than an hour. There is no call to embarrass your betrothed with a question she cannot possibly answer.”

That show of support dumbfounded Claudia. It took her a moment to remember her own objection. “This is not a good idea, my lord.”

“Trust me,” Guy murmured. “Tell us the answer.”

“You are certain?” she asked, with a glance around them. This time everyone but Guy avoided her gaze, pretending that they were not awaiting her reply. Guy gave her an encouraging smile and she released a small sigh of resignation. “The keep will be completed as the builder says, but only if he employs ambitious heathens.” She glanced out over the hall and saw a line of servants file from the kitchens. She forced a smile and clapped her hands together in a silly expression of delight. “Oh, look! Here are the first courses. I vow Guy’s cooks are the finest. See how they cooked the savory pies into the shapes of trees and flowers?”

Guy ignored her attempt to change the subject. “I believe an explanation of your answer is in order.”

Claudia began to rearrange her spoons on the table as if getting them placed just right was of great importance. “The builder did not take any Sabbaths or holy days into account.
He also assumes that no one will become ill or injured, and that work will continue even on days when it rains or snows.”

“If the weather forestalls the work for a day every two weeks, and if the builder allows the workers their holy days and the Sabbath each week to rest, how long will the project take and how much will it cost? Assuming, of course,” Guy added, “that the workers are paid the same each week regardless of the weather or holy days.”

“One hundred and ninety-four days, three hundred and eighty-eight florins.”

“What if the builder allows the workers only a half day’s rest on holy days, and they are not paid for their day of rest each Sabbath?”

“When will the work begin?” she asked. “There are more holy days at certain times of the year than others.”

“Let us say next week for the sake of argument.”

Her brows drew together as she made the calculations. “One hundred eighty-eight days, three hundred thirty-four florins.”

Guy turned to Kenric. “You may wish to ask Lady Claudia’s opinion about other figures your builder presents before you give your final approval to the plans.”

“Is she right?” Kenric demanded.

“Aye.” Guy smiled agreeably. “Amazing, is it not?”

Kenric nodded, his expression bemused. “An heiress in more ways than one, it would seem. You intend to involve her in your business ventures?”

Guy ignored the question. “What do you know of Claudia being an heiress?”

“She did not tell you?” Kenric gave Claudia a sharp glance. She tried to warn him with a shake of her head that she had not told Guy about their meeting. Oddly enough, Kenric smiled. “Fitz Alan and I had a short discussion with Lady Claudia about the terms of your betrothal. She happened upon us in the solar, where Fitz Alan and I hid to avoid more tours of animal enclosures whilst you enjoyed a tryst
with your betrothed. Did you think we would not hear of your visit to the gardens?”

The two brothers seemed to make an abrupt exchange of moods. Kenric became relaxed and almost jovial, while Guy’s face darkened beneath a scowl. “What did you say to her?”

“We made mostly rude remarks that do not bear repeating,” Kenric admitted. He leaned forward to look the length of the table. “Would you not agree, Fitz Alan?”

“Aye, extremely rude remarks.” Fitz Alan inclined his head toward Guy in a regretful gesture. “Your lady’s sweet disposition and good manners reminded us of our own. We made complete asses of ourselves, but we hope you will put in a few words on our behalf if we promise to make her polite apologies.”

Guy looked at Claudia. “What did they say to you?”

“They were not all that rude,” Claudia assured him, alarmed by the anger in his voice. Her hand came to rest on his arm and that seemed to have a calming effect on him. “They are concerned only for your welfare, Guy. You must admit that your wish to marry me will seem strange to any who hear of it. Even without the troubles between our families, I would hardly seem a likely choice for your bride.”

“You are my only choice,” he informed her in a terse voice. He looked from Fitz Alan to Kenric. “I thought I made myself clear on that matter.”

“We understand your reasons well enough,” Kenric said in a quiet voice. “She will make your claim to Halford unbreakable, and her talent with numbers would delight any merchant. ’Tis obvious why you decided to marry her.”

“Aye, ’tis obvious,” Guy murmured. He lifted Claudia’s hand for a kiss, his gaze intent as he looked into her eyes. “Obvious to all but one.”

Claudia couldn’t decide what to make of that remark.

Someone else decided to scream.

Guy’s head jerked around to search for the source of the piercing sound. Claudia’s gaze followed, along with everyone else’s. One of Guy’s knights pulled his wife away from their
table just as a large, grayish-brown lump of something furry landed on her trencher. A tangle of greenery followed, loosened by the fur ball’s descent from the rafters above them. The greenery on the table rustled and a long, hairless tail snaked out from beneath an evergreen bough. The hunched shape of a rat became visible as it regained its feet, dazed by its fall and the affects of poison. Claudia clapped her hands over her mouth and watched as the poisoned rat mustered enough energy to scurry from beneath the branches. It wove a drunken path down the length of the table as one sword after another appeared and slammed down just inches before or behind it. One close strike sent the rat over the edge of the table, where it attracted the attention of several hounds.

Claudia slipped from her seat and rushed around the table. If the dogs decided to make a meal of the rat, the poison would kill them as well.

“Vattene!” She waved her hands in a frantic gesture and all but one of the dogs scattered, skulking away as if she had denied them a great treat. The one that remained was a large mastiff, its attention focused on the dying rat. The rodent lay on its side now, but managed to snap its sharp teeth in the dog’s direction each time the mastiff sniffed too close.

“Bad dog,” Claudia tried in English, growing more cautious the closer she came to the animal. The dog looked the size of a small horse, and none too friendly. It turned its huge head toward her for only a moment, just long enough to bare its teeth and give her a growl of warning. That didn’t sound promising, but she could not let the dumb beast suffer an agonizing death because of her. She took another small step forward and started to reach for its spiked collar. “Bad doggie. This meal is no good for you.”

An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her backward just as the mastiff lunged forward. Its massive jaws snapped closed just inches from her arm. A booted foot planted itself on the dog’s side and a firm shove made it back away. Claudia released a faint, shaky sigh of relief.

“Are you crazed?” Guy demanded. He turned her in his
arms and his gaze moved over her, as if he expected to find an injury of some sort. “That beast could take off your arm in one bite.”

“The poison in that rat would kill your dog,” Claudia explained. She motioned one of the servants forward to dispose of the rat, then laid her hand against Guy’s chest. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “We are making a spectacle of ourselves, my lord. Let us return to the table.”

Guy rolled his eyes, but he took her arm and led her back to their seats, lecturing her the entire time. “I swear by all that is holy, you will make me old before my time. Do not dare rescue any more animals with sharp teeth. Every dog in this castle can die of rat poisoning for all I care. Did no one teach you to keep your distance from animals when they are intent on a meal?”

“ ’Twas a mistake on my part,” she admitted, as she took her seat. “I will not cause you worry again, my lord.”

Given Guy’s concern for her safety and his gallant rescue, she did not feel all that contrite. She was a little surprised to notice that everyone else at their table seemed to be smiling. Everyone but Guy. He all but growled the order that called Stephen forward to begin serving their meal. Claudia made certain a page refilled all their goblets with wine.

“ ’Tis a very bad sign when a woman says she will not give you cause to worry,” Kenric remarked to Guy. “Just wait until you have children. They will make the gray hairs your wife gives you seem trivial in comparison.”

“I do not see Lady Tess standing on the brink of disaster each time you turn around,” Guy muttered.

Claudia’s mouth became a thin line, but Kenric burst out laughing. “Then you do not see my wife all that often. Did I tell you where I found her just a week before she birthed Phillip?”

Kenric launched into a story of his wife’s escapades that soothed Claudia’s temper. This Lady Tess did not sound like such a paragon of perfection after all. That story led to several
others, and soon Fitz Alan joined in with tales of his own wife and children.

Claudia listened to the stories, enjoying the easy camaraderie between the brothers. Despite their disagreement over Guy’s marriage, it seemed obvious that the family was very close and spent a great deal of time in one another’s company. She found herself actually looking forward to meeting Guy’s sister and sister-in-law as well as his nieces and nephews. They would be her family, too.

Given the polite smiles Kenric and Fitz Alan sent her way, it seemed just possible that they might accept her after all. They told stories that Guy seemed to have heard several times before, which made her wonder if they told them now for her benefit, to make her feel more a part of their close-knit family. It also sounded as if Kenric’s and Fitz Alan’s wives were fast friends, and Claudia began to hope that she would someday be their friend as well. How strange it would be to have other women to talk to as equals, women who knew how to run large households and raise children and care for husbands. She smiled and popped a sweetmeat into her mouth, unconsciously licking the tips of her fingers.

Guy’s hand found hers beneath the table and he leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I told you the consequences of tempting me.” His thumb rubbed the center of her palm, reminding her of more intimate kisses he often pressed there. His voice sent shivers down her spine. “The mummers will appear soon to perform a mock hunt. We can slip away then without much notice. As soon as they appear, say you must consult with the steward about the subtleties that will be served at the end of the feast. Soon after, I will excuse myself and we will meet in my chamber. Agreed?”

Claudia nodded and tried to look as if Guy might be murmuring something inconsequential in her ear. The thought that their wait to be alone would not be a long one gave her an idea. She managed to keep her smile contained as she agreed to the rendezvous. “Aye, my lord.”

When Guy leaned away again, she picked up another
sweetmeat and took a small, delicate bite. It didn’t matter that she had already eaten her fill. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips as if she were starving. “This sweetmeat is so very delicious, my lord.” She offered Guy the remainder of the tempting morsel, holding it daintily between her fingers. “Would you care for a bite?”

“Yea, please,” he answered politely. When she held the treat closer, his hand caught her wrist and he took her fingertips into his mouth along with the sweetmeat. His tongue gave her fingers a hidden caress, then he released his hold on her wrist and drew away from her hand. Rather than press her fingers against his lips as she wanted, she made a conscious effort to return her hand to the table.

Guy swallowed the morsel and his gaze moved lower, lingering on her bodice. “Aye, ’tis been too long since I tasted anything so delicious. An excellent choice, my lady.”

That was a rather neat turn of the tables. So much for teasing him, she thought, releasing a wistful sigh as Guy undressed her with his eyes. Where were those mummers?

“Guy tells us your brother may soon visit.” Fitz Alan’s remark distracted her from Guy’s silent seduction. “Do you think he will approve of your marriage?”

Claudia turned to face Fitz Alan just as she heard Guy release his own deep sigh. From the corner of her eye she watched him take a long drink of wine. At least she was not the only one who suffered. “I think he will come to accept my marriage.”

“Then you have concerns that he will disapprove?”

“Did you have concerns, and disapprove when Guy told you of his plans?”

“Of course. But now I understand his reasons.”

“My brother will likely need convincing as well,” she replied. Actually, she wasn’t all that sure of Dante’s reaction when he received the news. Hopefully, the king would assure Dante that Guy was a noble, honorable man who would make her an excellent husband. Then it occurred to her that the
king had no idea that Guy truly intended to marry her. “Oh, dear.”

“Pardon me?” Fitz Alan asked.

“What? Oh, ’tis nothing,” she assured him, knowing that was a huge lie. She turned to Guy. He had to be warned that Dante’s mood was bound to be far from agreeable when he arrived, especially if he heard of the sleeping arrangements but not of their marriage plans. Guy was staring at her already, a strange, speculative look in his eyes. She lowered her voice. “I must speak with you about Dante when we are alone.”