“Why is your aunt trying so hard to see you dead?” asked Penelope. “You cannot inherit anything, can you?”
“No. But I think she realizes I might have guessed what she is up to and she will not allow that. Bened believes that, too. She will be rid of anyone who helped her or who she believes has guessed what game she played. I am still finding it difficult to understand how none of us saw this in her in all the years she has been lurking around.”
“The closer it is the harder it can be to see,” said Lorelei.
“I suppose.” Primrose helped herself to one of the small cakes and immediately her puppy popped its head out of the basket she had carried in with her, causing both of the other women to gasp and then laugh.
“I am sorry. I did not even ask if it was permissible to bring her in. I have just gotten so used to carrying the basket with me everywhere. Is it allowed or do you have a place for dogs?”
“No, it is fine,” said Lorelei, and she elbowed Argus when he muttered something. “A tiny dog like that will be no bother. What happened to its eye?”
“Does not have one. Born that way.”
Lorelei moved closer and patted the dog. “Even with that mar it is quite a beautiful little dog.”
“It is a man-eater,” said Bened, and he grinned when Primrose protested.
“No, she is not. She was protecting me and went for the man’s throat.”
“She must have been feeling a bit peckish because she missed that and ate the man’s ear.”
“Stop it. If the fool had not yanked her off before she let go of him, she would not have taken a piece off.”
“If one wished to, I suspect you could sew the piece back on,” said Penelope.
Bened shook his head. “Dog ate it. That is what I am saying—a man-eater.”
Primrose shook her head. “She is just a puppy. Put anything in a puppy’s mouth and it will try to eat it.”
Penelope was laughing so hard she had to hold her stomach and Bened grinned at her. “Think that funny, Pen, you should have seen her expression when the puppy, fresh from her mangling of the man, licked her face.” He nodded when Penelope laughed even harder.
“You will have to excuse our Pen,” said Lorelei, even though she was grinning. “She has spent much of her life surrounded by young lads. Her humor sometimes reflects that influence.”
“Poor puppy,” Primrose said, scratching the dog’s ears. “I need to give her a name. Cannot keep calling her Puppy.”
“What were you thinking of? Anything in particular?”
“I was thinking of Boudicca or Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.”
“Very impressive names.”
“Bigger than the dog,” murmured Bened.
“She tried to save my life. She deserves the name of a strong woman.”
“Boudicca then,” said Argus. “She hurled herself at a much larger foe and somehow came out of the fight the victor.”
“Boudicca then. I had best take her for an airing and, if there is a place where I may do so, I would really like to wash off the road dust and the rock dust from the fall.”
“What fall?” asked Argus.
Bened explained what happened and Primrose suddenly found both women escorting her off to a bedchamber. Sir Argus told his wife to put her and Bened at the far end of the guest wing, which caused Lorelei to give him an odd look, but Primrose was quickly distracted by the chatter of the two women as they led her away. They gave her a thorough look-over, putting some healing cream on her scrapes and bruises, and showing the dog a tiny walled-in area where it could go outside. Boudicca rushed out, did her business, and raced back in to sit at Primrose’s feet so fast both women laughed.
“She is very attached to you,” said Lorelei.
“I suspect it is because I saved her from drowning.” At their encouragement she told them the whole story and realized she had been a little reckless. “I suppose Bened calling her a man-eater is a bit better than having him continue to call her a rat.”
Before Primrose knew it she was chatting freely with her new friends as they led her outside to meet some of the others. The first thing she noticed was that there were a lot of boys. One little girl with thick black curls and dark blue eyes took it all in her stride, doing as she pleased, and facing down any boy who tried to stop her.
It was overwhelming. She was so jealous she felt guilty. This is what she had always wanted. A huge, boisterous family one could always turn to for help, comfort, or a little bit of loving madness. When they returned to the house she excused herself and went back to the bedchamber they had said was hers. She needed to do something to smother these little bouts of jealousy before she said something to give herself away. Settling down on the bed, she welcomed Boudicca into her arms and soon fell asleep.
“Penelope, have you seen Primrose?” asked Bened.