It was a fitful sleep full of strange whimsical dreams. Lia awoke gradually, feeling more rested than she deserved considering the punishment she had given her body in recent days. As she left Pasqua’s bedchamber and exited the manor house, there was the feeling of fog in the air, though nothing obstructed her vision. The sunlight came down at an angle, indicating the approaching dusk. The air was thick and humid, each breath heavier than normal. From the corner of her eye, she saw the majestic Abbey and it seemed to whisper to her, to beckon her inside to learn its secrets. For a moment, it seemed alive, staring at her.
As she rounded the corner to the kitchen, there was Duerden pacing outside, his face flushed. He did not see her, so she darted back around the corner and went towards the rear doors where she could avoid him. There was a whistling sound and she paused, peering around the bend. In the shade was Colvin, lunging with his sword, swooping and twirling it as if he faced a dozen knights trying to kill him. She bit her lip, wondering if that was the moment to talk to him, but he looked so fierce and determined that she slunk away, back against the wall.
Both doors were blocked.
Muttering to herself at the unfairness of it, she decided to confront Duerden. When he saw her coming, his cheeks flushed.
“Are you going…to the maypole dance?” Duerden asked, stammering in his speech.
She stared at him as if he were ridiculous. “I do not think anyone will be dancing tonight,” she answered.
“No! Several have been outside the gates and back again with the news. The Queen Dowager wants the Aldermaston in custody and the earls. Everyone else has been given a safe conduct to come and go as they desire. She announced it at noon and opened up her coffers to pay for cider and bread. Those who approach her knights are given coins. Whitsunday is still going to happen tonight. Where have you been, Lia?”
She was dumbstruck. What was happening? “I have been sleeping, Duerden. The Aldermaston has errands for me tonight.” How exactly could she tell him that she was facing the maston test?
“Surely you are not staying here tonight,” he said warningly.
“Surely I am. Muirwood is my home,” she answered. “Jon Hunter did not murder the old king, Duerden! The Aldermaston had nothing to do with it.”
He looked crestfallen. “The other wretcheds are leaving. Reome, Trisa, they are all in the square drinking Muirwood cider! The only ones who have stayed behind are Astrid, Pasqua, and Sowe. They are in the kitchen, eating the treats because Pasqua will not leave and she will not sell them to the Queen’s men.”
“Did Bryn leave?”
“I think so…”
Lia shook her head and marched past him to the kitchen doors, but he caught her arm.
“Lia, you cannot stay here!”
She looked him in the eye. “How can you abandon him, Duerden? He is the Aldermaston. Who is the Queen Dowager but a foreigner from Dahomey? When did she earn the right to govern in this Hundred? To threaten us? Go join the others then. I will not abandon him.”
His expression was troubled, wracked with pain. “I do not want you to get hurt. I…I care about you.”
She scowled at him. “I know. The Aldermaston told me. We are only fifteen, Duerden.”
He looked desperate. “My father and mother were both fifteen when they pledged their troth to each other. They did not marry until later, of course. I was not suggesting…what I mean is that I did not want you to think…you are right, we are so young, but I wanted you to know how I felt about you.”
She looked at him with a mixture of affection and exasperation. “I care about you, Duerden, but you are a learner. You do not need to pledge your troth to me. I am only a wretched.”
“Not to me,” he answered firmly. “I have given it much thought, Lia.”
“But we see things so differently. You want to join the dancing. I have duties here.”
“My parents are out there, Lia. How can I remain in here?”
“You should go to them. Please, go to them! I do not deserve your feelings, Duerden. And we are still too young. You may feel differently…after you know me better.”
He looked pained. “We have known each other for two years. This is not a mere fancy.”
She shook her head. “There are things I cannot share with you. Things that I know…about myself. I will not make any promises to you. I owe the Aldermaston a debt that I must repay. Please, go to your family. Be sure they are safe.”
He struggled with his feelings for a moment. Then he took her hand and kissed it quickly. “My feelings will not change, Lia. But I will obey you as I always have.” With a look of despair and sadness, he walked away from the kitchen towards the outer gates.
Lia swore at herself in frustration, with the lingering sensation of his lips on her knuckles alarming her. It was a tender gesture, straight from his heart, and it worried her. She turned and opened the kitchen door and received another shock when she stepped inside.