10 The Squire's Tale by Frazer Margaret

Author:Frazer, Margaret [Frazer, Margaret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: __Fixed, _BIG_FIXUP, Britain, Clerical Sleuth, Convent, England, Fiction, good quality scan, Historical, Medieval, Mystery & Detective, not_rt, Nuns, Romance, scan, Traditional British, Women Sleuth
ISBN: 9780425182710
Google: 6NQic36TsyMC
Amazon: 0425182711
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 2000-01-02T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Rescue came with one of Robert’s servants, sent to bid Katherine and Drew back to the hall. They were not far from the gateway when they saw him coming and met him there, Mistress Dionisia, Gil and the Allesley servant near to hear, too, as the man gave his message and Drew asked, “They’re done for today?”

‘Yes, sir.“

‘And all’s well?“ Katherine asked as if she would have held back from it if she could. ”No shouting that I heard,“ the man said cheerfully. Benedict, coming up then with Emelye a little short-breathed from haste beside him, muttered something, low enough he could be ignored, but then as the others moved to leave the garden, he started a purposeful move toward Drew. From the corner of her eye Frevisse saw that Gil had expected as much and was moving to cut him off with a look on his face that boded no good to Benedict and without thinking she veered from Dame Claire and across Benedict’s way, to his other side from Emelye, clumsy with her skirts so that he had to falter his stride first for them and then to bow to her while she said, ”For change, why don’t I walk with you awhile, Master Benedict? And Emelye, you can keep Dame Claire company.“

Awkwardly, Benedict said, “Yes. If you like,” as Gil fell back to join Mistress Dionisia and Drew’s man, and Dame Claire, only a little behind Frevisse’s purpose, drew Emelye ahead to walk with her behind Katherine and Drew going out the gate.

To leave Benedict less time to sort out what had happened and despite the weather never having been among the things of which she much cared to spend time talking, Frevisse said at him, “Will the weather hold, do you think, or is there going to be more rain?”

Benedict, perforce, joined her in trying to find something worth the saying about how there had been rain yesterday and there might be more tomorrow or that, possibly, there might not, most of the way back to the manor yard, until Frevisse took pity on his effort and asked out of memory of something half-heard in other talk, “I understand you’re to go into someone else’s household after Easter.”

Benedict’s sullen countenance changed, brightening much the way one of the much-discussed rainy days did when clouds parted to the sun. “Ned Verney’s,” he said. “He’s our northward neighbor here. I had chance at Sir Walter’s but I’d rather serve Ned, all taken in all. It’s only for two years, until I come of age and into my own, but better with Ned than somewhere else.”

‘You don’t mind he’s helped bring on this arbitration she asked, knowing she should not but wanting to know.

Benedict’s face predictably darkened but not at Ned Verney. “It’s not that much his doing. Robert is the one who’s afraid to fight the Allesleys for what’s ours. When Ned saw he couldn’t change him, all he did was help him out before he made a worse fool of himself over it.

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