A Garter as a Lesser Gift by Aster Glenn Gray

Author:Aster Glenn Gray [Gray, Aster Glenn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-10-27T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

Once again Gawain woke to the rattle of curtains, once again opened his eyes to bright winter sunshine; once again saw Lady Bertilak standing at the window, her face luminous in the light.

He was still blinking sleep from his dazzled eyes when she turned to him. “Good morning,” she said.

“You are lucky in your weather here, milady,” he told her.

“Nelle,” she reminded him, smiling. She wore a green velvet gown today, of a style that could not have been current since before the first war, for the heavy skirt brushed the flagstones as she crossed the room to him. “It is you who brought us luck,” she said. “For three weeks before you came, it was cloudy every day.”

She brushed a kiss to his lips, so swift and unexpected that he had no time to react before she turned away to pour the tea. There were two cups again. He stared at her, too shy to say the things that were beating at his lips; for after all this was all a wager, a game, and he had known that from the start.

She slanted a sideways glance at him, her lips curved in a half smile, and hastily he looked away from her. His voice was thready as he said, “Lady Bertilak—”

“Nelle,” she said again, more gently.

He took up a teacup and fidgeted with it. “Lady Bertilak,” he said, and she did not correct him this time.

But she sat on the edge of his bed, and took up her own tea cup, and took a little sip of the strong hot tea. He sipped his own tea too, he couldn’t seem to help it; and he could no longer look at her, but stared down at the teacup, which was of eggshell thin Meissen china. Suddenly he was afraid that he would break it, and put it on the bedside table so hastily that the cup clattered in its saucer, and tea slopped over the side.

“Are you all right, little pilot?”

“Yes,” he said. “Only—” But he could think of no way to continue that sentence, and only looked helplessly into her face.

Her brow furrowed with concern. She set aside her teacup, and put her own cool hand over his. “Did you sleep well?”

“I always sleep well here.” It was true. It had not struck him till now that this was odd.

“I’m glad.” She squeezed his hand, and to his relief and sorrow took her hand away. “Drink your tea while it’s hot.”

He took up the teacup and sipped the hot tea. “Are you going hunting today?” he asked, because he must speak, and that seemed impersonal enough.

“We had planned to,” Lady Bertilak said. “But perhaps I should not go. If you are not feeling well…”

“No!”

He said it too loudly and too fast. She was silent a moment, her eyes on her teacup, and the surface of the tea shivered as she set the cup on the bedside table. Then she smiled at him, and teasingly she said, “Ah, when you say that so sharply, it makes me think that you don’t want my company.

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