Seger, Maura by Defiant Love

Author:Defiant Love
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-11-20T22:31:10+00:00

Chapter Nine

Brenna tossed restlessly in the wide bed. She had sought sleep for hours, without success. Beyond the small room, the great keep was silent. Only the distant calls of the watch and the occasional fumbled step of some late reveler punctured the stillness. Silently, she counted off the rhythm of her own heartbeat. It seemed to her to have grown increasingly anxious with the passing of each solitary hour.

She had no way to judge the time, but knew it was very late. Her eyes, long accustomed to the darkness, caught the first faint glimmer of light beyond the narrow slit window. Not yet dawn, but the slow melting of darkness that precedes it. Desperately, she told herself yet again that whatever had caused the Duke to call his lords to council after supper must have been very important indeed. Certainly important enough to keep them talking through the night.

So much talking would undoubtedly have caused a thirst. With great quantities of wine and ale consumed, it was not surprising that the men would have fallen asleep at table, forgetting for the moment those who waited for them.

If she were to don the robe laid out at the foot of the bed and slip downstairs, as she had been tempted to do so many times in the past hours, she would most likely find Guyon stretched out snoring near his Duke. But what if she did not? What if Guyon had found some other occupation that night?

Biting her lip so painfully as to draw blood, Brenna leaped from the bed. The robe wrapped loosely around her, she was almost to the door when caution intervened. She could not do this. If some early rising servant happened to see her, word would be all over the keep by midmorning that Guyon's young wife had felt constrained to go in search of him. He would be rightly angered by her presumption and the resulting ridicule. Moreover, her presence in the corridors at such an early hour, especially dressed in no more than a robe, could easily be misconstrued. However Guyon had chosen to occupy himself, it would not do for her to be suspected of visiting another man's chamber.

Frustrated, Brenna stalked to the window. The last stars were just twinkling out. Below in the bailey she could make out dim shapes and movement. A solitary rooster fluttered across the yard. Perched on the edge of a watering trough, it craned its long neck at the sky but did not yet crow. Scattered snorts and whinnies drifted up from the stables as the horses began to rouse. From one of the huts huddled against the high stone walls, smoke began to rise. As she watched, a peasant emerged, yawning and scratching, to relieve himself.

Soon the whole keep would be stirring. Servants would hurry to light the kitchen fires and prepare food. Water would be heated and hauled upstairs for pampered guests who liked to bath and shave in privacy. Livestock would be fed

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