The Breaking Dawn (The Kingdom of Mercia Book 1) by Jayne Castel

Author:Jayne Castel [Castel, Jayne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2015-04-10T04:00:00+00:00

***

“You are not sharing my bower,” Heledd’s first words to Merwenna were hissed with ill-concealed venom. “I shall not sleep next to a Mercian.”

They had just stepped behind the heavy tapestry that shielded them from view from the rest of the hall. Beyond, Merwenna could hear the rumble of men’s voices. The princess’ words stung but Merwenna did not answer. She had not expected a warm welcome here.

Instead, she cast her gaze around Heledd’s tiny bower, taking in her surroundings. A pile of furs dominated the space; while a collection of tunics, wealcas and over-dresses, hung like brightly colored butterflies from the wall, either side of a tiny window. There was a small oak table in one corner, upon which were clay pots of creams and potions. The scent of rose, lavender and rosemary reached Merwenna and she inhaled deeply. It may have been small, but she could only dream of having a space like this all to herself.

“You will sleep outside,” Heledd scooped up one of her furs and shoved it into Merwenna’s arms. You can guard the way into my bower, like a dog.”

Merwenna’s lips compressed, but she continued to hold her tongue.

Frankly, it would be a relief to sleep apart from this nasty female. There were girls in her village like this; vain and spoiled with sharp tongues. She pushed her way out from behind the tapestry and spread out the fur on the narrow ledge outside. When she was done, she turned to find Heledd standing behind her. The princess watched her with a narrowed gaze.

“How may I assist you, Milady?” Merwenna asked. She hoped her respectful tone would sweeten that sour face. Although most of those inside the Great Hall were clustered around the high seat, passing around cups of frothy mead – she was aware that a few of the women were looking her way. Their gazes were not friendly.

“I don’t want your help,” Heledd sniffed. “This is not a gift, but an insult. I will make sure my brother understands that by morning.”

Merwenna cast her gaze down at the rushes. Suddenly, cleaning privies and shoveling muck seemed a far more pleasant chore than waiting upon this princess.

“The evening meal is almost upon us,” Heledd continued. “You will help the servants and not rest for the night until the last one of them has finished their duties.”

“Yes, Milady.”

“Go on then. Don’t just stand there. Are you dull-witted?”

Merwenna did not reply. Instead, she went, gladly, and joined the hive of bustling servants who were preparing the evening meal of baked pike, leek soup and fresh bread, at the far end of the hall.

Unfortunately, the servants were no more welcoming than their mistress. To make matters even more difficult, none of them spoke a word of her tongue and she was forced to communicate in broken Cymraeg. Her attempts caused an explosion of mirth. One of the serving girls rolled her eyes and muttered something to the woman kneading bread beside her. Whatever she had said must have been clever, for the pair of them doubled over, cackling.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.