King Arthur: Warrior of the West: Book Two by M. K. Hume

Author:M. K. Hume
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Headline Review
Published: 2009-11-12T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XII

THE MAID AND THE MISTRESS

Gruffydd’s heavy body pushed through the half-opened leather curtains and into the kitchens of Venonae, carrying a pile of gifts. The familiar comforting smells of hot water, burning wood, cooked meat and human sweat mingled pleasantly to greet his entrance.

How quickly the years had passed, Gruffydd thought, since he had first brought the infant Nimue to be cared for by the chief cook of the Venonae garrison. Although she had never borne a child of her own, Gallwyn had proved to be an excellent mother and Perce, the kitchen boy, had grown to be Nimue’s staunchest companion and foster-brother. When Gruffydd came to visit, he always felt as if he was returning to a second family.

‘Where are you, Gallwyn?’ he called, a little alarmed at the quiet. ‘For shame, woman! Lazing about at this time of day when the venison is beginning to burn.’

He laughed gently at this old joke, but a quick glance at the chaos in the usually ordered hearth stopped his mirth. For twelve years, Gruffydd had become well versed in the ordered frenzy of the kitchens, so a protracted silence and the fact that a large pot of stew was about to boil over on the hearth unnerved and alarmed him.

Using a gloved hand to swing the cauldron out of the flames on its long, hooked arm of wrought iron, Gruffydd dumped his cloth-wrapped gifts on the scarred table top and began to explore.

First, he found three kitchen girls huddled together by the woodpile. They were weeping, with their reddened, coarse hands clenched over their tear-stained faces.

‘It’s Mistress Gallwyn. She’s sick, and she’s near to dying,’ one of them moaned.

Clearly, someone had to take charge in the kitchens, and twelve years at Artor’s back had prepared Gruffydd for almost any calamity.

‘You won’t help your mistress by burning the garrison’s food,’ Gruffydd shouted at the maids. ‘Get to work. The bread oven is cold, there’s no kindling, and the stew’s boiling over. Hop to it.’

‘Perce is cutting more wood now,’ one of the girls wailed.

‘Then we can thank the heavens that everyone hasn’t gone wandering off. ’ Gruffydd pointed to the oldest woman in the group. ‘What is your name?’ he asked brusquely.

‘Jena,’ the woman replied timidly, her voice trembling and uncertain. ‘Sir,’ she added as an afterthought, for the whole world knew that Gruffydd was sword bearer to the High King.

‘Jena, you are now in charge of the kitchens until you hear otherwise. And you will be held to blame if there’s no food for the tables upstairs.’

The servants scuttled away to complete their chores.

Gruffydd strode straight to Gallwyn’s sleeping compartment, a burrow too small to bear the grandiose title of a room. The curtains were drawn tightly shut.

‘Gallwyn? Gallwyn? What ails you, woman?’

A tall, slim fury exploded through the curtains and drove him back with hard blows to his chest from delicate, clenched fists.

‘Nimue! What are you doing, child? What has upset you? You know me. It’s Gruffydd.’

Gruffydd gripped Nimue’s wildly beating arms by the wrists and took in the wide-eyed, terrified expression on her face.

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.