The Earl by Cecelia Mecca
Author:Cecelia Mecca [Mecca, Cecelia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Medieval
Published: 2020-01-06T16:00:00+00:00
CHAPTER 19
Cait sat across from him, the only space available, atop a log that appeared to have been strategically placed there for her. Theyâd made camp, and Cait had ducked into Conradâs tent to change into the hose and loose linen shirt Sabine had found. By the time she returned, the men had already taken seats around the fire.
Although the day had been cool, the night remained somehow temperate. A full moon, coupled with a cloudless sky, offered as beautiful a night as Cait had seen since leaving Bradon Moor.
âI hadnât realized the sky could be so beautiful here.â
The men looked at her.
âIn England,â she said hesitantly. Not wanting them to think she disparaged their home, Cait clarified, ââTis lovely here. I . . .â She stopped, Conradâs grin contagious.
âOur village healer,â said Jeffrey, a man sitting next to her, âsaid that if a male child is born on the fifth day after a new moon, he will be virtuous and loyal, courageous and steadfast. He will be physically healthy and live long.â
Conrad rolled his eyes. âWere you born on the fifth day after the new moon, Jeffrey?â
Cait tried not to laugh. The young man seemed very sincere in his belief.
âI was.â He lifted his chin, and his flagon.
âI wonder . . .â She accepted a bit of roasted chicken, wondering where theyâd gotten the meat. The crated chickens that had come with them from Licheford had been sent along to London with the men, and they had no permits to hunt on this land. âWhat would your healer have said if the babe was a female?â
Jeffery looked decidedly guilty and offered no response. He was prompted by a kick from the man seated next to him. Was his name Godwin?
âUh. Well. If it is a female, she will be virile, quarrelsome, and vindictive, but honest nevertheless.â
Conrad burst out laughing, and Cait somehow kept a straight face.
âQuarrelsome and vindictive?â
âAye, my lady,â Jeffery rushed to explain, âbut I do not believe it to be so.â
âBut honest,â Conrad managed across from her. His eyes danced in the moonlight, and Cait wished more than anything that she were closer to him.
âAnd virile,â Godwin added. âA man would be so lucky to have such a woman.â
Their laughter rang out, but it was decidedly at Jeffreyâs expense, and Cait took pity on the poor lad.
âI jest with you,â she said. âI do believe the moon has many special powers.â Cait shifted on the log under her. âBut this is certainly not one.â
âBesidesââConrad stretched his legs out in front of him and looked at JeffreyââI need no moon to tell me you are both virtuous and loyal.â
It was stated casually, but Cait could tell Jeffrey did not take it so. The young man beamed as if his lord had just offered high praise, which indeed he had.
For the rest of the meal, she listened to the menâs banter and sometimes participated in it, but her eyes continued to stray to Conrad. In the few days since
Download
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.
Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella(990)
Albion by Peter Ackroyd(833)
The Hell of it All by Charlie Brooker(791)
Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination by Peter Ackroyd(698)
How To Be A Woman by Caitlin Moran(686)
A Dictionary of Literary Symbols by Michael Ferber(660)
English Literature: A Very Short Introduction by Jonathan Bate(616)
The Eye in the Triangle: An Interpretation of Aleister Crowley by Israel Regardie(603)
Protector by Conn Iggulden(592)
Dot Con by James Veitch(555)
All in a Don's Day by Mary Beard(509)
English Literature: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Bate Jonathan(491)
I, Partridge by Alan Partridge(457)
Less: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2018 by Andrew Sean Greer(449)
The Cambridge Introduction to Jane Austen (Cambridge Introductions to Literature) by Janet Todd(435)
Work! Consume! Die! by Boyle Frankie(429)
Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall by Spike Milligan(422)
I can make you hate by Charlie Brooker(397)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Pearl; by J. R. R. Tolkien(394)