The Knights of Christmas by Suzanne Barclay Margaret Moore Deborah Simmons

Author:Suzanne Barclay, Margaret Moore, Deborah Simmons [Suzanne Barclay, Margaret Moore, Deborah Simmons]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Medieval
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

After her disturbing exchange with Sir Myles in the solar, Giselle had been delighted to be distracted by the news that the mummers had arrived and were waiting in the courtyard.

Nevertheless, as she hurried to greet the traveling band of players who would entertain the company in the hall that night, she couldn’t rid her mind of Sir Myles.

Why was he so persistent, if her bargain with her uncle angered him so? Why did he issue his challenge, especially when he would surely realize, now more than ever, that his chances of winning were slim, indeed?

Perhaps the apparent disappointment on his face and abrupt change of manner from angry arrogance to apologetic self-doubt had not been feigned. Maybe she had been mistaken and that had not been calculation in his eyes.

Oh, she was imagining excuses that he did not deserve! He had been acting a part. as if he were one of the players.

She spotted the band of players gathered near the kitchen, their breath white puffs in the cold air as they stamped their feet to stay warm. Two small wagons bearing assorted baggage, a woman nursing an infant, and a girl were also part of the group.

Lady Katherine had considered mummers suitable entertainment, provided their selections were based on the Bible, and Giselle knew these particular actors well, from their leader, Matthew Appleton, to the youngest performer of them, Matthew’s son, Peter, a lad of fourteen who played the women’s parts, for of course no woman could playact.

The only females in the company were Matthew’s wife and daughter, and they did the things wives and daughters usually did in a household, plus looked after the costumes and the necessary properties, all while traveling about the countryside.

“Good day, my lady, and happy Christmas!” Matthew called out when he noticed her. He made a sweeping bow, still graceful and lithe for a man of nearly forty. The others followed suit. “You are looking very well, my lady. Isn’t she, Martha?” Matthew said to his wife as Giselle drew near.

Martha, a pleasant-faced woman a few years younger than her husband, smiled.

“We thought you’d be a married lady now, though, didn’t we?” Matthew noted, his brow furrowed. “And to a most fine nobleman, for so we were given to understand.”

Martha nodded and looked concerned.

“Who gave you to understand this?” Giselle inquired, attempting to adopt a bantering tone.

“Well, my lady, it was Sir Myles Buxton.”

At the mention of that gentleman’s name, Martha and her daughter smiled approvingly.

“Is he not here, my lady?” Matthew asked.

“Yes, he is,” Giselle answered lightly. “You know him well?”

“We’ve performed for him many times, my lady,” Matthew said enthusiastically. “A most kind, charitable fellow, and with a right wonderful sense of humor—for a nobleman.”

Kind? Charitable? A wonderful sense of humor? These were qualities Giselle had not noticed, or had not an opportunity to, perhaps.

“Yes, indeed, my lady,” Martha seconded, apparently sensing Giselle’s doubt. “Why, no matter how much Matthew acted up, pretending to be Sir Myles when we performed at Buxton Hall, Sir Myles took it all with very good grace.

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.