Nothing Else Matters Read Free

than Sussex? I doubt it. I wish Father hadn’t brought us to England.”
    Eleanor opened her eyes and concentrated on the flame from the hour candle on the table in front of her. She pretended the tiny flame was the southern sun.
    “England is cold and damp and disagreeable,” Edythe agreed. “But why is Lord Roger visiting Father?”
    “He’s on balade to inspect his southern holdings.”
    “Is he rich then?”
    “Oh yes. And something of a hero as wel .” Edythe’s hand paused briefly then she began to brush Eleanor’s hair again as Eleanor explained, “Apparently there was a war with the Scots recently and their king was captured.”
    “Lord Roger of Harelby captured a king?” Edythe sounded ready to be impressed.
    “He was involved in the capture,” Eleanor clarified. “The ransom wil go to the king, I’m sure.”
    “I see. What a fascinating man,” Edythe replied.
    Eleanor thought Lord Roger fascinating too. Before she could say so, there was a knock on the door. Their waiting woman answered it. A moment later
    she hastened over to them.
    “Lady Edythe,” she said. “Your father wil see you in his chamber. Immediately, his man said.”
    Eleanor exchanged a puzzled glance with her sister. Edythe said, “I better hurry.”
    Edythe left and Eleanor waited, worried and nervous while the other household women trickled in from the hal to prepare for bed. What was the matter?
    Had word come from Mother? Was she unwel ? Was the queen? It must be grave news indeed for Hugo FitzWalter to bother informing his daughters at
    al . It must be the gravest possible news for him to send for Edythe straight away instead of letting it wait for morning.
    She’d worked herself into a state of barely control ed terror by the time Edythe came running back into their chamber.
    “What?” Eleanor questioned.
    Edythe grabbed her hands. Eleanor marked the wide smile on her sister’s face as she was whirled around the room. Rushes flew beneath their feet and
    the shadows whirled past. They tripped over the pal ets of the other gentlewomen while the women themselves crowded around to hear the news.
    “Oh my dear,” Edythe declared happily when she’d spun Eleanor one last time.

Chapter Two
    “Jesu, where am I?”
    A ripe aroma of pig permeated Stian’s nostrils. He woke up with a fierce headache and a fiercer need to urinate. As his senses returned, he became
    vaguely aware that he must be in Hulda the swineherd’s hut. Hubert came into the hut. Stian looked at his thin, curly-haired friend in dazed annoyance.
    “Wha—?”
    Behind him, Hulda groaned and Lars snored on in her arms. Stian had a horrible suspicion that there was no ale left in the jug they’d brought with them last night. And Hubert had a look on his face that said he wanted something. If the Scots were attacking, they better have strong drink with them because Stian wasn’t going to have anything to do with anyone who couldn’t hand him a ful winecup.
    “Dame Beatrice says for you to come to the hal ,” Hubert said.
    Hal . There’d be wine at the hal . Stian snorted and looked around for his clothes. Hulda scrambled across her dark, cramped hut and gathered up his
    bracceas and tunic for him while Lars’ bare pale ass shown like a ful moon in the middle of the room. Stian vaguely remembered losing his boots in a
    dice game, though he couldn’t recal to whom or when.
    If he asked Hubert, he’d tel him how long he’d been drunk, but he didn’t want to know. He wanted the headache to go away or to get drunk again,
    whichever came first. He began to dress, fingers clumsy, feeling as thick as his tongue. It seemed too complicated a task to pul the tunic on over his head. He threw it on the dirt floor.
    “Dame Beatrice says—” Hubert tried again.
    “Hal . Going.” Hulda handed him his belt. He strapped it on as he fol owed Hubert out of the swineherd’s hut.
    Sunlight hit him in his eyes with screaming force. Hubert gave him a push and he