The Holding - Book 1 in The Medieval Knights Series Read Free Page A

could not think why. They would marry no matter how he found her, pleasing or no; it was the king's command. It was how Greneforde looked to him that mattered, after all.
    Arranging her clothing with nimble fingers that shook almost imperceptibly, Cathryn stood for a moment fingering the heavy fabric. Below, she could make out the sound of footsteps on the stair. Someone, she could not distinguish who, was calling to Albert as he manned the tower gate, and Albert called back in the negative. William le Brouillard had not yet arrived. But he soon would. Gradually, almost cautiously, she moved to the wind hole and looked out at the courtyard stretching away to the curtain. Alys was stretching to reach an apple high on a tree in the orchard, the basket at her feet only half-full. Tybon was whisking a comb through the long coat of the only remaining inhabitant of the stable, fussing over her as if he were a powerful warhorse and not a tired mare. From the corner of her eye she watched Marie slide along the shadow of the kitchen, her eyes downcast and her shoulders bunched up to her ears, looking for her, Cathryn was certain. She smiled, touched more deeply than she should be that someone cared so tenderly for her. Yet for Marie's peace of mind, for all the people of Greneforde, she dared not admit that the coming of le Brouillard frightened her.
    He would arrive at any moment; it was unlikely that his messenger would have preceded him by more than half a day. By nightfall she would be wed, and on the heels of that... She could follow that line of thought no further. He could be any manner of man, one who took without giving, one who would strip Greneforde of its struggling life and leave for richer holdings. She did not know, could not know until she had looked into his eyes and taken his measure, and the not knowing consumed her. One thing she knew: she would protect Greneforde in any way she could until she discovered the caliber of the man King Henry had contracted for her.
    She did not think of protecting herself.
    Breathing deeply and straightening her shoulders, she walked down one flight of steps to the lord's chamber. It would be the chamber of her new husband. The bed was dressed with the best Greneforde had to offer. A fire had been laid. The wash-stand was ready with fresh water. Not looking at the bed again, Cathryn nodded curtly in approval and left the room. It was past time to check the progress of the meal.
    * * *
    Alys carried the apple basket into the kitchen and plopped it on the dirt floor.
    "The trees are truly naked now," she announced.
    John looked at her over his shoulder and remarked softly, "They have given up their bounty for the best of causes."
    "I would not have her disgraced in any way that we can prevent," Eldon declared, speaking for them all. "The new lord and his men will eat and eat well, even if we do not eat at all."
    "We will eat," Lan offered as he cut into the pork, "but it could well be stew."
    Alys wiped her hands on her apron before she began preparing the fruit for baking.
    "A hot meal is always welcome," she remarked in her straightforward way.
    "Will a new lord be as welcome?" Lan asked.
    "With a new lord comes the means of procuring more meat," John responded. "He shall improve our lot, for which we shall be grateful."
    "Perhaps," Lan persisted, his knife hacking into the flesh of the pig, "but perhaps not."
    "Nay," John interjected, kindly but firmly, "there will be no questioning, no speculation, no doubting as to that. A new lord comes and he will be welcome. Think on our lady: an orphan at the dawning, betrothed at the first meal, and a wife before close of day. Nay," he repealed more forcefully, "not a whisper will pass your lips of 'perhaps not' for the sake of Lady Cathryn, if no other purpose will serve."
    Lan said no more after that, stricken that his careless tongue could have caused Lady Cathryn to bear a heavier burden than the one she already bore. John's words had been