Free Love Everlasting by Flora Speer Page B

pleasant smile that masked his inner
turmoil. What in the name of heaven was wrong here? What was
Julianna hiding now? Why was she so frightened? The best way to
learn the answers to those questions lay in keeping Marie as
Julianna’s personal maid, at least for a short time. “My dear, you
know you will require someone in attendance when you go to church,
or if you want to explore the marketplace, or just stroll through
the gardens. Every noblewoman has a maid to accompany her. Suppose
you decide to purchase some of the interesting wares the merchants
set out each market day? Who will carry the parcels for you?”
    “Assign a squire to me,” she said. “Or a
page.”
    “At the moment I have no one suitable,” Royce
said. “I came to Caen so precipitously that I brought only a few
retainers with me, choosing to rely on Cadwallon’s men-at-arms for
protection along the way. I think you must keep Marie, and perhaps
one or two other servants, as well.”
    “No! Please, my lord, indulge me in
this.”
    Royce saw the sudden brightness of unshed
tears in her eyes and his heart lurched within his chest. Whatever
her true reasons for wanting to be rid of her servants, he could
tell she was deeply upset at being made to retain them. He was
extremely annoyed at the way her distress was making him feel
uncomfortable. He could not allow sympathy to cloud his
thinking.
    “I wanted to begin anew,” she said, as if she
could read his thoughts, “with nothing of my old life following me
into my marriage with you.”
    Very sweet. Commendable, even. A charming
compliment to her new husband. If the excuse was true. Was it true?
Or was it a lie?
    Royce prided himself on his ability to
comprehend the real meaning behind a man’s words or his behavior.
He was beginning to realize how little he knew of the real
intentions of women. To be precise, how little he knew about his
wife’s true loyalties or her intentions. In his inability to
understand her motives lay her power to draw him ever closer to
her. While he resisted the desire to tear off her linen shift and
his own clothes and fling her upon the bed and have her yet again,
Julianna’s sour-visaged maid stepped forward.
    “I will dress you now, my lady,” Marie said,
reaching for the comb in Julianna’s hand. “Then I will arrange your
hair properly. That is the order in which your preparations for the
day should proceed. You have been going about it backwards.”
    “Just a moment, Marie.” Royce spoke in his
most commanding tone. “Before you attend your mistress, you must be
clear about the terms under which you remain in my household.
Assuming I allow you to remain.”
    Marie whirled on him, her eyes blazing, and
for an instant Royce wondered if she was going to raise her hand to
him. The situation grew more interesting by the moment. Did Marie
ever threaten Julianna, or lift a hand to strike her? The thought
was incomprehensible in the usual order of master or mistress to
servant. Royce knew the usual order was not always what it seemed.
To protect his wife, he was going to have to set definite
limits.
    “Julianna, two days ago we made a bargain,”
he said, looking at her over Marie’s head. “Now, I suggest a second
agreement. You may dispose of all your other servants as you see
fit, but you know very well that you do require a maidservant, and
especially when traveling. Let us agree that Marie will stay on
with you temporarily.”
    “For how long?” Julianna demanded.
    “We leave Caen tomorrow. King Henry intends
to hold his Christmas court at Norwich and he expects us to be
there. After Norwich, you and I will visit Craydon Castle before we
continue on to Wortham. The exact length of our stay at Norwich, or
at Craydon, will depend upon the weather, but we should reach
Wortham by early February. Once we are there, since you wish to
have a servant not connected to either of your previous marriages,
you may dismiss Marie and send her back to Dol. I will