Free SirenSong by Roberta Gellis Page B

be
long.”
    She was not and came out smiling, although she breathed deep
to get the stink of the place out of her nose. “A very likely babe,” she said
approvingly, as Raymond cupped his hands for her to step in to mount. “I hope
it lives. The poor woman lost two children this past winter, although one was
only a daughter.”
    “They are very free with you,” Raymond said stiffly.
    “How so free?” Alys looked surprised. “All creatures wish to
show their young to their masters. Does not my bitch pull me by the skirt to
admire her pups? Why should Wulf be more shy? Both serve Papa well, and both
need a pat now and again to show we notice them.”
    That seemed quite logical. Raymond nodded, suddenly
realizing that he had lost a level of society. As he and his father would
occasionally stop at the manor of a very minor vassal for a special event—a
wedding or the knighting of a son—so Alys, daughter to a minor vassal, visited
a hut to do honor to her servants. Once he recognized the situation, it lost
its repugnance. Raymond began to ask questions about the tenure of the land,
how rents were paid, how many serfs compared to how many villein freeholders
there were. Alys answered readily, all the information at the tip of her
tongue.
    By the time they turned homeward, they were arguing freely
on the relative merits of rents in money or in kind and whether it was more
economical to take labor service from serfs or higher rentals from free men and
then pay for labor. From time to time Raymond lost the thread of the argument when
he contemplated the sweet, rosy lips from which the words came.
    Alys did not lose the thread of her conversation, because
she knew her subject so well, but scarcely half her mind was given to the
argument. The rest of her thoughts considered Raymond himself. There could no
longer be any doubt that he was the scion of a really great house. Rentals in
terms of marks, rather than pennies, and labor in terms of knight service,
rather than sowing and reaping, could only be the business of the son of a high
noble. Alys, however, was no nearer knowing what Raymond’s purpose was. He
showed no contempt or indifference to what she was telling him. And she did not
think the interest was spurious. He was clearly giving his mind to the subject,
except for a momentary distraction now and again. The cause of that was obvious
because of the way his eyes rested on her face, and it made him all the more
attractive to Alys. Admiration was written large in Raymond’s eyes, but not one
word of praise or entreaty passed his lips. The self-restraint was admirable.
The lively intelligence was refreshing. All in all, Alys found Raymond the most
attractive young man she had ever met.
    If only she had been able to guess what his purpose was,
what the king’s purpose was. If it were evil, she could settle her mind to
dislike and distrust Raymond, in which case he would soon be gone. But Alys
wished very much that Raymond’s purpose were innocent. She was lonely for the
company of someone young of her own class. She missed Harold, with whom she had
gone hawking and played games. It would be so nice if…
    To curb her treacherous feelings, Alys went to report her
findings to her father as soon as she was back in the keep. He was where she
wanted him to be, engaged in finishing his letter to Richard of Cornwall.
    “Raymond is no simple knight, Papa,” she said as soon as she
closed the door.
    William looked up at her. “No, I thought not myself. Has he
told you—”
    “He told me nothing of himself, but I took him over the
demesne as you—”
    “You took him!” William exploded, laying down his
quill and pushing the parchment out of his way. “I thought you had more sense
than to go riding alone with a man we know nothing about. What the devil—”
    “Oh Papa, do not be so silly. What do you think he could do
to me astride a horse? Besides, I am not such a fool. I was riding Vitesse and
I had him atop old