Free Twelfth Night by Flora Speer

happy years
together, for I hope and pray we have.”
    She sensed that he could not tolerate much
more emotional talk about their possible parting or he would forget
his position as strong lord of the castle and battle-hardened
knight. She did not want to see his pride so broken, nor could she
endure the thought of separation from him. Together they would
pretend that she was at Shotley for an extended visit and thus
maintain their composure. She took the hand he held out to her and
answered him as lightly as she could.
    “Indeed, my dearest lord, let us discover
what this day holds for us.”
     
    They found the great hall nearly empty. A few
maidservants were there, shaking crumbs off the tablecloths into
the rushes on the floor and then replacing the cloths so the tables
could be set for the midday feast.
    “We will keep holiday state until Twelfth
Night,” Adam told Aline, “with a great feast each midday that will
last until evening, and whatever entertainment we can make for
ourselves. Some years we have a minstrel to sing for us or tell
stories, but the foul weather has kept such wanderers away this
season. Still, we can rely on Blaise to sing for us.”
    Blaise did not look as if he would care to
sing anytime soon. He stood before the nearer fireplace with a
flagon of beer in one hand and a sullen look on his face. For Adam
he had a brief greeting, for Aline a glare and an accusation.
    “What right have you to interfere in my
marriage?” he demanded. “You have been filling my wife’s head with
nonsense.”
    “You will speak more politely to our guest,”
Adam commanded. “I asked Aline to speak to Connie – er, Constance –
to try to discover why she is so unhappy, and if there is some way
to help her, and you, to be more contented.”
    Blaise fell silent. Aline knew he loved and
respected his father, so she didn’t think he would take offense at
what Adam had just said. With Adam backing her, she dared to speak
what was on her own mind.
    “It’s not just your marriage, Blaise.
It’s Connie’s marriage, too, and if either of you is unhappy, the
other partner will also be unhappy. Notice I said partner . I
know the law says your wife belongs to you, but Connie is something
more than chattel. She is a person, with hopes and dreams of her
own.”
    “How dare you?” Blaise began. Aline gave him
no chance to go further with what, judging from the look on his
face, would become a blistering attack.
    “Have you ever taken Connie to Normandy?” she
asked.
    “Why should I?” demanded Blaise. “She would
only weep and complain, and I shudder to think what crossing the
Narrow sea would be like with her. She’d be seasick all the
way.”
    “You won’t know that for sure until you give
her the chance to be sick, or not be sick,” Aline told him. “Did
you know that Connie longs to travel?”
    “She does?” Blaise looked baffled. “No, I did
not know that.”
    “Did you ever ask her about it? Or ask her
opinion on any other subject?”
    “I did at first, but she only stammered and
got confused, so I stopped.”
    “She wants to please you,” Aline said. “She’s
afraid to voice her own opinions for fear you won’t approve of
them.”
    “She was not afraid last night.” Blaise
looked sullen again. “She told me exactly what she thought of what
I was doing.”
    “Did she?” Aline smiled at him. “I’m glad to
hear it. You are making progress, then.”
    “Aline is right,” Adam said. “In my opinion,
you have been too high-handed in your treatment of your wife. Be
kinder to her, speak more gently. She’s like a skittish foal who
needs a gentle hand to reassure her that you won’t hurt her.”
    “As you were gentle with my mother?” said
Blaise in a sarcastic tone.
    “Judith was a different kind of woman. We
understood each other well.” Adam took a deep breath, glanced at
Aline, and went on. “A man can learn from his mistakes, Blaise, and
the wisest man of all learns from the