I t seemed to Kristen that Lord Eldred had been waiting for her to appear, for no sooner did she reach the cooking area and Eda shoved a bowl of gruel into her hands, than he left his seat across the hall and approached her. She felt no trepidation, seeing him come, and sat down on a stool at the end of the worktable by the window to begin eating.
The hall seemed back to normal, the servants quietly working, several of Royce's men lounging about. It would have been normal, except for the extra women around Lady Darrelle in her portion of the hall. The female guests. She heard snatches of conversation from them about a hunt, and assumed that was where the King and his nobles had gone—all but Lord Eldred.
"You come late to your work, wench."
He had sat down at the end of the long trestle table that would not be taken down until after the guests departed. The end of the table was five or six feet away from Kristen's table. Two other women were working there, but she knew he spoke to her. They looked at him; Kristen did not.
But she did answer. "So I do."
Several long moments of silence followed, then he said, "I see you are no longer being punished."
" 'Twas no punishment that had me chained," she replied mildly as she continued to eat.
"Aye, I know you said 'twas because you are dangerous." There was derision in his tone. "I might even have believed that after yestermorn, except that you would not have your freedom now if 'twas true."
She shrugged. "Mayhap Lord Royce feels there is a greater danger here now than myself."
"What danger? Curse you, look at me when I speak to you!"
Her eyes lifted slowly, finally fixing on his angry features. His face was red. There was an ugly slant to his mouth. He was not so handsome in his anger.
Her own look dismissed him, as if he were no more worthy of her attention than a rangy dog. She went back to eating before she gave an answer.
"You were the danger, milord. I have my freedom to protect myself. Lord Royce knows I do that very well."
She was ignoring him again. Eldred had never in his life been treated this way by a woman. Women fawned over him, they loved him, they fought each other for his favor. This one treated him as if he were beneath her notice, and she a slave! He could kill her for that. If they were alone, he would have her beneath him—where she would pay dearly for her contempt.
"Royce chained you," Eldred sneered, "just as he chains those savages in the yard who build his wall. Tell me, wench, does he chain you to his bed as well?"
He heard the women beside her gasp at his crudity, but the one to whom it was directed was not affected by his words at all. She sat there in calm serenity, eating her food, and he wanted to strangle her for it. How had she managed to make him lose control? He had wanted only to taunt and ridicule her, to make her pay for what she had done yestermorn.
There would be gossip if he did not leave go, gossip such as he had heard this morn: that Royce had not even waited until he was alone to summon her to his bed, but had escorted her from the hall. Blatantly he had made known his preference for a slave—a slave!—and in front of his King!
Eldred wished he had been present to see that bit of foolishness. But he had been loath to face Royce in Alfred's presence after Alden had made clear to him that this slave was special to Royce. It would be just like Royce to take issue with Eldred for what he had tried to do, and Eldred never won where Royce was concerned. He had worked too hard to gain Alfred's respect to lose it in an altercation with Royce over a slave.
But he still could not leave go. His anger was too great. It could only be appeased by her humiliation.
"Bring me ale, wench," he ordered harshly. When one of the other servants moved to do so, he snapped, "Nay, the Viking wench will do it."
She was looking at him now, by God. But Eldred felt only a moment's satisfaction to have gained her full attention at last, for her eyes were sparkling with humor!
"If you truly want ale, milord, you had best let Edrea fetch it. If she does not, you will have to get it yourself."
"You refuse to serve me?"
Kristen was hard pressed to keep from smiling. "Nay, milord," she said quietly. "I follow Lord Royce's orders —when it pleases me. And it pleases me that he has forbidden me to serve his guests."
She had pushed him too far. It took him only a second to reach her. He yanked her to her feet with one hand, while the other drew back to strike her. She did not give him the chance, shoving him away.
Eldred came at her again, but was stopped this time by a harsh voice behind him. "Do not touch her, milord."
He swung around, staring furiously at Royce's serf Seldon. Another of Royce's retainers was just behind him. Both had their hands resting on their sword hilts.
"Nay, I will not be stopped this time!" Eldred growled. "The wench will be punished."
"Not by you. Lord Royce's orders are that no one touches the woman."
Unexpectedly, Kristen became angry at that. "I need no help with this cur. I would have carved him with his own weapon."
Before they knew what she was about, she snatched Eldred's dagger from his waist. It was pure contempt that made her stab it into the table instead of keeping it to ward him off. For that humiliation, he ignored the warning he had been given and backhanded her. Kristen retaliated by joining her fists and swinging at his jaw. The blow slammed Eldred into the table; he half fell over it. Royce's men helped him up, but did not let go of him, though he was struggling and blustering.
Over the noise Eldred was making, Kristen could hear Darrelle shrieking and looked to see her rushing toward the entrance. Then she groaned inwardly, for Royce stood there—and not alone, but with Alfred beside him. And Royce looked fit to kill. He dismissed Darrelle with a sharp word.
Eldred heard Royce and stopped struggling. The two men saw him now and let Eldred go. Not one of them moved as Royce and the King crossed the hall to them.
Nothing of what she was feeling showed in Kristen's expression. Outwardly she was calm, while inwardly she trembled. This was all her fault. She had deliberately provoked the lordling. She had hoped to make him furious, and had. And now she would pay for that spite. Royce looked furious enough to do worse than merely chain her again.
Eldred saw a chance for revenge and took it, beseeching Alfred before Royce could speak. "Milord, I demand retribution against this slave. Twice she has raised arms against your nobles. Lord Randwulf lies abed with a broken rib from a chain she wielded against him. Now she dares to strike me and—"
Seldon broke into this recital to tell Royce, "He was warned, milord, that 'twas your will no one touch her."
"Is that true, Eldred?" Alfred asked quietly.
"She provoked me!" Eldred insisted.
"It matters not the why," Alfred replied. "She is not yours to chastise, and you were warned against it. This disturbance in the home of your host is transgression enough. You will leave us, and will not return to court until you are summoned."
Eldred paled at that announcement. He seemed about to protest, but must have thought better of it, for he nodded curtly and withdrew.
Royce watched him leave the hall, his fists clenched at his sides. "I would you had not done that, milord."
Alfred was wise enough not to smile. "I know. You would have preferred to draw your sword against him. But have patience, my friend. Wessex needs every man at this time, even those of Eldred's ilk. When we have a true peace, you may settle your quarrel with him."
Royce glanced sharply at his King, and then some of the tension left him and he nodded. He then looked to Kristen. He stepped toward her, putting his large hand over the red mark on her cheek.
"Are you all right?"
Kristen could have crumbled right there at his feet, her relief was so great. That look of black rage had not been for her. Unfortunately, once relief took hold, Kristen's anger shot to the fore. No longer fearing reprisal, she remembered what had made her lose her temper earlier.
She pointed a stiff finger at Royce's two men. "I do not need your watchdogs, milord."
His hand dropped away from her cheek. "So we saw."
They saw? Unease tempered her anger. Very well they had seen, but they had not heard what happened She glanced at the two retainers to see if they would say anything more. They were looking at her too. Seldon was grinning at her. They did not speak up now, but they might later. And what they could tell Royce was that she had goaded Eldred with her tongue, that with her insults she had courted the slap he gave her.
More of her anger was tempered. Only resentment remained, and this she voiced quietly. "I know why you set them on me, milord. 'Twas not for my protection for you know I am my own protector. They replace my fetters, to see I do not escape. Is this how you trust me?"
Royce frowned now. With Alfred privy to the conversation, he would not placate her. He could not. Yet he knew Kristen well enough by now to know that to have her angry with him made all dealings with her most difficult, and he was the only one to suffer for that.
"Until we strike our bargain, vixen, do not question what I do."
His tone was harsh, the dark emerald of his eyes telling. Too late Kristen remembered Alfred's presence She stole a glance at him, to find that he was amused by this argument between slave and lord. God's teeth! How could she be such a fool as to challenge Royce in front of his King? And she had indeed forgotten about that bargain Royce had mentioned.
She was not too proud to admit her mistakes. She offered Royce a hesitant smile. She offered him more to make amends.
"Forgive me, milord. My tongue ofttimes runs away with me. And I am sorry for the disturbance. Lord Eldred meant to anger me—and I meant to anger him We both succeeded, but I regret you had to witness such folly."
Royce was stunned more by her apology than by her confession. But it was the confession that made the King of Wessex throw back his leonine head and laugh.
"God's mercy, Royce. Such honesty is frightening. And I thought to envy you your prize. Nay, sir, she is too blunt for a court rife with subtleties and false words of flattery."
Royce snorted. "She was not offered, milord."
Kristen gasped at that bold statement, but Alfred did not take offense. In fact he laughed again.
"I see her bluntness is contagious. I will do well to keep my other nobles away from her, or I will never again hear what an excellent hunter I am."
Now Royce chuckled. "You will not lack such praise today, milord, not when you have yourself supplied our evening fare."
They walked away then, but not before Royce gave Kristen a curious look, then a half smile. She had appeased him as she had intended. Later, he would have to appease her.