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“The girl Glenda had wrapped all the clothes she could steal in an old blanket. She tried to tell me that it was just the rags you had allowed her, Severin. Sir Roger believed we would kill him. I will say this, he didn’t whine like I expected him to. Nay, he sat straight on his horse and appeared to accept his death. When I asked him to give me the pouch of money, he stared at me. He shook his head. He swore he hadn’t taken it. Then he turned pale. He looked to the girl and merely held out his hand.”
Gwent paused a moment to drink from his wine goblet. Everyone was attending him. There wasn’t a sound in the great hall of Oxborough. He cleared his throat, this time speaking directly to Lady Moraine. “The girl Glenda said she didn’t have any pouch. She didn’t know what he was talking about. I merely took that stuffed dirty blanket from her and threw it to the ground. I opened it and kicked all the clothes away. And there was the pouch, wrapped in a shift.”
He paused and speared a piece of pork onto his knife. Lady Moraine placed her hand lightly on his forearm. “What happened, Gwent? Come, you have held it all in for far too long. My beloved son would not tell me anything. Tell us now.”
Gwent almost belched, but he managed to hold it in. Not in Lady Moraine’s face, at least he knew not to do that. He cleared his throat yet again. “I dally not, my lady, it’s just that what followed is best not told *J in yow hearing.”
Lady Moraine lifted her eating knife and gently pressed the point against Gwent’s neck, a clean neck since he had bathed just that afternoon, bless Saint Sebastian’s arrow-pierced body. Gwent said quickly, “I stripped her naked just as Lord Severin had done. I took all the clothes and the pouch and brought them back to Langthorne. My men and I left her there with Sir Roger just staring down at her. The men would have taken her, but I did not allow it. No, we just left her there in the middle of the road. There was no love or lust in Sir Roger’s eyes, my lady, when he looked down at her. None at all. I know not what happened, but I imagine that Sir Roger left her there.”
1 8 2
«You stripped off her shoes, Gwent?” Lady M^ine asked’ leanine close.
“Aye, my lady, every stitch of covering.”
, „, j 1, my shoes and forced “That is good. You remember that Glenda tooK J
me into the forest.”
Gwent laughed, and rubbed his hands together. “^ mg pU
for her then, my lady.” .
i i i j j ndded with approval, And even as Hastings listened, laughed, and n0a rr
i • ci, ,*s thinking instead ot
she wasn t paying them much attention now. She W»’ °
, , , , . i T j m ^che knew about this
Lady Blanche. She was wondering how Lady Blar^
, , , , , i 11 tfd to attack her hus-
wildness, how she, a lady, had known that she wantc
band and be attacked by him. It was confusing.
, , , 11 i uo was still thinking ot
When she was at her bath a good hour later, she
Lady Blanche. She turned to Dame Agnes. “We mtf a”
Belle.”
,1 i i r ^«faction. “Your lord “Ah,” said Dame Agnes with a goodly deal of sat15
experiments, does he?” , ,
, , , • t. i u Vr)lisee,SirThurstons
Aye, but that is not what I wish to ask about. Y o
i i , , , , c j -A even when she was
bride wanted rough play; she was fierce and was wi^ .
r i i -u -11 TU .never heard of this,
still a virgin. Afterward, she was wilder still. 1 have
I do not understand it. And I want to.”