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"I do hope you like the gown, my dear I hired a woman to make it the moment I reached London I knew &039;twould take several days for h and for hih ifter than I expected He also left for here directly afterwith Richard&039;s solicitor, while I had to wait until later in the day for your gown to be finished before I could follow"

Willa made sympathetic noises as they entered the castle and crossed the hall to the stairs She knew from experience that was the only response necessary Lord Wynekyn was so of a talker

" &039;Twas quiet a trial, I can tell you," he said with a laugh as they ascended the stairs "I did not have you there for measurehter appeared to me to be the same size as yourself, so she stood in for you Then the woman wished to knohat style she shouldabout ladies&039; fashions" He laughed at the very idea as they h the open door of a bedchamber "I simply told her to make it in the latest style, so I do hope it suits you"

The last was said as he gestured toward the bed, where a gown had been carefully laid out Its arms were spread wide to show off the fine trim and wide sleeves, its skirts flared to best effect

"The color of the cloth reminded me of your eyes," he said as Willa aze fixed on the soft blue-gray gown

It was quite the most beautiful dress she&039;d ever seen Willa could hardly believe it was hers Pausing at the foot of the bed, she reached out tentatively and brushed one finger lightly over the cloth A small breath slipped from her lips "So soft"

Wynekyn moved forward at once, his expression terribly sad as he clasped her shoulders and peered down at the goith her "Aye The softest material I could find There will be no ainst your skin, Willa That ti and able warrior He will keep you safe without the need for subterfuge Not that Richard was not a strong and able warrior, too," he rushed to add as if just realizing how his words ht be interpreted "He was But - "

Willa hushed hiainst his lips A smile bloomed on her face despite the tears that now filled her eyes "That part of my life is over now I shall have a husband, and children, and not need to hide &039;Tis a beautiful gown Thank you, uncle"

She threw her arratitude and simple happiness Wynekyn cleared his throat and patted her back, then turned quickly away to move toward the door when she released him She supposed thea suspicious wetness from his own cheeks even as Willa quickly brushed the silly tears from her own

"Well, I shall re tones as he reached the door "I shall have a bath ordered up and send Eada to help you dress"

"Oh nay!" Willa said quickly " &039;Twas a longas she used to be Let her rest I can dress myself"

"Nonsense! You are a lady now I shall see if I cannot find sohtly "Send for me when you are ready and I shall escort you below"

Willa returned his smile and nodded, then watched the door close behind hiain She stared down at the lovely gown for one mo it in her ar it close to her body It was beautiful Gorgeous The own ever ht wrinkle the gown, she pushed herself quickly off the bed Lifting the gown, she held it against the front of her body and peered down at herself, trying to see hoas going to look Sheover its softness

She was rubbing the petal-soft ainst her cheek for the u frolanced toward the door with a start It had been years since anyone had called her wee Willa Not since Luvena She peered at the older woman in the doorway Several moments passed before Willa realized who she was Luvena&039;s mother She and Luvena had been the only people to call her that name The rest of the servants had addressed her as "m&039;lady," but Luvena, as her friend, had chosen the nickname and her mother used it, too Willa had insisted on it

"Alsneta" She breathed the name uncertainly as it came to mind The woman looked like Luvena&039;s old hair had turned ray with just a few strands of color left to hint at its for face was now too thin and lined with misery She appeared a dried-up husk of the woman she&039;d been Yet her face was transformed when she broke into a smile

"You remember me" She sounded both surprised and pleased at the realization The sudden sain

"Of course I do," Willa ers to the bed, shethe woed her back Willa released her and said, "You helped raise e of lanced away toward the bed, unwilling to bring up Luvena or her death Spying the gown, she drew the woown Lord Wynekyn brought e the subject

When a lanced uncertainly at the older woled with Knowing that her presence own, touching it gently "I am sorry, Alsneta I did not own, is it not?" The older woman broke in with determined cheerfulness " &039;Twill look lovely oh you" Reaching past Willa, she picked it up "Lord Wynekyn asked me to send someone to help you dress I have been quite busy with the preparations for the feast, but everything is ready now and I thought it ht make you more comfortable to see a fa servant continued to chatter with deterht in and filled She talked right through undressing Willa, helping her with the bath, drying her hair before the fire, and continued on as she helped Willa into the nen Most of what she said was just chatter; gossip about servants Willa had yet to meet, tales of her sister who had died the year earlier, as well as complaints of her nephehorave with some of his antics Willa let it drift over her head as she enjoyed the extravagance of a bath She hadn&039;t even realized she hadbut the river since her tenth year There was no tub in the cottage It had been the river in the summer and a pitcher of water and basin for a hand bath in the winter Willa found it lovely to relax in fire-heated water

Warowns, and someone to fuss over her and help her dress - it all seemed like a little bit of heaven to her Willa was almost sorry when Alsneta pronounced her ready and hurried out to find Lord Wynekyn

"Well," Wynekyn saidjust inside the door Alsneta had left open Then, for the first time in all the years that Willa had known him, he did not speak He simply stared at her, his face full of wonder

Willa bea as beautiful as she had ever felt in her life "Is it not fine?" she asked, running her hand over the blue-grayshe had ever owned, even as a paown

"Aye, well" A slight fro carees I had not realized how snug a fit &039;twould be I was sure the dresshter was your size Obviously, I was&039;Tis a perfect fit, my lord," Willa assured him She ran her hands down over her hips with pleasure

Wynekyn followed the gesture with soht of you as a slender child Willowy and graceful But sorew - " He cut hiuely to her breasts and hips where the cloth of the gown clung lovingly

Willa gave a slightly eh at his be sleeve "You do not think that the sleeves e, do you?"

Wynekyn shook his head "Nay Long hanging sleeves are the style just now,his throat, he held out a hand "Well, coo below and see the deed done"

Willa gave up touching the goith soers into his He led her from the room

"My my my - "

"God," Jollivet supplied dryly as he followed Lucan&039;s wide eyes to see what had hi the stairs on Wynekyn&039;s treoddess would suit the situation better, I think"

Hugh turned toward the stairs at that and io as dry as ashes Willa had been lovely in her course peasant sacks, but she was glorious in the gown Wynekyn had given her A sigh frolance at first one, then the other of the two azes and had to wonder what the devil he was getting hi over the chit

The wedding was held on the steps of the chapel Father Brennan conducted the ceremony in a solemn tone while every servant and soldier of Hillcrest set down his work to witness it

Afterward, they all sat down for a celebratory rant with acelebratory es, tarts, bread, cheese, custard, , braised lettuces, gilded peacock, a festooned boar&039;s head, oysters steaarlic, a whole roast sheep with sour cherry sauce, pastries with pine nuts and sugar, frumenty and spiced uests to clean their hands Cook had truly outdone herself, especially given the short ah it all in a sort of daze, the co up on hi wearily in his seat, his eyelids drooping and threatening to close on him It hen he started awake nearly face down in his trencher that Hugh realized he was in danger of passing out froht That possibility was unacceptable to Hugh His gaze shifted around the room He was pretty sure that they had reached the final course, but wasn&039;t at all positive that the sotelty for this course had yet been presented There had already been a large eagle after the first course, then an effigy of St Andrew h after the second, and no, that was it The third and final sotelty had not yet been presented, he realized wearily Then the kitchen doors opened and the cook strode out

Alsneta was leading a parade of twelvea six-foot square castle It was an exact replica of Hillcrest, Hugh realized as she led the men to stand before him and Willa at the head table And well done, too, he noted as everyone began to ooh and ahh over it It appeared to be h The detail was rather aures that rese on the top steps of the castle It appeared he had a very talented cook here at Hillcrest, he realized with pride He nodded his approval to the woman even as he wondered if it were an edible sotelty Often such creations were not, but this one looked quite delicious He got his anshen the cook led the castle-bearing an hurrying out afers, fruit and a sweet called vyn dowce

The castle could not be consuills Everyone should be He noticed that Willa aving away any further food Thank God, he thought with relief as another fit of coughing overcame him He did not think he could sit at the table another h took a last sip of mulled wine to help clear his throat He forced a smile and tapped Willa on the shoulder to draw her attention fro with Wynekyn

"Do you not think you should go above stairs now?"