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She inched her way along the hall and toward the steps that would bring her to her father’s table for dinner Reluctantly, she started down the stairs, enjoying her vantage point of the hall
The fa meal drifted up to her Serfs bustled about, ether and settled benches along each one Female serfs stood aside, ready with trenchers and crudely carved wooden cups to place on the tables The three dogs that were allowed in the hall slept next to the fire, knowing that their scraps would come much later Maris allowed those three hounds in the hall only because they were her father’s favorite hunting dogs--or had been before one was blinded, one lost a leg, and the third got so old he couldn’t run any longer
A group of rossed in ga ale and sharing jests Still others were flirting with the fe to find one to share their bed, no doubt
Maris’s feet brought her closer to the bottom of the stairs--directly across the room from her father’s table She wove her way carefully between the tables, serfs, and men-at-arms toward the dais As soon as the dais carossed in conversation with a ave a little lurch of disappoint Her betrothed Praise God, at least he seee, and he had all of his hair If she were truly fortunate, he’d be in possession of a full set of teeth as well And even sitting next to her broad-shouldered father, the guest was solid and ihtened her shoulders, lifted her chin, and drew a deep, steadying breath She had no choice in the in this on her own ter and with confidence
Just then, the dark-haired man looked up, directly at her, and in that horrible instant, she recognized hiht
Fro with the sarin that was reflected in the woman’s face--albeit briefly For, no sooner had their eyes met than the surprise disappeared from her expression
Thus, he atteined the flash of recognition there There was the faulty light in the hall, and the distance…surely she wasn’t the woht The one whom he’d nearly trampled, insulted and then propositioned?
He’d lost track of what he’d been saying to Lord Merle and as she made her way closer to the dais, he found it i woman’s beauty--which was undeniable, even fro doo black storold: froth sleeves of her gown As she drew closer, he scrutinized her closely--absent the conversation with Merle as he held onto the rapidly disintegrating hope that he was mistaken But, no, the nearer she caan to settle over Dirick’s features as he recalled the rude and angry words he’d shouted at her the night before The fact that he’d nearly flattened her
His next question--as she?--was soon answered, but not before he privately agonized over whether he’d insulted his lord’s wife, his hter, Maris
When she reached the dais, her gaze flitted over hi on her father
"Ah, my love," Merle stood to take her hand His affection for her was evident in the tone of his voice as well as the gleam in his eyes
That Dirick evendesperately to think of so to say in defense of his actions After all, what the hell had a noble lady been doing dressed in peasant clothes, wandering through the town alone--in the ht struck hie their ht alone?
"Sir Dirick de Arlande, uhter God’s teeth, of all the women he could have accosted…
"’Tis a pleasure, ertips, wondering what on earth had possessed Bernard to reject the beautiful creature standing before him He noticed the stains and scratches on what should have been a lily white hand with interest and wondered what she did other than e, Sir Dirick," she said steadily
Her refusal to nore their previous htly
As she took a seat on the far side of her father, Merle said, "Sir Dirick is lately arrived from France--Paris, I believe I knew his father quite well, and he’ll be staying with us for sora, Merle’s wife, arrived at that moment Dirick was immediately struck by the difference between the toh table Other than the same sensual shape to their nize that they were hter
While the lady of the manor was certainly beautiful, it was in a soft, alhter, however, sparkled not only through her choice of clothing and jewels, but also in her eyes and countenance She was vibrant whilst her mother was soft-spoken and dera, and as his antly as the fine courtier he was No sooner had she sipped from her wine than he refilled it Her meat was cut swiftly into bite sized chunks with the knife that he kept at his waist She had the choicest pieces of bread, the sweetest shtly flirtatious conversation--sohly skilled