hide it. But I didn’t want to give you away, so I rounded up the others first.”
“You cheated!” she accused him.
“Hardly. I was being chivalrous by keeping your secret.”
“That’s not how the game should be played.”
He laughed at her reprimand. “I’ll keep that in mind should I ever play it again.”
Cecily shook her head. “Come. The herb garden is this way.”
She took a side path, and within moments, the smells alone told him they had reached the herb garden. Plants grew in rows, all contained within squares. The pattern was tidy and practical, allowing a gardener to reach any plant without needing to step too far from the little gravel pathways. Though Alric knew nothing of gardening, he could tell this place was well cared for.
“You’ve made the garden your domain?” he surmised. “You always liked flowers.”
“My choices are few,” she replied, looking over the silver-washed scene with pride. “By learning the uses of plants, I can do the most good. Follow me. I need to harvest mint tonight. The weather is good, cool and clear. I’m glad I could come…after what happened.” She looked away from him, hiding her expression.
“Rafe would never dare hurt you.”
“I don’t wish to discuss him,” she said, bending down to the ground. She plucked some of the mint and began chewing it. “I love mint,” she murmured. “It always tastes so clean.”
She plucked a few more leaves and offered them to Alric. “Here. It is a very fine variety. I take care to not let it crossbreed with the duller wild mint. If I did, the taste would soon become muddy.”
Alric tried it. The sharpness of spearmint cut through the richer taste from the feast foods he’d eaten earlier.
Cecily began harvesting the stems of mint, placing them in the basket she’d left out for that purpose. Her slim silver knife made quick work of the plants.
Alric looked about the sheltered garden. It was quiet and peaceful here. The sounds of the manor were masked, so they seemed to be the only people in the world. The moon rose above them, so bright it obscured most stars. The air was cool, the sky clear. He took a long breath. This was good, he told himself. This was exactly what he needed after so long on campaign.
After several minutes of diligent work, she stood. “That’s enough for now. If you will follow me, I have to go to the hut and hang these to dry.”
He carried the basket for her, not that the weight of the mint was remotely heavy.
When they reached the little hut at the far end of the garden, Cecily opened the door. “Let me go in first and light the lantern, or else you’ll stumble on something.”
A warm glow soon illuminated the tiny hut. It was about fifteen paces from end to end, and only half as wide. A large worktable dominated the space, so anyone in the hut had to maneuver around it. The peaked ceiling displayed rafters every two feet. Drying herbs hung from most of them, lending an overwhelming scent of summer to the air. And in the middle of it all was Cecily.
Alric stepped into the glow, dazzled by the vision he saw. Her hair gleamed golden in the candlelight, and her smile was even brighter. This was the real Cecily, he thought, the girl he remembered. Not the cool and distant lady in the great hall.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Nothing. You just look so different than how you looked earlier. I was worried that you changed.”
“I’ve changed less than you think,” she said. “But my uncle needs a lady of the manor, so I play the part sometimes.”
She gestured to the large table, and Alric put the basket down upon it. “What must you do now?” he asked.
“I have to tie the stems into small bunches and then hang them over the rafters to dry. Since you’re taller, perhaps you could hang each bunch after I make it.”
Alric was content to wait for her to hand him small bunches of fragrant mint, stretching up to hang each string on one of the many pegs driven into
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