The Iron Knight (The De Russe Legacy Book 3) by Kathryn Le Veque Page A

te merite pas .”
    Juno smiled faintly at her cousin. “Ambition has always ruled Papa,” she said, pulling off the second doeskin glove. “It is not a matter of greed. I do not believe he is deliberately cruel. He simply wants the House of de Saix to be more prestigious than anyone else. That is why he sought this marriage with de Russe; regardless of how I felt or who I wanted to marry, he pestered the king and begged until Henry finally relented. I do not know if de Russe knows any of that. Mayhap it is better if he does not. This is all some grand move in Papa’s game of politics.”
    Aricia finished pulling the scarf away from her face, revealing badly marred skin with great redness and pustules. It was particularly bad around her mouth and beneath her cheekbones. She was very pale, with pale lashes and eyebrows, and a rather angular face and big jaw. Aricia was from Juno’s mother’s side of the family, and that entire family was from France in the Bordeaux region, very pale and wispy people.
    But Juno didn’t share those family traits. Though her hair was dark, her skin was pale and clear, and she was rather pretty. Not wildly beautiful, but she had a pale and lush beauty she very carefully maintained with expensive creams and oils, things she had learned about whilst fostering in some of the country’s finer castles. They were expensive potions but her father bought them without hesitation if he thought it would make her more attractive to a wealthy husband.
    Therefore, Juno knew how to make her skin soft and her teeth clean, and she even knew how to use cosmetics, but all she would really use was lip rouge on occasion, just enough to give her pale face some color. With all of her knowledge from the worldly houses she had fostered in, she tried to help Aricia with her terrible skin but that type of skin seemed to be allergic to everything. It was an awful condition that also affected the back and shoulders and chest. White willow powder, when applied, seemed to be the only thing that would calm the flare-ups but, for the most part, Aricia was resigned to a life of covering up. She had quite a lovely collection of scarves and veils to do this with, but Juno felt very sorry for her cousin.
    Still, Aricia’s attitude was one of resilience. She hadn’t fostered in the fine houses that her cousin had. In fact, she’d never really fostered at all. She had lived for most of her life in France at her grandmother’s home, raised by women when her father abandoned the family. She had learned to dress finely and cover her skin cleverly. She had also acquired the talents of dressing hair and sewing the latest fashions, and Juno happily allowed her cousin to dress her in every way. Aricia always made her look quite beautiful. They made a companionable pair, the two of them, now in residence at Spelthorne Castle for the inspection of the great Sir Lucien de Russe.
    Juno had to admit that she wasn’t looking forward to it.
    Lost in thoughts of the coming introduction to her potential husband, Juno set her gloves aside and was preparing to loosen her sleeves when there was a knock at the door. Aricia gasped, as she was without her scarf covering her face, so Juno waited until Aricia was properly covered before opening the door.
    Two servants were standing outside, women, and they were carrying food and wine. Juno admitted them and the women rushed it, putting it all upon the small table, before dashing out.
    When Juno went to close the door behind them, she could see two more servants, male this time, carrying a big tub between them, so she opened the door wide as the men brought the linen-lined copper tub into the chamber and set it carefully on the floor.
    In fact, Juno stood back, and Aricia pressed herself into a corner, as a cavalcade of servants came in and out of the chamber, not only bringing food and tubs, but water and wood as well. People scurried in and out as Juno and Aricia watched it all, watching the