The White Lord of Wellesbourne by Kathryn Le Veque Page B

glass
vial of perfume oil out of one of the capcases.   She dabbed the scent of roses
and violets on her lady’s slender shoulders.
    “There,” she said with quiet
approval. “Any man in this kingdom would be proud to have ye, m’lady. You go
into that hall tonight and show those Wellesbourne men what they have been
missin’.”
    Alixandrea felt much better with
Jezebel’s encouragement. The woman was her staunchest supporter and her
harshest critic.  “Will you be all right tonight while I am at sup?” she asked
her.
    “I shall find my way, m’lady.
Have no worries.”
    Satisfied her maid would not
starve, she stood up and began to pace around. The chamber was very small,
hardly enough room for the bed, chair and small table, but it was comfortable
and more than likely the cleanest room in the keep. Of that she was moderately
sure.  She started to chew her lip but tasted the ointment and stopped. Then
she started to bite her nails, another bad habit, but Jezebel swatted her hands
so she clenched them into fists and lowered them. By the fourth trip around the
chamber, there was a soft knock at the door. Alixandrea froze as Jezebel opened
the panel.
    Four men stood in the very small
landing just outside the door.  She recognized Matthew right away, for he was
the first one in the doorway. But what she saw amazed her; he had cleaned up
from his harrowing day and stood in a pale linen tunic, leather breeches and
massive boots. He wore no armor at all. His face was washed and she was sure
from the smoothness of it that he had shaved. His blue eyes glittered at her as
she came near, and the four men bowed deeply.
    “My lady,” Matthew said. “We have
come to escort you to sup.”
    “And just who might ‘we’ be, my
lord?”
    “My brothers,” Matthew indicated
them in order. “Mark, Luke, and Johnny.”
    “Just the four of you?”
    “That’s all there is.”
    A faint smile played on her lips
as she inspected the group; she recognized Mark only because she had met him
earlier on their frantic ride to Wellesbourne. He was the shortest brother,
stocky, with thinning black hair and a neatly trimmed black beard.  Beside him
stood Luke, who was as tall as Matthew but only half as wide. He smiled timidly
when their eyes met. The last brother was one she had yet to see, a tall,
slender young lad of perhaps twenty years with a head of wavy blond hair.  John
Wellesbourne had freckles all over his face and grinned shyly when she looked
at him. 
    “A genuine pleasure, my lords,”
she dipped in a smooth curtsy. “I am honored.”
    Matthew extended his hand. “If my
lady is ready, sup awaits.”
    She allowed him to lead her from
the chamber and assist her down the steps. In fact, Matthew and Mark made sure
to stay in front of her, admonishing her to watch her step on the narrow
stairs.  John and Luke hovered just behind her, each vying for the spot
directly behind her. The stair well was too narrow for them to descend side by
side, so someone had to go first and someone had to bring up the rear. Luke
lost the battle when John finally shoved him out of the way and nearly made him
lose his footing.
    Another spiral stair led from the
third floor to the second. This stairwell was wider, but it was nonetheless
steep. Matthew walked backwards, making sure she kept a grip on him as she
descended. It would not due for the lady to trip on her elegant gown and break
her neck. He could see John and Luke fighting behind her, slapping each other
around, but he ignored them. Like eager boys, they were immediately taken with
the latest addition to Wellesbourne.
    The second floor of the keep
housed the enormous hall. There was a small entry way, into which the stairwell
was built, and the main hall off of that. When the five of them got to the
bottom of the stairs, Lady Caroline and an older man, stocky with thinning gray
hair, were waiting for them.
    Lady Caroline gracefully
curtsied. “My lady,” she greeted, reaching out