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She was relieved to see him. Her face brightened visibly when he called to her and she went forward to meet him.
“Ride with me?” he asked. “Gleowyn will gladly carry two.”
“Oh, yes,” Saeryn said, smiling outright. “I would love to.” She hurried to his side and he extended his hand downward. A foot on the stirrup and a heave upward and she was behind him. He turned Gleowyn’s head out and away they trotted.
For a while, there was a silence between the two of them. Finally, Saeryn broke it. “I am sorry how you were treated, Degas. I would Eodwine had been here. He would have stopped it. I would I could have stopped it.” Degas tarried in answering. Saeryn’s hands tightened as she gripped the back of the saddle. “Degas, he makes me so angry!”
“Why don’t you tell me what happened after I left?”
“He asked us to talk about what we needed to accomplish, but I wanted to gain a clear understanding of where we stood. After he had treated you so abominably, I didn’t know what he thought of the rest of us! I never got a clear answer on that question, though. Thank heaven Thornden was there, he kept a cool head on his shoulders, and tried to answer the man. But Athanar did come back to where everyone’s status would be.”
“And...?” Degas pressed when Saeryn paused.
“And the lady Wynflaed is to take my place as lady of the hall, because her husband is taking Eodwine’s place as eorl.”
Javan
The maid, Lilige, kept Javan busy, carting trunks from the wagon to the lady’s room. How many gowns did the new lady have? How many did she think she really needed? Saeryn certainly didn’t have this many. But, of course, Saeryn was a sensible woman, and not even as girly as his own sisters.
He was coming back out for the last trunk he would have to haul when he caught sight of Cnebba being verbally abused by a girl he had never clapped eyes on before. He did not like the looks of this at all. No one should come in and start bossing the boys around. He neglected his errand and went their way.
“Hey, there!” he called as he drew near, but the girl didn’t hear him.
“Sorry, are you? By the stars, I oughta-”
“See here!” Javan said again, coming up right beside her. “What are you doing, talking to him like that? Who do you think you are?”
The girl drew herself up. “I am Ædre, daughter of the Eorl, and descendent of Aldor the Old.”
“Lord Eodwine is the eorl, and almost everybody is descendent of Aldor the Old,” Javan replied. “Now you mind your own business and quit yelling at Cnebba.”
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