Page 69 of Wed By Proxy

It certainly had, thought Guy grimly. And he needed to muster his energy for the battle ahead.

XXIX

The next couple of days were hell on earth. Guy set about putting things to rights with a vengeance, but Mathilde refused to meet him even halfway. Prudie guarded her mistress’s door like a tigress, baring her teeth at any intruders who dared to darken it. In the end Guy felt compelled to have Prudence sent back to the lodge. Waldon had been strangely disapproving about the whole thing.

“Damn it, man, what is it?” Guy had snapped in the end. “I can’t have maidservants barring me from my own bedchamber!”

“Who’s to fight in her corner, with Prudence gone?” Waldon had asked with a stubborn look on his face.

“I’ll fight in her corner,” Guy had replied. “Now and always.”

For a second, he had thought a scathing retort had hovered on Waldon’s lips, but whatever had sprung to mind, he managed to swallow down in the face of Guy’s narrowed eyes.

“I’ll take the lass back then,” he mumbled.

“Aye you do that,” Guy glowered.

“I’d better check on the boy, in any case.”

Guy glanced at a movement in the window. “Don’t bother,” he said shortly. “For he’s here.”

They watched Robin dismount and head toward the house. Guy, remembering the lad’s previous behavior, steeled himself for a confrontation. However, to his surprise, Robin seemed to be the only one who did not consider him a villain.

“Was she sat at your knee?” he’d asked bluntly.

“What? Who?” Guy had been momentarily at a complete loss.

“This other woman.”

“Of course not!” Guy had spluttered.

“So, there’s nothing in it, then” Robin had said, and his calm tone had been such a relief after Waldon’s indignation and Prudie’s outright hostility that Guy had relaxed enough not to shout.

“Nothing at all,” he had rumbled.

“That’s all right then,” Robin had said easily. “Why don’t you tell my lady that?”

If only it was that bloody easy, Guy had thought grimly. He’d tried again, only that morning, and made no dent in her defenses. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. When he looked up, he found Robin’s gaze fixed on his face.

“You had better set things to rights with her,” Robin said, giving him a level look. Guy paused, wondering if he was imagining the air of significance to the boy’s words. “There’s four of us,” he added suddenly.

“Four of you?”

Robin nodded. “Me, Willard Peyton, Piers Winstanley and Gordon Fairfax. But I’m closest to her.”

Guy waited, for he could tell there was more to follow. Sure enough, after a few moments the boy continued.

“She does things for us and we do things for her. At court, I mean.”

Guy’s eyebrows snapped together. “What sort of things?” he found himself asking, remembering Mathilde’s words about her friends over that card game. It seemed weeks ago.

“Binds our cuts, mends our clothes. Helps us write our letters home,” said Rob vaguely. He rubbed his nose.

“I meant, what do you do for her?” Guy said pointedly.

“Teach her things about life. Useful things,” the boy replied. “Her mother keeps her so hemmed in she can’t hardly breathe. Her old nursemaid still follows her around like she’s an infant. Luckily the old thing’s almost blind. She never even had any friends until she met the Countess Vawdrey.”

Guy felt his face harden at that accursed name. She was friends with a Vawdrey? He’d have to coach her not to mention the fact in these parts.