Page 7 of The Blacksmith

The laundress was already nodding, grateful. “Aye, my lady.”

And so it went until Idalia resigned herself to visiting her mother after the meal rather than before it.

It was only when the second course was served she thought again of the new smith.

Idalia knew in some households he would not be invited to eat here in the hall. But at Stanton Castle, all were welcome, courtesy of her mother. She’d insisted, for as long as Idalia could remember, that anyone who contributed to the well-being of their home had a place at every meal.

She was about to send an invitation to him when the very man she was thinking about strode into the hall.

And looked directly at her.

Chapter 3

Lance had never met a more suspicious lot.

He sat at the back corner of the hall, pleased to learn he had a place there but less so about the dour looks he received. Though none would accuse him of being overly gregarious, Lance could usually befriend the locals quite easily.

Not so the people of Stanton.

Forcing himself to ignore the dais, he listened to the workers who sat around him.

“They came today, but no one knows their purpose here,” said one man deep in his cups.

“They?” he asked.

All turned to stare at him.

“Lance,” he said to those he had not yet met, answering the unasked question. “Wayland. The new smith.”

Grunts and one half-mumbled “Aye” was what he’d expected and what he received.

Lady Idalia had warned him, but the old blacksmith must have been even more beloved than she’d thought. Lance understood such loyalty. This wasn’t the first time he’d replaced an old master. But this time, there was much more at stake.

“He talks of the king’s men.”

This from the redhead at the end of their trestle table.

“I’m Robert, the butler,” he added.

So this was the man in charge of Stanton’s stores of ale. An important position, and one who would make him a good ally.

The meaning of the butler’s words penetrated as he lifted his own mug of ale to his lips. “Did you say the king’s men?” he asked, lowering it.

His gaze shot to the area just below the dais. Shifting to see between the other hundred or so retainers that dined between them, Lance spotted the distinct red and yellow of the men’s surcoats.

Without reacting, he turned back to his meal.

But not before getting a glimpse of her.

She sat next to her father, as regal as a queen. Not that he’d ever seen a queen before, but he had been around plenty of noblewomen, and Lady Idalia was certainly that.

Which only served as a reminder that he needed to stay well away from her.

“Is it common for the king’s men to visit here?” He addressed the question to the butler since none of the others seemed inclined to include him in the conversation.

In answer, Robert shrugged.

He wouldn’t make further inquiries yet, but the presence of these men did not bode well for his mission here. If the earl received the king’s representatives regularly, it might be an unwelcome clue to his political leanings.