Page 45 of The Noble Servant

“Already? It took me months just to get a job in the kitchen!”

“It is a special circumstance. But one day she will explain it all to you, and she might even be in a position to help you get a much better job.”

“As an upstairs servant?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. I shall help you and not breathe a word to anyone.”

“Danke schön, Katrin.”

“You’re very welcome.” She smiled and winked, then turned to go back into the kitchen.

He sighed. He was a duke. He should feel humiliated at what he was being reduced to—first a shepherd, then a fetch-and-carry boy pretending to be simpleminded and unable to control his attachment to a fellow servant. But perhaps this was God’s way of humbling him, of making him more grateful and mindful of his people.

The tale of David from the Bible came to mind, when he was trying to get away from King Saul and he pretended to the Philistine king he was insane, marking on doors and letting saliva run down his beard. David, God’s own anointed, was afraid for his life, not so unlike Steffan and his present situation. And just as King David had been forced to leave his home by his son, Absalom, Steffan had been forced to leave his place as the Duke of Wolfberg. People cursed David and pelted him with stones as he left Jerusalem. But David would not even allow his guards to stop one old man from taunting him, but told his guard, “Let him curse ... It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing.”

As Steffan went back into the kitchen with Katrin, he prayed,Lord God, I may be cursed and mistreated for the moment, but let me pass this test of humility, and please restore to me Your blessing. And restore Lady Magdalen to her rightful place as well.

Lady Magdalen didn’t deserve to be treated this way by her servants, by people she trusted. But because she was so kind and good, he also needed to guard his heart. He didn’t want to end his life as his father had. Besides, he owed it to his people to marry well, and he couldn’t marry a poor baron’s daughter, no matter how kind and fair of face she was.

Agnes did not send for Magdalen all afternoon as she waited in the servants’ room in the highest level of this part of the castle. Apparently she’d be sharing the chamber with four other women, as five beds were in the room and four of the beds had bedclothes, while the fifth was a bare mattress, probably filled with pokey straw, like the mattress she’d been sleeping on in the outdoor servants’ quarters.

She did not have any of her things, as she’d left them in Agnes’s rooms, so all she had to do was look out the window. But she would not complain about that. The ocean was visible over the tops of trees, and a small part of the white cliffs as they curved around. She could also see the far meadow and the small forest that separated it from the cliffs and the water. At the farthest point was the sea, sparkling as if it were made of stars.

“This place is so beautiful. I can see why a greedy person would try to take it.” She soon began to feel greedy herself, wishing she could climb up the highest tower of Wolfberg Castle and see more of both the countryside and the ocean. One of the other servants told her there was a harbor just out of sight where ships brought goods from other lands and fishermen brought their catches to sell. She’d never seen a ship before.

The sea was so full of power and hope and possibilities. Here in Wolfberg, her mother could not make her feel small or use words to crush her.

When it was time for the evening meal, Magdalen hurried down to the servants’ dining hall. Katrin was arriving at the same time and pulled Magdalen aside. “Your Steffan, the shepherd, is working in the kitchen as our new fetch-and-carry boy. What happened to him? Why was he in the castle looking for you? And why does he want me to call him Stoffel and pretend he is daft?”

“Did he tell you all that?”

“He said he had to pretend to be daft in order to get the job.”

“That’s right. It is too difficult to explain. Is he coming to supper?”

Just then Steffan walked into the room. He looked tired, his shoulders slumped. She could not tell in the dim room if he was pale, but his eyelids drooped.

She hurried toward him. “Are you well?”

“I’ll survive.”

“Perhaps this was a bad idea.” Magdalen stood in line with Steffan to get their food. She spoke just loud enough for him to hear her over the noise of the other servants.

“No, it is good. I am in the castle. It’s only a matter of time before I can get the things that will prove my identity.”

“But you are injured and unwell. They will work you too hard.”

“I just need a good night’s sleep. I shall be well in the morning.”

He was so resolute she did not question him further. At least no blood seeped through her rudimentary bandage on his forehead.

She should not care so much about him, since he didn’t intend to marry her. At least, that’s what her mother would say. But from a practical side, he was her only ally, the only person in Wolfberg who knew she was Lady Magdalen. A decidedly impractical part of her, however, worried that his head injury would fester and, combined with his exhaustion, would make him sick.

But even Agnes had said it: Magdalen had always been a compassionate person. It didn’t mean she had romantic feelings for Steffan.

Katrin sat beside Magdalen and kept up a nearly constant chatter, which was for the best since it prevented Magdalen fromtalking to Steffan about what his plan was and what she could do to help him. They should not risk someone overhearing them.