Page 71 of The Noble Servant

They could not afford to exhaust their horses with too much galloping, as they rode all day, stopping only a few times to eat and get water for themselves and their horses. Steffan was able to buy a few water flasks at the last village and filled them up at the town so that, hopefully, they would not be caught without water if they could not find a stream.

As it grew dark, Katrin was drooping in her saddle, leaning over the horse’s neck. Lenhart and Steffan were still sitting tall, but the hollowness around their eyes and the heaviness of their eyelids betrayed their exhaustion. Magdalen’s back was aching—not to mention the pain in her backside—after riding all day.

They approached a village. Steffan said, “I know of an inn here where we can sleep for the night.”

An actual bed seemed too good to be true, although she knew these inns were often crawling with lice and other vermin.

“I’ll go in and rent the rooms,” Steffan said. “Lenhart, you watch over the maidens.”

Lenhart stood a little taller and his chest expanded. Katrin glanced up at the tall boy—truly, she should cease calling him a boy. He was nearly sixteen years old.

They let their horses graze the small amount of grass thirty yards or so from the inn while they waited for Steffan to return. Would he get them two rooms, one for Steffan and Lenhart and a second for Katrin and Magdalen? Or would there only be one room available?

Her face heated at the thought of sleeping in the same room with Steffan. Would it be uncomfortable? If he was only able to get one room, they would all behave themselves in a mature manner.

He came out of the front doorway looking rugged and handsome after riding hard all day, his hair tousled and a certain manly confidence in the tilt of his shoulders.

“Magdalen, if you and Katrin will go inside, Lenhart and I will settle the horses in the stable and feed them. Your door is at the top of the stairs, first one on the right. Lenhart and I will be in the next room down from yours.”

She and Katrin entered the low-ceilinged inn. An older woman with a round face greeted them. “I shall take you to your room.” The woman turned and started toward some stairs.

Magdalen felt the eyes of several men in the room watching them. She linked her arm with Katrin’s and marched purposefully to the stairs and straight up the rickety wooden steps.

“Here you are.” The innkeeper paused in front of a door. She turned the handle and pushed the door open.

Two thin mattresses lay on the floor of the bare room. Magdalen and Katrin stepped inside.

“Alma will be up soon with some water.” The woman hurried away.

Magdalen examined the door and its handle. Before she could turn around, a woman came up the steps.

“I have some water for you.” She carried a pitcher into the room and set it on the small table in the corner. “Two towels.” She handed them the cloths draped over her arm. “Sleep well.”

“Please, miss,” Magdalen said, blocking the young woman’s way. “Is there any way to lock the door?”

“I am sorry, but no. The owner has a guard who keeps watch over the place.” With reluctance Magdalen allowed the woman to leave, and she closed the door.

Magdalen had a sick feeling in her stomach. Should she tell Steffan that she was afraid to sleep in a public inn with no lock on her door? Or pretend to be brave and unconcerned?

Katrin started washing her face and Magdalen joined her, using the water and one of the cloths. Truly, she was dirty and probably smelled like a horse, but she was so tired she hardly cared.

After they cleaned themselves the best they could, they sat on the straw mattresses.

“I still cannot figure out who could have told Lord Hazen about me,” Magdalen mused aloud, “and especially about Steffan. Hardly anyone knew his real name.”

Katrin only stared down at her dress and started scratching at a stain.

A knock came at the door. “It’s me,” Steffan said.

Magdalen opened the door. “There are no locks on these doors.”

“I just discovered that myself.” He frowned. “Come, we’ll go downstairs and eat some supper and talk this over.”

They sat at a corner table and ate the stew and bread set before them. The meat in the stew was mostly chunks of fat, but Magdalen ate it anyway. She did not want to faint tomorrow because she was too fine to eat rustic food.

They were all quiet during the meal, and when they were nearly finished, Steffan said in a low voice, “If you do not object, I think Lenhart and I should stay in your room tonight, for the purpose of making sure no one comes in.”

“I think we would feel safer if you did.” Magdalen hadn’t realized how much she’d wanted him to say that.