Page 27 of Sweet Mead for Lady Martine

Chapter 7

“Martine, where is David? I don’t see him,” said Sage the next day, stretching her neck as the nobles sat at the dais waiting for the meal to be served.

Josefina leaned over to talk to the two of them. “I see David’s cousin and his blind uncle. Even his mother and two sisters are sitting down there below the salt. No David.”

“Mayhap he’s just late,” whispered Sage, sounding as if she was trying to make Martine feel better.

“I’m sure that’s it. I suppose he might have had things to take care of at the tavern first,” Josefina added with a nod.

“He’s not coming.” Martine picked up her goblet and held it out to the cup bearer. “Is that mead?” she asked.

“Nay, my lady,” answered the boy. “It is white wine. Did you want me to ask in the buttery if any mead is available?”

“Never mind,” she said with a nod, so upset she’d even drink white wine though she didn’t care for it. “Just fill it to the top, please.”

Once Martine had her wine, Lady Raven and Lord Rook stood up and motioned for silence.

“We speak for our parents, Lord Corbett and Lady Devon,” said Rook in a loud voice so everyone could hear them.

“Our father is away serving the king and our mother is recovering from a serious illness. We’ve convinced her to stay in bed and rest instead of joining us here today. It is for precautionary measures, even though, thanks to Lady Sage she is recovering nicely,” Raven told them.

“Yes, that’s right.” Rook raised his goblet. “However, she wanted me to introduce everyone to our guests today, the Stone family. They were the ones who helped members of my family lately.”

“Yes,” said Sage, standing as well. “I was having my baby and they gave us shelter at the Cross Hare Inn. Greta Stone, along with our own Lady Martine helped to deliver my baby.” Clapping and cheers went up from the crowd. “Please meet the heir of Robin Blake, little Martin.” She nodded and the nursemaid stood up, holding up the baby. The crowd clapped and cheered some more.

“Martine,” said Raven, trying to get her attention. “Martine, we’d like you to introduce the Stone family now.”

“What?” Martine was sipping her wine and almost choked on it. She had no idea she was going to be put in this position. It made her uncomfortable.

“Go on,” Josefina urged her as Raven and Rook sat. “Everyone is waiting.”

Martine was about to get up when a man standing in the archway of the great hall took her attention. She glanced up to see David arrive, stopping in the doorway but not entering the room. He looked over at Martine and their eyes locked. Then he quickly dropped his gaze and turned to leave.

Martine needed to do something quickly. “We’d like to thank the proprietor of the Cross Hare Inn, David Stone,” Martine said loudly, standing up with her goblet raised in the air.

The crowd cheered and looked around for David.

“David?” Martine glanced over at him, seeing the surprised look on his face. “Please, come join your mother, Greta, sisters, Cecelia and Matilda, as well as your Uncle Joe and Cousin Dirk. This meal is our way of saying thank you for what all of you did for my family.”

The crowd clapped and cheered and some of the men even whistled. Greta and her family looked around, smiling at the others. Her plan worked. David couldn’t leave now since everyone was staring at him standing in the doorway.

“David, come join us,” called out his cousin, Dirk.

Slowly, he walked into the room keeping his head down. His younger sister waved to him and his mother looked very pleased that he had joined them after all. David squeezed in between his sisters on the wooden bench at a table set up below the salt.

The meal was anything but enjoyable as far as Martine was concerned. Part of her now wished that David had stayed at the inn after all. He sat with his back to her, purposely she decided. His family ate with the servants and commoners while she was raised up with the nobles, looking down at those below the salt.

Martine had a moment when she thought about not even introducing David. After all, he seemed as if he were going to leave instead of joining his family. But wanting him to feel as uncomfortable as she’d felt after he told her their kisses meant nothing at all to him, she’d purposely called out his name. That made it impossible for him to leave. A part of her still felt sorry for him but the vengeful feelings stirring within her since he’d made her feel like a fool were somehow satisfied by this. Martine didn’t know where this was coming from. She didn’t like purposely being mean to others.

“Martine, I’m so glad we ended up being friends,” Sage told her. “After all, when we first met, I was sure you hated me.”

That brought back memories that Martine had nearly forgotten about. She was right. Martine hadn’t liked Sage at all when they first met.

“Robin was wrong calling you judgmental,” Sage continued. “You have been so kind to David and his family, not judging them at all for being commoners, and that proves it.”

“Yes. Kind,” said Martine, feeling ill at the thought of the way she used to be. At one time Martine had been horribly judgmental and extremely mean to those who weren’t of her same status. Was she going back to being that person again? She wondered. It didn’t feel good to think that she might be doing exactly that. Her emotions were out of control lately. She needed to be careful not to slip back to her old ways because that was not the person she wanted to be.

Every so often Martine looked down from the dais to see David peering back over his shoulder at her. Then they’d both quickly direct their attention in the opposite directions. Neither one of them smiled at all.