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She fell back on the bed, her face green. “Oh, English, I feel awful. I have never felt so bad in my entire life.”

He threw a piece of linen over the pot and sat on the bed beside her. “Then mayhap at the wedding party you will not drink as much,” he said with gentle sternness. “Consider this your lesson.”

“Why dinna ye stop me?” she turned the blame around.

He laughed softly. “Because you would not have listened to me and probably would have accused me of spoiling your fun. Some things you must learn on your own, my lady. But I am curious; you have never been drunk before?”

“Not like this,” she moaned softly. “I dunna like wine much. And I could never drink enough whisky to make me sick.”

Kieran opened the door softly and peered in, grinning at the two figures on the bed. “Did anyone call for water?”

William grinned in return and nodded at him. “Aye, we did.”

“I thought so,” he closed the door behind him.

“Why the water?” Jordan rolled onto her side and hugged her pillow, trying to stop the bed from moving.

“To wash you up,” he replied. “And to drink. Byron has a concoction of mashed root and herbs that is guaranteed to make you feel better.”

She shoved her face into the pillow. “If I drink anything I will surely barf it up.”

He reached over and rubbed her back. “No, you won’t, I swear it.”

She fell back asleep, but the godawful potion was waiting for her when she next opened her eyes, and she drank it gladly.

*

Jordan awoke around noon. Even with her tremendous headache, she was determined to seek out Analiese and return the heavy, expensive necklace she had borrowed the night before. She was eager, too, to see if Analiese had a change of heart over the night once the wine had worn off and her mind had cleared.

She was apprehensive that the lady who would greet her this morn would be the same lady she had met the first day she had come to Northwood. She knew that hate wasn’t something one could forget over the course of a few hours.

But she wanted to go alone, not with her entourage of soldiers following her. She knew she could not simply walk out; nay, she would have to be cleverer than that. She must consult a higher source of cunning and deceit, for she was not particularly good at it.

Fortunately, Jemma was a master of trickery and decided that Jordan would dress as a serving girl and slip past the guards unnoticed. But the real convincing came when Jemma insisted on going and Jordan insisted she stay. It threatened to be an all-out brawl until Jordan told Jemma if she followed her, that she would send her back to Langton. Jemma ceased her arguing because she knew William would do it if Jordan asked it of him, and the thought of leaving Kieran terrified her.

Jordan traded clothes with Maggie the maid. The simple coat and tunic was too big, but she cinched up the girdle until she could not breathe to make it fit properly. Plaiting her hair into a thick braid, she tied a kerchief around her head and put on Maggie’s worn brown slippers. She then took a basket and threw a pile of mending in it, concealing the necklace at the very bottom.

Jordan felt very sly and wicked, but also a great deal of freedom. She was not allowed from her rooms unescorted for any reason, and the thought of wandering the halls of Northwood in disguise made her feel very adventurous.

Jordan had a general idea where Analiese’s rooms were, simply from the talk she had heard and knew approximately how to get there, but even if she got lost she was not worried. Somehow, she would find her way. The thought that she would be anonymous in her serving garb, free to go anywhere in the castle, blotted out all apprehension she might have.

Jemma pinned her braid up under the kerchief so that her hair would be concealed. It was the final step before gathering her basket and opening the door, keeping her head lowered so that the guards could not recognize her. Jason had been on duty earlier; she prayed he was not there now for he would surely notice her.

Walking past the guards had been exceptionally easy, much to her surprise. No one said a word to her. She continued down the corridor, not daring to raise her head until she had rounded a corner and was out of their sight.

Getting her bearings, she knew that the family’s quarters were further down the corridor. It was so long she could not even see the other end. With a deep breath of excitement, she trudged down the endless hall. Wouldn’t Analiese be surprised to see her?

She went up a small flight of stairs and the hallway widened considerably. On the floor running the length of the corridor for as long as she could see was a richly woven woolen rug. Instantly she knew she had entered the de Longley family’s realm. She pushed forward, eager to find Analiese’s rooms.

There was a soldier further down the hall, standing stiffly next to a door. She approached him.

“Sir,” she said. “Might ye tell me where Lady Analiese’s room is?”

He looked sternly at her. “Why?”

Jordan blinked, taken aback at his gruffness. “Because….” She glanced at her basket of mending. “Because these are the garments she has requested immediately. Where are her rooms?”

He looked her up and down. “What’s your name, girl? I haven’t seen you around here.”