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“How many times did he take you, Merry? I know he has great stamina.”
Goodness, he would do that more than once? Merry smiled at all of them indiscriminately. She’d forgotten that absolutely nothing was left unsaid even amongst the ladies, and it had embarrassed her horribly before. But not now. “I was indeed a virgin,” she said easily. She paused a moment, her head cocked to the side. “I had not expected him to be so very big.”
There was silence, then bursts of laughter.
“Ah, that is the truth.” Alice patted her knee and gave her a sloe-eyed look that put Merry on the alert. “Lord Garron is well fashioned, several of us already know that well, do we not?” She gave a tinkling laugh. “But never mind that. Tell us, Merry, was he careful with you since you were an innocent? Or was he a bull?”
“He was a bull.” Alice of Kent? Did the man never sleep?
Blanche said smoothly, “How odd that he did not go easily with you. Mayhap he did not believe you were a virgin, thus his, ah, enthusiasm.”
Merry looked at Blanche’s white throat, wondering if her hands were large enough to squeeze the life out of the cow.
Alice said, her voice matter-of-fact, “You bring him great wealth. It is a good union.” She paused a moment, frowned. “We were told of the Black Demon and how he devastated Wareham and his men raped all the maids. Indeed, we helped the queen make a list of all Lord Garron would need at Wareham.”
“Everything the queen sent was used, thank you all.”
“But how—”
Merry said, “It isn’t important.” She shrugged. “I merely tried to fix everything.”
Blanche laughed. “You, fix everything? How is this possible?”
Before she could answer, Alice added, “Come, tell us how you came to be with Lord Garron. Did he visit Valcourt before your father died? Did you sneak away with him? Tell us why you were with him.”
Merry shook her head, but kept a smile firmly in place. “Garron wishes this to remain our secret.”
“By all the Devil’s cloven hooves, why?”
Merry gazed at Mathilda of Matthis, saw the avid curiosity in her dark eyes, and shook her head again. “Why do we not speak of my new wedding gown?”
Luckily, at that moment, the queen returned, so the ladies were forced to speak of the gown the queen herself was directing made for Merry, her wedding gift to the couple.
When Gilpin fetched Merry an hour later, Blanche insisted upon accompanying her back to her chamber. She walked beside her down the long corridor. Merry heard Gilpin speaking to someone behind her. The corridor was filled with soldiers, guards, ladies, servants, courtiers—all of them talking. Merry shivered. Weren’t they cold? The beautiful line of thick wool tapestries covering the walls didn’t keep the cold from leaching through the stone, even in deep midsummer. “What do you want, Blanche?”
Blanche looked to see that Gilpin was at least ten paces behind them, flirting with Mathilda’s maidservant. “He marries you because he has no choice. You removed all his
choice when you whined to the queen.”
“Don’t be a dolt, Blanche. Think of all the wealth I bring him.”
“But he does not like you, that was quite clear to everyone. He thinks you a silly little girl with naught but dreams of daffodils in her head.”
“Daffodils? They’re very pretty, are they not?”
“Don’t you try to distract me. You and your ignorance and your wicked red hair—how could any man admire you if you didn’t bring more coffers of silver with you than the King of France?”
“I don’t believe there will be any silver. Valcourt’s wealth lies in its prosperous land.”
“What do you know of anything?”
“I know about Arthur’s silver. I plan to find it and give it to Garron as my wedding present to him.”
“Silver? What silver? Who is Arthur?” Blanche’s voice, once filled with scorn, was now filled with reluctant interest. She pulled Merry to a halt, her fingers tight around Merry’s wrist. She shook her. “What silver?”
“Garron’s older brother Arthur had a stash of silver coins. The Black Demon attacked Wareham to find it. He failed.”
Blanche shook her head. “Doubtless one of your silly tales. You are good at distracting people, but now I wish to speak of Garron. Surely he does not like your wicked hair and those stupid little braids. The braids make you look plain.”
