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Chapter Eleven
A Single Bed
The information which Nicolo had obtained from Wylder’s followers led us away from La Ven, and deeper into the arterial tangle of the Gath’s periphery.
‘There’ll always be work for a stonemason’ was a popular saying in Woodfall Gath.
In general terms, it meant that popularity was the key to success (tell an old joke and someone will still laugh), but it was specifically true, as well. When the expansion of the Great Castle had begun, and when it had absorbed its first few villages, it had been extraordinary—nothing of the kind had ever happened before. Now, it was just expected, and the Gath kept on growing because there was no reason for it to stop. At every outward edge (save where it had come up against the mountains to the north), it continued to grow. The quarries never stopped working, and the masons never stopped building.
It was a good place for a man on the run to hide, partly because you’d be hidden by the constant activity and noise of the hustle and bustle, but also because you were never far from open country—there was always somewhere to flee. But to a man like Duke Wylder, born and raised in the Gath, leaving was like an admission of defeat, yet he was also a man who knew how to live and fight another day. He had a cause he believed in, and such men were dangerous.
As night fell and the light dimmed, Whitethorn rode up alongside Master Nicolo for a whispered conversation. Though I couldn’t hear the words, I recognized the frustration in Nicolo’s tone and the tension in his body.
When the conversation finished, Nicolo held up a hand, calling for a halt. “We stop here for the night. Tommel, find a place for us to bunk.”
I said nothing, but I could guess at the content of the conversation. If Duke Wylder had come here, then it was because he knew the area well. And if we were riding into the dead of night, that put us at a disadvantage, leaving us open to ambush. Though Nicolo hated to break off the pursuit, it was the sensible thing to do. And if Nicolo were anything, it was sensible.
Accommodation wasn’t difficult to find, mainly because all the people working on the building site had to live somewhere. The workers didn’t demand much from their living arrangements, certainly not compared to someone more accustomed to the luxuries of the Prince’s Tower. I didn’t think Nicolo was above a few nights of discomfort, but there was one concession he wasn’t willing to make; he slept alone. Even here, with soldiers whom he’d picked himself, he was wary of assassins, and perhaps with good reason, given that Wylder’s men were still out there.
And me, of course.
Tommel found a berth for us in a makeshift wooden shanty where a group of builders were happy to surrender their cots for the night in return for a few coins. More importantly, the overseer had a room there, windowless and with a sturdy lock.
“Well done, Tommel,” nodded Nicolo. “Make yourselves comfortable. We leave at daybreak.”
“Yes, very good but…” Tommel looked a little uncertain, as people usually did when speaking to Nicolo. “What about your squire, Master?”
Nicolo looked at me with an expression that suggested he’d, once again, forgotten I was a female, but now that he was reminded of it, realized it mattered very much. A woman sleeping on her own, among a group of men—it wasn’t safe. Granted, most of our guards wouldn’t lay a finger on me—mostly because they were terrified of Nicolo, but as I’d mentioned, there were still assassins out there and there were also those men who were building the place.
The opportunity bell rang in my head once more, and my training kicked in, urging me to, this time, take full advantage of the opportunity as I doubted another one would be presented.
“I can bed down with the men,” I shrugged, knowing full well Nicolo would never allow it. “I doubt they will mind.”
“I’m damned sure they won’t mind,” Nicolo snarled, that flattering jealousy surfacing once more.
“And why should they? I don’t take up much room and I’m a quiet sleeper,” I continued.
“Charlotte, it’s just those sorts of comments that make me irritable.”
I tried to hide my smile. “And why is that?”
“Because I know you realize the quandary facing me.”
“Apologies, Master,” I said, meekly.
I saw the thought crisscrossing in his eyes—if I didn’t sleep with the men, where was I to sleep? There was only one room, but Nicolo slept alone.Always. Yet to leave me out with the men…
“Where shall I sleep, Master?” I asked, pushing him as I watched the argument play out in his head.
“You will sleep in the overseer’s room.”
“But I thought that was your room?” I asked with a frown. “Where will you sleep?” I continued, as guilelessly as I could, fully well knowing the answer.
“I’ll sleep there too.”
***
The room was small and not made for comfort.
