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Janice made pleasant conversation with them all the way back to the castle, and when they arrived, she knew quite a lot about them, while they knew virtually nothing about her.
This was a skill that she had acquired over the years and often used to her advantage because she subscribed to the theory that knowledge was power, and she had more often than not found it to be true. Most people loved to talk about themselves but did not even realize that they were being very subtly interrogated as she spoke to them.
They arrived at the castle after an hour or so to find themselves among a raucous throng of people who were milling about and getting in each other’s way. The din of discordant, screeching voices was deafening.
The noise came from a long queue of servants who were struggling to get into the quarters they had been allocated on the lower floors beneath ground level. The staff of Howdenbrae had their own reasonably spacious quarters, which were big enough for everyone with room to spare. However, now they were being asked to accommodate dozens more people, making their space cramped and very uncomfortable.
The castle guards slept in the keep along with their weapons, but it was not big enough to hold everyone else’s soldiers too, so many of them had to go outside to the practice field where the guards trained, which was not a comfortable place to bed down for the night. However, soldiers were used to being uncomfortable, and none of them complained.
Naturally, Laird Ballantine was allowed to ride past the servants and soldiers, but when Bernard tried to go with him, two burly castle guards stopped him. For a moment, flummoxed, he had no idea what to do, then William came to his rescue.
“Let this man pass,” he growled. “He stays with me.”
“Cannae dae that, sir,” the guard replied stubbornly. “I am under orders tae let naybody but guests inside. The laird says he haes enough guards tae look after everybody. Let him go over there. That is where a’ the others are sleepin’.” He pointed to the practice field just outside the castle, where large tents were being set up.
Bernard decided that there was no point in fighting about it, so he turned to go. There was no point in causing an argument about such a trivial thing. He had slept in worse places.
However, William had other ideas. He grabbed Bernard’s arm to stop him from leaving. “This man is my friend, not someone who works for me,” he said to the guard furiously, his brows lowered in a ferocious frown. He was livid. “You will treat him with the respect he deserves. I demand he has his own bedchamber!”
Bernard was not surprised to see that his friend was furious on his behalf. William was nothing if not completely loyal to those he loved. Nonetheless, the guard did not budge. He was a hefty man with piercing green eyes and a nose that had been broken at one time. He looked fierce, but he could afford to since there were plenty of his fellows around to give him assistance if he needed it. Now, he drew his shoulders back and stood his ground.
“Those are my orders, sir,” he replied firmly. “Ye must speak tae Mistress Janice if ye want another answer.”
“William, I will be quite comfortable with the other men,” Bernard said soothingly. “I will not come to any harm, and it might be a lot of fun. I am not one of you, and I expected to be sleeping with the soldiers. It is fine. Leave it.”
He was smiling and trying to make the best of a bad situation, but William was having none of it. He was not to be dissuaded. When Bernard tried to tug his arm away, William hung on more tightly and was about to begin berating the guard again.
However, at that moment, Janice, having pushed her way past the crowd, came to stand before them, frowning in obvious displeasure.
“Can I be of assistance?”
Her voice was polite, but there was a dangerous edge to it, and she was standing with narrowed eyes and her hands on her hips, looking as though she might slap him hard and smile while doing it.
William butted in. “Yes, you can,” he replied grimly. “I wish to have a chamber assigned to myfriend,preferably near mine.”
“I am afraid guards do not sleep among the guests,” Janice replied regretfully.No matter how handsome they are.
“Bernard Taggart is my guest and therefore one of yours,” William replied stubbornly.
“I did not invite him,” Janice pointed out. “Therefore, he is not one of my guests. He is a member of staff.”
“He is a member of my family.” By this time, William was sounding more and more belligerent, and a crowd of guests was forming around them, all with ears tuned to hear what would happen next.
“If you force him to sleep with the guards, then so will I.”
“I will too,” Laird Ballantine added firmly.
Janice was sorely tempted to call their bluff. She eyed the mass of people around them, all keen to see what would happen next.
“I will compromise with you. He may share your room. Will that do?” She raised her eyebrows in a question, but it was not really a question at all. She had made up her mind.
William looked at the laird, who raised his eyebrows and looked at Bernard.
He nodded and sighed. “It will be fine, mistress, thank you,” he answered resignedly.
The whole matter had thoroughly embarrassed Bernard in front of the one woman he would have liked to impress. However, he thought, with an inward shrug, he was a nobody. She had likely hardly noticed him.
Bernard was wrong on that point. He was the one person Janice had singled out for particular attention, even though she did not show it. She could easily have left the task of showing her guests to a bedroom to one of the maids, but she chose to do it herself. The reason was simply that she wanted to look at him for a while longer.
