Luciana

After receiving a loud tirade from Crenshaw for dawdling, William labored alongside the other grooms caring for the manor's horses. Long after sunset Crenshaw allowed the weary grooms to trudge to the kitchens for a meal.

They walked into the narrow kitchen, sniffing hungrily. There were a couple of pots simmering over the fires, baskets of vegetables lining the walls and bunches of herbs hanging from the ceiling.  

William and Jacob sat at a small, rickety table. There weren't many people in the kitchens at this hour, but Vanessa, the apple-cheeked cook, had a pot of stew waiting.  She made her rounds with bowls and warm brown bread, chatting and laughing as she went.

“Have you seen Luciana?” William called over the hubbub.

Vanessa shook her head. "I believe she was attending at dinner tonight.” She leaned down by his ear. “I worry about that girl, Will,” she said, shaking her ladle. “She hardly has the time to sleep standing up. She'll become ill if she keeps going on this way."

William frowned. Luciana worked as hard as any of them, but if Vanessa was concerned about her something must be wrong. He thanked her for the food and she patted his shoulder kindly. William ate quickly, the hot stew singeing his tongue and making his eyes water.

“Catherine likes to work Luciana half to death,” said Jacob, giving William a hearty thump on the back. "She's always disliked her, but don’t worry. Luciana can take care of herself.

"I see I’m not the only one who had to work late," a voice said loudly. William looked up quickly, his stew forgotten. Luciana was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, yawning enormously. There were dark circles under her eyes, but she smiled cheerfully.

She pulled up a chair across from William and Vanessa set a bowl of stew in front of her. She tipped Luciana’s face up to hers and frowned. “Did Catherine strike you again, child?”

Luciana pulled away quickly. “You’d be wise to call her Lady Catherine, Vanessa. One day your tongue will slip at the wrong moment and she’ll make you sorry for it,” she said, taking a bite of stew. William examined the bruise on Luciana’s cheek. Catherine’s temper was getting out of hand.

“That woman has no right to mistreat you,” he said angrily. “If I had my way…”

“William.”

William longed to say more, but he refrained when he saw the pleading in her eyes.

“I heard at dinner that Lord Samuel has selected you to go with us to Nirennen,” Luciana said, a little too forced for light conversation. William nodded, his eye continually drawn to the mark on her face.

“Did he?” Vanessa exclaimed delightedly, beaming at William. “There’s some good news, then! Aren’t you lucky to be invited to accompany his lordship to the royal festivities?”

“I doubt there’s anything special about mucking out his Majesty’s stalls,” William replied, eliciting laughter from the other grooms. He rose from the table and went out into the warm night.

He headed down the path to the little group of huts that the servants called home, ducking into the last one. He removed his boots and shirt in the dark, tossing them into a corner. He settled onto his pallet, drew a rough blanket over him and was soon asleep.