Desire by Amanda Quick Read Free Book Online Page A

have the impression that your lady is very softhearted about such matters."

    "Is that so?"

    "Joanna and her son are not the only ones to whom she has given a home. Her elderly marshal, who should have been replaced years ago, by the looks of him, and her old nurse still live here, too.
    Apparently they had nowhere else to go."

    "Any other strays about?"

    Ulrich frowned slightly. "William said that a couple of months ago a young minstrel showed up on the hall doorstep. Clare took him in, too. He will no doubt entertain us this evening. William told me that Clare is very fond of love songs."

    Gareth reflected on Clare's recipe for a husband. "I feared as much."

    "The minstrel's name is Dalian. William informs me that the troubadour is devoted to his new lady."

    "'Tis the way of troubadours," Gareth muttered. "They are a great nuisance with their silly songs of seduction and cuckoldry."

    "The ladies love such ballads."

    "There will be no songs of that sort sung here," Gareth said quietly. "See that Dalian the troubadour is instructed in that regard."

    "Aye, sir." Ulrich's teeth flashed in a grin before he turned back to the window.

    Gareth ignored his companion's ill-concealed mirth. As usual, he did not pretend to comprehend what Ulrich found so vastly entertaining. The important thing was that Gareth knew his orders would be carried out.

    Satisfied that he was once again clean and clothed in fresh garments, Gareth strode toward the door of the chamber. "I believe it is time for me to present myself again to my future wife. She and I have much to discuss."

    "You will find her in her garden."

    Gareth looked back over his shoulder. "How do you know that?"

    "Because I can see her from here." Ulrich gazed down through the open window. A smile still hovered about his thin lips. "She is addressing her loyal household. I'll wager that she is giving them instructions for the defense of the hall."

    "What in the name of the devil are you talking about? This hall is not under attack."

    "That, my friend, is clearly a matter of opinion. It seems to me that your lady is preparing to withstand a siege."
    "From me?"

    "Aye."

    Gareth shrugged. "Then she is wasting her time. The battle is over and won."

    "I'm not at all certain of that." Ulrich started to grin. The grin became a chuckle and the chuckle exploded into laughter.

    Gareth made no attempt to reason out what it was that Ulrich found amusing. More important matters awaited him.

    * * *

    "All of the men and horses are properly settled?" Clare frowned intently as she paced the garden in front of her assembled household.

    Her makeshift family, composed of people who had no other home, sat on the stone bench beneath the apple tree or stood nearby.

    William, his face still aglow from his first ride astride a real war-horse, was positioned on the bench between his mother, Joanna, and Dalian, the thin, anxious young troubadour.

    Eadgar, the elderly marshal of the hall, stood at the end of the bench, his expression one of great uneasiness. He had good reason to be alarmed. As marshal, he was charged with the day-to-day tasks of running the household. He was the one who had to make certain that the kitchens were supplied with the vast quantities of food required to feed the new arrivals. It was also his responsibility to ensure that the servants saw to such matters as preparing baths, mending clothes, and cleaning the garderobes.

    It was all a great nuisance, Clare thought.

    She was concerned about Eadgar's ability to cope with the crowd. Although loyal and hardworking, he was nearly seventy and the years had taken their toll on his joints and his hearing.

    When Eadgar did not respond to her question, Clare sighed and repeated it in a louder voice. "I said, are all the men and their horses settled, Eadgar?"

    "Oh, aye, my lady. Certainly. Indeed." Eadgar straightened his stooped shoulders and made an obvious effort to appear in control of the situation.

    "I am amazed