The Lord's Right by Carolyn Faulkner Page B

the tiny bottle.
    The older woman had fiercely hoped
that she wouldn’t be asked any questions, but she should have
realized that Amber’s inquisitive nature was going to preclude that
possibility. “It’s, um, something to help you.”
    “ Help me with what?” Amber
frowned up at her.
    Mrs. Tulane sighed heavily and shook
her head, wishing she were anywhere but here, having to explain
this excruciatingly uncomfortable subject to this unusual girl.
“Your mum is gone, isn’t she?”
    “ Yes, since I was a young
girl.” Amber watched carefully as her boss flitted about the room
nervously.
    “ I just wanted to give you
something that would make tonight easier on you.”
    Amber didn’t like the way this
conversation was headed at all. “What’s going to happen that’s
going to be hard on me?”
    Already blushing, Mrs. Tulane turned
several deeper shades of red, glad when she’d put the small veil
over the girl’s head, so that she couldn’t see the depths of her
embarrassment as she spoke. “Bed sport can be uncomfortable for a
maid the first time.” She carefully didn’t mention the fact that
the master was a big man and undoubtedly well endowed in that area,
which was only going to make things that much worse for poor Amber.
“This will soothe the affected area.”
    Her bottom? That was the only place
she could think of in conjunction with Sir Piers that ever needed
soothing. Not that she was portly, but it didn’t seem that there
was anywhere near enough of it to really help her. She wondered if
she should ask for more, but then thought that that might be rude,
and said a warm thank you and hugged the woman.
    “ Are you ready, girl?” She
got the eagle-eyed once over from the sharp lady as she stood
before her. “Think of it, Amber. After tonight, you’ll be the lady
of this castle. A countess. ’Tis I who will be taking direction
from you from this day forth, rather than t’other way
‘round.”
    In the whirlwind of everything that
had happened today, she hadn’t even considered the thought of just
how much her life was changing, and, now, having been reminded of
it, she decided right then and there that she was going to let it
change her as little as possible. She was still going to work in
the gardens as much as she could, she was still going to assist the
sick, and go out in the woods, and do what she’d always
done.
    She was met by the women of the keep
at the bottom of the stairs, and there she paused. The hall had
been decorated beautifully, especially on such short notice, with
flowers that echoed the ones in her hair, and blue ribbons that
reflected those on her bridal attire. But what kept her feet
planted firmly on that last step was the way Sir Piers was staring
back at her, his face dark and unreadable. He was not a welcoming
sight.
    But the women of the house weren’t
about to let her just stand there and stare at him, and they looped
their arms under hers and escorted her to stand in front of King
William, where her groom already stood in a fine blue robe which
had also been decorated with a deeper blue embroidered ribbon.
Amber could see that he had bathed, and she fretted that she hadn’t
been given the opportunity, knowing his fondness for it.
    There was no time for worry, though.
The king himself performed the ceremony, which, to Amber’s
thoughts, was entirely too short. Before she knew it, she was
agreeing to submit to him in all things, then she was wearing a
heavy gold ring, and he was kissing her as if they were alone in
his chamber instead of in front of the entire population of the
keep.
    When he had just allowed her to
straighten up—she could plainly hear his men snickering and the
women giggling behind their hands at the length of the kiss—the
heavy wooden double doors opened and two women who were obviously
of noble birth were escorted into the room, surrounded by a small
contingency of soldiers that Amber recognized as Piers’.
    The smaller and younger of