Stephen raised his brows. 'Is a place of honour in the hall not good enough for you that you should choose the royal apartments instead? he asked with a smile. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and weariness dragged at his mouth corners. The months of imprisonment had taken their toll.
'No, sire, Louis responded smoothly. 'We are grateful indeed. It is just that I needed a quiet retreat to give my wife her Christmas gift.
'I see. Stephen eyed the shoe that Louis held in his hand, then looked at Catrin where she stood flushed and dishevelled. 'Was it well received?
Louis smiled. 'Yes, sire.
William d'Ypres snorted in amusement and shook his head. 'I do not know how you do it.
'I could explain, sir. Louis waggled his brows suggestively.
D'Ypres laughed and gave Louis a push. 'That wit of yours is sharp enough to carve you a path to success or cut you to the bone. Have a care which way you use it.
'As ever, sir. Louis bowed.
'As never, d'Ypres retorted, but his tone was indulgent. 'Perhaps in the New Year, I'll see what you can accomplish.
'You will not find me lacking, my lord.
'As to that, a gambler takes his chances, d'Ypres responded drily.
The two men made to go on their way, but Stephen stopped and turned round. 'Mistress healer, do you have a cure for a sore throat? He rubbed his larynx to indicate the pain.
'Surely, sire, Catrin answered, her colour remaining high. Louis had taken the brunt of the banter, and the King and his chief mercenary had been indulgently amused, hinting that they were well accustomed to discovering Louis in such situations. He had done no more than live up to expectations — theirs and his own. Catrin felt, rather ashamedly, that she had lived down to hers, and would gladly have remained overlooked. 'You must drink a tisane of blackcurrant, liquorice and horehound, sweetened with honey. It will ease, but not cure, she added as a safeguard to her reputation.
'Then mix it for me, and bring it to my chamber. His winning smile flashed across his face. It should have lifted his features, but instead it made him look all the more exhausted.
'Sire. Catrin bowed her head, and the men continued on to the royal chambers.
Louis hopped into his shoe. 'If I didn't know that Stephen was so attached to his wife, I'd think he had a fancy to you, he remarked with a grin.
Catrin gave her husband a withering look. 'Some men at least, carry their brains above their belts.
Louis knelt to fasten the horn toggle on the side of the shoe. 'Now why should I think that your blade is aimed at me?
'If the cap fits, then wear it.
Louis stood up and looked at her, his expression suddenly serious. 'It doesn't fit me, Catty, whatever you think. I've made mistakes, but I've learned from them.
'So you keep telling me, she said. 'But I believe that actions speak the louder.
'What do you want me to do? Have myself tonsured and profess a vow of chastity?
Catrin smiled at the notion, but then she sobered. 'No, she said. 'I would not put such a strain on our marriage. Keeping your faith to me will do. I am your wife, and you know how much I sacrificed to stay with you. Her voice took on depth and vehemence. 'I won't remind you of it again; I am not a martyr, but hear this, Louis. I will not have our lovemaking used as cheap coin to feed your self-importance and your standing in the eyes of other men!
'But you enjoyed it as much as I did! he blustered, spreading his hands in a gesture of disbelief. 'Your cries weren't for me to stop!
Catrin tightened her lips. 'It was the way you jested with the King and Lord William.
'That was nothing, harmless banter. All men do it.
'That is what I mean about the brains below the belt, Catrin retorted smartly. 'Condemned out of your own mouth. She gathered her skirts. 'I have a tisane to brew.
He watched her go to the stairs, chewed his lip and tugged at his hair in perplexity. 'Catty, he said as she set her foot on the first step.
'What? She gave him a glance over her shoulder.
He made a contrite, prayerful gesture. 'You're beautiful and I love you.
She gave him the ghost of a smile and put her nose in the air. 'That begins to make amends.
'And I humbly promise to keep the faith.
Still smiling, despite herself, Catrin went down the stairs.
'King Stephen is not well, she said later, as she and Louis lay together in a daub and wattle shelter in the bailey. Usually it held sheep, but it had been swept out to provide accommodation for the overspill of troops. All around them, others were settling down to sleep, huddling in their cloaks for warmth against the sharp winter cold. 'Serious?
'No, Catrin said doubtfully, 'but he is so thin and he looks so tired. If he cannot throw it off, then it might grow worse. I told him that he should rest, but he just laughed, and asked what I thought he had been doing all those months in Bristol. I said fretting.
Louis drew her close and nuzzled his lips against her throat. 'You are indeed a wise woman, Catty. His voice was teasing, but his thoughts were troubled. She was the one who had changed, and she was proving more of a challenge than he had first complacently thought. Instead of leading a saddle-broken, if somewhat contrary, mare to a mounting block, he was discovering that he had his fist around the rope of an untamed wild horse. And yet he would not let go for the world. She was too valuable. He had seen her worth written in the eyes of a disinherited knight and of the King of England.
'Am I? Her tone was almost forlorn. 'Sometimes I think I am very foolish.
'That's just the lateness of the hour talking, Louis dismissed easily, and pressed closer still within the cloak, letting her feel the swell of his erection, but making no greater move. After her earlier speech, he wanted to show that despite his needs, he was capable of consideration and restraint. 'Everyone thinks that sometimes.
'Even you?
He permitted himself a smile against the heartbeat in her soft, white throat. 'Even me. His lips touched a fabric cord. Setting his finger beneath it, he drew it up out of her gown and chemise. It was warm from her body. In the light from the horn lantern burning on a shelf above their bed of straw, he examined the plaited knot of red, black and white wool. 'Why do you wear this thing? he asked, unable to keep the distaste from his voice. It looked tawdry and cheap, the sort of trinket a peasant would own. 'Most women have crosses, or little religious badges.
She grabbed it from him. 'I'm not most women.
'True, but that does not answer my question.
She sighed, as if he were being awkward. 'It was given to me by the wise-woman who taught me all I know. As a sort of badge of apprenticeship, if you like, but it means more to me than that. It's a reminder of her and the bond between us. She was like a grandmother to me.
Louis concealed a grimace, imagining a toothless, smelly, old crone.
'In a way, it's a sort of talisman too, she murmured. 'It represents the three strands of womanhood. Maiden, mother and crone.
'Oh, he said without interest or enthusiasm. She tucked it firmly back inside her dress and chemise. 'But, if you want, I will wear a cross on top of my garments. 'I will buy you a cross, he said. 'A fine silver one inlaid with garnets from Midlothian. He stroked her spine. 'If I had the coin, I would invest you with jewels like a queen. 'I don't need jewels.
'Mayhap not, but I would still dress you until you glittered to show the world how much I value you.
She gave a little sigh — of contentment, he thought. Their lips met. The kiss could have been a preliminary to more lovemaking, but Louis kept it tender and gentle, proving what a good husband he was.
When their lips parted, he rolled half on to his back and stared at the rafters, the sparrow droppings illuminated by the glow of the lantern. Nearby, someone was softly snoring. He fixed the sights, sounds and textures in his mind. He wanted to remember this night so that in the future he could look back from a position of wealth and influence and see it as the threshold of his rise to fame. Once I slept in an animal shed. Look at me now.