“You’re the mean lady that hurt my mother.” Komi said before Lot had time to shush him. She covered his mouth as the guard bow and she automatically followed. The door behind them opened and there was someone who was dressed well who looked like a valet, even though from this vantage point, Lot could see that he had a knife in his bottom boot.

  Not quite a valet then, maybe something else.

  “That’s more like it, guard, tell the Duke that he has to see me immediately.”

  The guard smirked. “I was ordered not to let in anyone.”

  The lady then looked down where mud had started to gather onto her skirt. “He can’t treat me like this when we are childhood sweethearts. He knows that all I want to do is–”

  The valet closed the door behind him. The cold from outside coalescening into open breaths of air. “I am aware that you are in the township as is my lord. He has ordered me to take you upto the castle so you can familiarize yourself with it and keep the dowager company.”

  “But I came here all this way to seek him out.”

  Lot and the guardsman exchanged glasses as the valet looked miffed. “The Duke is conducting official business in the township. If you stay here then you would only serve as a distraction. There are ruffians and ogres about and if you choose to disobey, then, well . . . the duke will let your father know that an unsuitable bride took liberties with others.”

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  The missus straightened then and immediately got back into her carriage with a squeak. The rolling wheels of the carts sounds as the coachman sounded the whip with a yell from the young missus inside. Lot straightened as the coach turned the corner.

  “Who the hell was that?” She said to no one in particular.

  “That would be the Lady Savina of Athroton. She is one of the women the dowager has betrothed to our Duke. She is urgently trying to get closer to him before the others arrive.” The valet said coolly raising an eyebrow.

  “The others? How many– well, I shouldn’t ask. I know noble men are known to have as many as they can afford. I always counted my blessings that we were so poor that I was going to be the only one for my husband.” Lot said feeling uncomfortable.

  “Hmmmm . . . . interesting. If you have a husband, why are you alone and out in the cold like this? Doesn’t sound like a very good one, in my opinion.”

  “I haven’t seen him in years. He’s a soldier who went on some campaign. Sometimes we get letters, but after the ogres attacked our village, I’m not sure where to go or where to look. The refugee village took me in, but it’s not safe with a small child.”

  “You?” The steward looked at her with narrowed child. “What is the gender of the child?”

  “He’s my son.”

  “A son? Healthy?”