Bertie is informed

“Will you come on?” Bertie groaned. Stein had paused to nuzzle and be nuzzled by one of the Duke’s young mares. “It’s my last day here, and I don’t want to waste it watching you flirt with a pony.”

“It’s your last day here!” Stein whined, mocking him. “You talk as if you’re going over the sea.”

“No, but I’m going an hour away with only his grouchy lordship for company.”

“I shall visit you sometimes, boy,” Stein offered. “Brede never has anything for me to do.”

“Lucky you,” Eadwyn grumbled.

“What are you grousing about?” Stein asked. “You’re a duke’s own squire. He’ll do something fine for you one of these days.”

“So will the King do something fine for you, if you stay.”

“It had better be fine, if he wants me to stay.”

“Will you just come on?” Bertie snapped. “I’m in a hurry, if you two aren’t.”

“Coming! Coming!” Stein said sweetly.

The three squires rounded the corner on their way to the side door of the stable, but Bertie stopped short at the sight of a very fair young lady standing in the torchlight.

“Squire Sigebert?” she asked shyly.

“Call me Bertie,” Bertie grinned.

“Come on, Squire Bertie,” Stein cooed. “We’re in a hurry, and we don’t have time to watch you flirt.”

Bertie ignored him but for the elbow he sent at his ribs.

“I know you don’t know me…” she blushed.

“That can always be remedied,” Eadwyn said.

Bertie ignored him entirely. “Then you have an advantage over me,” he smiled.

“But of course I know you!” she said. “I mean – I’m friends with your sister.”

“Ah! Wynnie’s friend.” It was true the girl was a little young for him – not even fifteen, surely. But Bertie was not even eighteen, and so… “And your name is…?”

“Anna,” she said quickly, “but – don’t let me bother you – but I just – ”

“No bother at all!” Stein said.

“Please,” she said, growing so agitated that she appeared almost frightened. “I can’t stay here. I just wanted to tell you something important, and when I tell you, you’ll see why I can’t stay around here.”

“Well, what is it?” Bertie asked gently. “We won’t let anyone trouble you, if that’s what you fear.”

“Thank you,” she gasped with a grateful smile, “but I must hurry home. I just wanted to tell you, Squire, that… well, I’m worried about my friend.”

“Whom? My sister?”

“That’s right. She’s been… I fear she’s been in bad company lately.”

“With whom?” Bertie scowled.

“Well, with the groom Anson.”

“Oh, Anson!” Bertie laughed. “He’s a friend of mine. He knows better than to be ‘bad company’ with my sister.”

“I think he may have forgotten,” she said softly.

“What do you mean?”

“I just mean that sometimes they’ve been going off alone together for a while. An hour, or hours. And people are saying things, but I don’t know if it’s true…”

“What sort of things?” Bertie scowled.

“I don’t want to say, because it might not be true. I just wanted to tell you that you might want to keep a closer eye on him. Or them.”

“Damn him!” Bertie spat. “And I’m leaving tomorrow. I’m glad you told me today. I can talk to him now. But, listen – ”

“Thank you. I hope I was wrong, but…”

“But later – ”

“Oh, no!” she said, already backing out the door. “I can’t stay around here. I’m sorry to bother you. Good day.”

“But, wait!”

“Let her go, Bertie,” Stein said.

“What? Why?” Bertie snapped after she had gone.

“I know her. She moved here last year. Lives over by the castle.”

“You know her how?”

“I already tried, Bertie. She’s nothing but a tease.”

“With you, maybe.”

“Oh, no. Not she. Many are called, but none are chosen. She’s saving herself for something grand.”

“What’s grander than a future knight, or pirate, or whatever the hell you mean to be?”

“A future husband. She wants a man who will marry her in the end. I wouldn’t marry a little straw-​​strumpet such as she, and she knows it. Come on, Bertie. You take one look at a girl like that, and you forget all about your sister, who is apparently worse than a tease.”

“She is not!”

“Let’s go make this Anson swear she isn’t then. And hop to it. I’m hungry.”