'Well and aren't you grinning like a bear with a mouthful of honey today?'

Alred looked up as Egelric came in and laughed at the uncharacteristic sight of a smile on that dour face.

“Well and aren’t you grinning like a bear with a mouthful of honey today?” Alred asked him.

“Bees,” Egelric said.

“What?”

“A bear with a mouthful of bees, we say around here.”

“Why would a bear smile about that?” Lord Cynewulf asked from the couch. “He should rather cry.”

“Well, I don’t know,” Egelric said. “That’s why it’s a saying.”

“It’s a stupid one,” Cynewulf muttered.

'It's a stupid one.'

“What’s got you so gleeful today, sir?” Alred asked. “I know for a fact that your wife has spent the last hour with mine, so it can’t be anything of that nature.”

“Better than that. Well—not that, anyway. Listen: What are your plans for the entertainment this evening?”

“Well,” Alred said thoughtfully, “I had been planning to have a handsome party in Ana’s honor, but since she arrived early, we already had the handsome party yesterday.”

'I had been planning to have a handsome party.'

“So today you can have an ugly party!” Cynewulf suggested.

“I don’t see how we can manage that,” Alred said to his son, “since the King is planning to honor the Earl with his old-​ugliness tonight, and if we can get neither of those two gargoyles here, we have nothing but handsome gentlemen left.”

“You’re forgetting me,” Egelric said.

“You are effectively canceled out by my beauty, with some loveliness to spare.”

“But, listen,” Egelric insisted. “I don’t need your party to be ugly. I simply need it to be intimate.”

'I don't need your party to be ugly.'

“By which you mean what?”

“Just those of us here assembled, plus Sir Sigefrith and his lovely wife. And her sister.”

“Her sister!”

“My son-​in-​law has just made clear to me who Red Boots is!”

“And who is Red Boots, that we should care?”

'And who is Red Boots?'

“Didn’t I tell you? Damn! I have been distracted these days. My handsome steward told me that it was a very impudent maid with red boots who pitched him into the moat the other day.”

“But that was Mouse!” Cynewulf protested.

“I know! Now!”

“But she’s not a maid!”

'But she's not a maid!'

“I know! But Wyn doesn’t!”

“What are you getting at?” Alred asked warily.

“Wyn is coming back this afternoon, and if he spends more than a night or two in this castle, he’s bound to find out who Red Boots is, but the easy way. I want him to find out the hard way.”

'I want him to find out the hard way.'

“Egelric!”

“Listen! You owe me a pile of favors, don’t you? I only ask that you have a handsome, intimate party, just us and Sigefrith and Lady Wynflaed and Mouse. And Ethelwyn of course. I am the one who will be owing you a favor if only I can see Wyn’s face when he realizes that Red Boots is Lady Wynflaed’s sister.”

“Do it!” Cynewulf commanded. “I can’t wait to see!”

“No children!” Egelric said. “You creatures can’t keep secrets.”

“I can!” Cynewulf whined. “I never told Wyn that Mouse was asking about him, and how she said he is a very rude man!”

“She did?” Egelric cried. “This is better than I thought!”

'This is better than I thought!'

“She wants to dance around his grave anyway,” Cynewulf laughed. “I wish I could see that, even though I don’t want Wyn to die.”

“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” Alred sighed. “You might get your wish, Old Man, as I fear that poor Wyn will die of mortification.”

“But wouldn’t that be a sight to see?” Egelric asked.

“I won’t deny that he could stand being taken down a peg or two,” Alred smiled, “but you’re forgetting one thing here, gentlemen.”

'You're forgetting one thing here, gentlemen.'

“What?”

“There’s a lady involved.”

“Oh,” Cynewulf groaned.

'Oh.'

“Now, Wyn’s a bit stuck-​up,” Egelric said, “but he’s a gentleman. I don’t think he’ll make a scene, neither before your guests, nor before Her Grace, nor before a lady, even if she wears red boots. And as for Mouse, I think she will probably laugh.”

“I suspect that Wyn will make a scene when he next catches you alone,” Alred said.

'I suspect that he will make a scene when he next catches you alone.'

“I can handle him then. It will be worth it, even unto a broken nose.”

“It might even make you less ugly!” Cynewulf crowed.

“If ever there was a man who could beat some pretty into me,” Egelric admitted, “it’s Wyn. He’ll probably even leave me symmetrical bruises and make sure the colors don’t clash.”

'He'll probably even leave me symmetrical bruises and make sure the colors don't clash.'

“Well, old man,” Alred said to Egelric, “I admit I’m tempted. Are you prepared to accept my conditions?”

“Which are?”

“First, will you vouch for Wyn’s good behavior? If that poor girl is humiliated before my guests, it’s your head I shall be waving on a pike tomorrow morning.”

“I will, and I do not think he’ll fail me.”

“Second, will you oblige me as you refused to do last night, namely by dancing with a few of the ladies?”

'Will you oblige me as you refused to do last night?'

“Last night we had more men than ladies, so I was only being generous to the others.”

“Tonight I shall ensure that there are precisely as many danceable women as there are dancing men.”

“Then I swear to you I shall dance with anything in a skirt.”

'Then I swear to you I shall dance with anything in a skirt.'

“Third, will you contrive to allow poor Sophie to catch you beneath the mistletoe tonight? You’re the only man she didn’t kiss last night.”

“I shall kiss anything with a skirt that finds me beneath the mistletoe,” Egelric swore.

'Father, you should wear a skirt just to trick him!'

“Father, you should wear a skirt just to trick him!” Cynewulf proposed.

“Old Man, it would be a funny trick, but not so funny as to make it worth kissing this bearded ogre. Not even after Wyn is through prettifying him.”

'Not even after Wyn is through prettifying him.'