Egelric was a tall man and so was Ethelwyn, but nevertheless Egelric could not see Ethelwyn’s curls anywhere in the crowd of heads bobbing before him. Nor was his steward in the corner by the door where Egelric had seen him standing only a few moments before. He had turned his head for only an instant to wink at Lili, but when he had turned it back, Ethelwyn was gone.
But there was that door. It led to Dunstan’s former study, now empty, and beyond that to the stairs down to the court and freedom. Egelric told himself that if Ethelwyn had fled through that door, then his steward was less of a man than he had believed.
Worse, he would have been depriving Egelric of a bit of fun that he had been anticipating all day. Egelric had even danced like a gentleman in order to have this fun, and if Ethelwyn denied it him now…
“Where is he?” he whispered to his wife.
“I don’t know!” she said. “I had to distract Sigefrith. He’s not happy.”
“Where’s Mouse?”
“I don’t know. Hetty wanted to introduce them.”
“The devil! Where is she now? If I miss the look on his face when he meets Mouse, I shall have lost half the fun and still receive all the thrashing later.”
“I don’t know,” Lili said. “Back in the corner there?”
“Looked there. Must be by the fire, if he didn’t run away like a girning lass. Let me by, henny.”
Egelric squeezed past Lili and Stein and went to stand in the broad doorway formed by two of the pillars – but the little side room with its couches and fire was deserted. Meanwhile in the hall a line was forming for the dance. He had to hurry.
In desperation he took a deep breath to call aloud his steward’s name–
“Oh, Egelric,” Sophie cooed.
Egelric let out his breath all at once.
“You seem to be standing under the mistletoe,” she smiled.
“Not now, Sophie!” he hissed. “The devil take your pretty lips!”
“Oh, and you shall have them, you old devil, you!”
Chapters
Ha-ha! Sophie finally caught him. Good. That'll keep him occupied while Hetty gets to the bottom of this mess. But where are they now?