Egelric goes to the stable

Nobody knew where Duke Alred was that morning. Egelric had already been all through the castle, and now it didn’t look like he was in the stable either. Jupiter was in his stall so it didn’t seem that he had gone out riding. He was about to ask a groom whether Alred had been out to the stables yet, but then he noticed the new milkmaid over in the goat-​​pen. Aye, she was a pretty one. He could just as easily – and much more pleasantly – ask her instead.

He let himself into the pen behind her. When she turned, surprised, he said, “Good morning, young lady. Has His Grace been in the stables yet this morning?”

“Why–I haven’t seen him,” she said, looking up at him through her long lashes.

“Ah, I see. If you do see him, would you be so kind as to tell him I am looking for him?” He gazed at her long enough to cause her to blush and look at the floor.

“I guess I could…” she smiled.

“Do you know who I am?”

“I know who you are,” she said archly. “You’re Egelric Wodehead. They say you’re cursed.”

Damn her, did she think that was cute? He would see about that. “Does that frighten you?” he asked softly, leaning closer.

“No,” she cooed. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Excellent,” he said. “But I don’t know who you are. Perhaps I am the one who should be afraid.”

“Oh, I’m just Wecta, I don’t know why anyone would be afraid of little me.”

“I don’t know, just-​​Wecta, nobody likes to get his heart broken. But I bet you have a sweetheart – no wait, I bet you have three or four, don’t you?”

“Maybe I do and maybe I don’t, but I know that you have a wife.”

“Oh, my wife!” He sighed theatrically. “Do you know my wife?”

“Well, I know that she’s beautiful,” she purred, inviting a complimentary comparison with herself.

“Elfleda is only beautiful in the light,” he said, and wondered where that came from. A moment later he remembered: Gunnilda. He stepped back from the girl, but she hadn’t seen the shadow pass over his face.

“Eh?” she said, confused. “Ohhhhh, I understand,” she laughed knowingly, believing she did.

Egelric frowned. “Forget this,” he thought, “this isn’t fun any longer.”

But the girl hadn’t finished with him. “I don’t know as anyone has ever complained that I’m not beautiful in the dark.” She put her hand on his arm and moved closer to him again.

And then he wondered what difference it made. If Elfleda wouldn’t let him touch her, she couldn’t blame him for touching somebody else. And it wasn’t as if she deprived herself when he was away.

He put his hands on the girl’s waist and pulled her closer to him. “You’re pretty enough in the light, anyway,” he said.