Mistletoe and Chain Mail: Christmas Read online

  Eva turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, holding back her scream of frustration. Sir Adam de Ware was proving to be a thorn in her side, and she was going to have to remedy this soon.

  Chapter 3

  Church Bells

  Eva paced back and forth in her father’s solar, regretting that she had ever allowed Sir Adam into her keep.

  “Bid the devil, Daughter. Stop your infernal pacing,” complained her father from his bed. “It is driving me mad.”

  “We need to do something about this,” said Eva, looking over to her grandmother sitting in a chair doing needlework. The healer, an older man, leaned over the bed checking her father’s condition by pricking him with the tip of a knife on his bad arm and leg.

  “Stop pricking my skin,” growled the earl, speaking in a slurred voice since the right side of his mouth drooped when he spoke. “How many times do I have to tell you I can’t feel a bloody thing?”

  “I’m sorry, my lord.” The healer placed the knife in his bag and backed away from the bed.

  “My dear, you are overreacting a bit,” said her grandmother, Lady Barbara, concentrating on her needlework as she spoke. “Sir Adam is very charming. You seemed to enjoy his kiss. So what difference does it make if he stays or goes?”

  “Healer, leave us,” commanded Eva with a wave of dismissal. “Come back first thing in the morning. Remember not to say a word about the earl’s condition or about anything we’ve talked about behind closed doors.” She handed the man a coin from her pouch to keep him silent.

  “Aye, my lady,” said the man, bowing and taking the coin with two hands. Once he left the room and closed the door, Eva continued.

  “Sir Adam can’t stay. He is already asking too many questions,” Eva explained.

  “The man sure knows how to cook a goose. I’d like to see what else he can cook,” said Lord Albert.

  “Father, he’s a knight. He has no business being in the kitchen.” This aggravated Eva to no end. “I told the Lord of Misrule not to choose any of the nobles when he handed out his ridiculous tasks. I swear I’ll have the boy flogged for this when it is all over.”

  “Calm down, Eva,” said her grandmother. “You know as well as us that the cooks cannot make a dish worth eating. Mayhap, Sir Adam will be an asset in the kitchen. He didn’t seem to mind being put there.”

  “Nay, he didn’t.” This made Eva suspicious. Most knights would fight it tooth and nail rather than to be caught doing the work of a servant, especially cooking. Adam, on the other hand, just stood there and grinned. “I must admit, I do like the fact that we’ll have some tasty food for a change. But the missive from the king worries me.” She pulled the missive out of her pouch to read it again.

  “What’s that, my dear?” asked the earl, his eyes closing as he began to drift off to sleep. With his condition, the man tired easily. Eva wanted him to rest and didn’t want to upset him.

  “It’s nothing, Father. I will handle everything.” She walked over and gave him a kiss on the head as he drifted off to sleep.

  “It’s nothing?” asked Lady Barbara. “We both know a missive from the king cannot be good.” Her eyes flashed upward to scrutinize Eva. “What does the missive say?”

  Eva sighed and slipped the parchment back into her pouch. “It’s from King Edward, Grandmother. I think he is getting suspicious from all the missives from father declining to meet with him. It’s been too long and I can’t keep using the excuse that he cannot fight because of his leg. Now, the king is coming here himself on Twelfth Night for a visit and to talk with Father.”

  “Nay, he can’t.” Her grandmother shoved the needlework back into the basket and got to her feet. “We don’t want the king here. You’ll have to write another missive and send it immediately to keep him away. If he comes to Cavendish, there is no doubt that he’ll learn the truth.”

  “And if he does, we will lose everything.” Eva sadly looked back at her father sleeping on the bed. He had no idea she’d been forging his signature after writing missives to the king for the past six months. She’d even used her father’s signet ring to seal the missive by stamping his crest into the hot wax.

  “You’re going to have to move quickly,” warned Lady Barbara. “Twelfth Night will be here soon.”

  “I will, Grandmother.” Suddenly feeling deflated, Eva had no idea what to do. “I’m afraid I will not be able to keep up this charade for long. If Sir Adam discovers what we’ve been trying to hide, he’s likely to tell the bishop who will in turn tell the king. We all might be locked in the dungeon, and Father might even be killed for my deception.” Eva felt like crying. The stress of this all was getting hard to bear.

  “Eva, I know your father too well since he is my son.” The old woman put her arm around Eva’s shoulders. “Albert would not want to live if his title, castle, lands, and all his securities were taken from him. I’m surprised that, in his condition, he hasn’t tried to take his own life by now.”

  “Nay, don’t say that!” Eva clung to her grandmother. Her father snored loudly on the bed in the midst of a deep sleep. “Father would never do that.”

  “He is a proud man, Eva. When your mother died, as well as your siblings through the years, a small part of him died along with them. I no longer see the same life in his eyes that used to be there. He hardly ever smiles.”

  “Aye, he used to laugh but is never happy anymore,” Eva agreed. “He does seem to be slipping away from us quickly. How long did the healer say he has to live?”

  “No one knows for sure,” answered her grandmother.

  “Grandmother, sometimes I wonder if we should have told the king the truth as soon as Father had his accident. But now, it’s too late. We can’t divulge the secret or we will all be sentenced. I wish this had never happened.”

  “Nay, you did the right thing,” said the old woman. “No one can know the truth.”

  “Perhaps you’re right,” answered Eva with a deep sigh. “I guess we can only hope that by some miracle Father will recover. If so, the king will never need to know that we deceived him, even if it was for the benefit of Father.”

  The bells of St. Mary’s Church in the village rang out loud and clear, announcing it was midnight and time for the Christmas mass to begin. At the same time, someone knocked at the door.

  Eva walked over to open it, surprised to see Sir Adam standing there.

  “What do you want?” she snapped.

  “My lady, it is already midnight and the mass has begun. I’ve come to escort you, if you please.”

  “Nay, I don’t please. Now leave me alone.” She tried to close the door but his hand gripped it and stopped it from closing.

  “I am sure you will be attending mass as is proper for a woman of your position.” It was more of a command than a question. It should have upset her, but she knew he was right. It was Christmas. There were only midnight masses twice a year, on Christmas Eve and Easter. It would be a sin to miss this special service on such a holy day.

  “All right, let’s go.” As she pushed the door open, Adam looked inside.

  “What about your grandmother and father? I’ll escort them as well.”

  “Nay! Nay,” she said. “Father’s leg is acting up and he is already sleeping.”

  “Then I’ll escort you, Lady Barbara.” Adam held out his arm and nodded to the old woman.

  “I’ll be going to mass in the morning with my son,” announced Lady Barbara. “I’ll stay and watch over him tonight. You two go on without me.”

  Eva tried to give her grandmother a signal not to leave her alone with Sir Adam. But her grandmother smiled knowingly, and walked over and closed the door behind them.

  Later that night after midnight mass, Adam entered the solar that he’d been assigned to use for the duration of his stay. His squire was already there waiting.

  “What did she say, my lord?” Bryce asked curiously. “Did you find out any information why the earl has been avoiding the king?”


  “Nay, I learned absolutely nothing.” Adam unclasped his weapon belt and hung it on a hook on the wall. Then he started to undress as he spoke. “I thought by escorting Lady Eva and her family to church, I’d learn more. But her grandmother and the earl didn’t go. And Lady Eva didn’t say two words to me the entire time. I’m afraid I’m going to have to find another way to draw her family secrets out of her.”

  “How?” asked Bryce. “She doesn’t seem willing to tell you anything nor does she even seem to like you.”

  “Mayhap not, but I am going to change all that starting tomorrow.” Adam collapsed atop the bed and put his arms behind his head.

  “How so, my lord? Are you going to come out and ask her point blank what is going on here?”

  “Nay. That’ll never work. However, I have another way in mind that will turn Lady Eva to clay in my hands just waiting to be formed.”

  “Do tell me,” said the squire anxiously.

  “I’m going to seduce her . . . with food.”

  “With food?” Bryce looked confused.

  “I have been assigned to her kitchen until Twelfth Night and I am going to use it to my advantage. You noticed that Lady Eva likes to eat, didn’t you?”

  “Well, I suppose she does seem to require food of good taste and she certainly looks as if she enjoys it.”

  “Then that is what I’m going to give her. Good food that she will enjoy. Each day from now until Twelfth Night, I will make exquisite dishes that will tantalize her taste buds and cause her to beg for more.”

  “Can you do that, my lord?”

  “Do you even doubt me? After all, I am probably the only knight alive who can whip up a dish that is fit for a king. And I will use my skill to seduce Lady Eva’s secrets right out from under her. Before long, she’ll no longer despise me but, instead, she’ll desire me, even if it is only for my food.”

  Adam chuckled and closed his eyes. And behind those closed lids, all he could see was Lady Eva in his arms as they shared a kiss under the kissing bough. After all, he had enjoyed it just as much as she.

  Chapter 4

  Partridge with Pears and Umble Pie

  “I’ll require to see your undercroft as well as your larder,” Adam told Eva the next day as they entered the kitchen together.

  “Sir Adam, it is inappropriate of you to ask a lady such a thing,” Eva answered with a sniff. “I’ll summon my steward to show you what you need to see.”

  “My lady, if I am to cook the meals from now until Twelfth Night to your liking for the Christmastide celebration, I’ll need you to tell me what you desire.”

  “What I desire?” For some reason, these words made Eva look at him and blush. She lowered her head and glanced up at him shyly. “No one has ever asked me before what I desired. I must admit, Sir Adam, that I have no skill in cooking and neither do I pretend to be an expert where food is concerned. But I will tell you that some of the dishes my late mother used to make I truly enjoyed. None of the cooks have been able to duplicate her recipes, and even the servants who knew how to construct them can’t seem to do it properly anymore.”

  “What’s in your larder?”

  “It is stocked full for the Christmas season since my father’s men have recently returned from a hunt.”

  “Did your father go with them?” he asked, hoping to learn as much information as possible.

  “Of course not. Didn’t you see his leg in a splint?”

  “How long did you say it has been that way?”

  “I have much to do, Sir Adam, and cannot imbibe in the art of small talk. Now, if you want me to show you the larder, we will go now.”

  “All right. We’ll go then.” Adam held out his arm to escort her. She looked at his arm and then up to his face. She seemed hesitant but gently placed her hand on his arm. He took his free arm and covered her hand with his fingers as they walked. Her skin was warm and soft and the scent of rosewater wafted up from her body making him slightly heady. Lady Eva was a beautiful woman and it was only her demeanor that probably scared off any suitor.

  They entered the cool cellar room where the meat was stored. Adam lit a candle. His eyes opened wide when he saw the amount of salted meat hanging from hooks.

  “I didn’t expect this,” he said, wandering over to inspect a hanging sow and then a carcass of a deer. “And what is in all these barrels?” He splayed out his arm, motioning to the dozens of barrels lining the floor.

  “Most of them have meat that has been put down in lard to store it. Others have salted herring and fish.”

  “Nay, no fish,” he said, waving his hand through the air.

  “I enjoy fish,” she told him.

  “Since everyone has had to abstain from meat during Advent, fish would not be an appropriate Christmas meal.”

  “Whatever you think,” she said in a small voice.

  “What is stored in your undercroft?” asked Adam.

  “There are a lot of barrels, but I honestly don’t know what’s in them,” she explained. “Since my mother’s passing, the cooks seldom go down in the undercroft because they don’t like it there. They use other items instead.”

  “Don’t go down in the undercroft?” he asked, appalled. “And you don’t order them to do it?”

  “I have been very busy assisting my father, so I didn’t see what difference it made where they got their ingredients. As long as there is food on the table, that is all that matters.”

  “Is it?” he asked, making a tsking sound with his tongue. “If you don’t mind my saying so, my lady, it seems to me this castle is in need of a leader.”

  “I do mind you saying so, and I won’t have you speaking like that again,” she snapped. “I am wasting time with you. Use whatever you like and if you need something else, send one of my servants down to the docks to buy it from the tradesmen. My steward will give you whatever money you need. Now, get to work because I’ll expect these meals to be as good as the goose.”

  “They’ll be better,” he said with a promise. Then he reached out and caressed her cheek with his hand, watching as her face softened and her eyes closed slightly. The firelight danced on her skin giving it a seductive glow. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips, longing to taste her once again. He was expecting a reaction similar to the one when he kissed her under the kissing bough. Instead, she pulled away and slapped him. “What was that for?” he asked.

  “That was to remind you of your position.”

  “I am a nobleman,” he said proudly.

  “Aye, but you are also a cook for the next twelve days, so don’t forget it.” She stormed out of the larder, leaving him standing there alone in the cool, dank room. Lady Eva Cavendish was going to be more of a challenge to seduce than he originally thought.

  Walking over to survey the contents of the larder, he spotted exactly what he needed swinging by a rope from the rafters. He walked up to it and looked upward, smiling. If this didn’t soften her hard composure, nothing would. He had his work cut out for him and he wasn’t going to let her treat him this way again. Before long, she would be coming to him begging for more. If he gave it to her or not depended on what she could do for him.

  Pulling his dagger from his waist belt, he reached up and cut down the partridge, knowing just how to prepare it to make her mouth water.

  “Eva, where have you been?” asked Lady Barbara when Eva finally returned to her father’s solar. The healer was there, tending to her father. “I thought you were going to be here an hour ago.”

  “I’m sorry, Grandmother. I got caught up with some details and I apologize that I’m late.”

  “Your father has taken a turn for the worse.”

  “Nay!” She rushed over to the bed and grabbed her father’s hand in hers. “What’s happened?” she asked the healer.

  “Lord Albert has taken ill with a fever. He is talking nonsense and hasn’t opened his eyes but a few times all morning,” said the healer. “I’m going to use leeches to
suck out any infection.” The man took a jar out of his bag and held it up. Inside were blood-sucking leeches stuck to the inside of the jar.

  “I cannot stay here and watch this.” Holding a hand to her stomach, Eva headed back to the door.

  “Eva, wait!” Lady Barbara used her cane as she hobbled across the floor. “What about the missive?” she whispered, looking over her shoulder to see if the healer had heard her.

  “I’ll write it later,” she said, feeling her stomach rumble. “I have to meet with the reeve since it is Quarter Day. All the rents are due and need to be collected from the tenants. I also need to oversee the decorating of the great hall for the Christmastide festivities. After that, I’ll go to mass and then join you at the Christmas feast. I hope Father will be able to sit at the dais today.”

  “He’s ill and shouldn’t be moved,” said the healer.

  “You went to mass last night,” her grandmother reminded her. “Surely, you don’t need to go again today.”

  “It is Christmas Day,” snapped Eva, feeling the stress of the situation upon her. “Father needs to be sitting at the dais or there are going to be wagging tongues plus more questions from Sir Adam that I don’t want to answer. Healer, do what you have to do in order to make him well enough to participate at the meal today.”

  “Aye, my lady,” said the healer, placing the leeches onto her father’s arms and legs.

  Feeling sick, Eva turned and started out the door.

  “You never told me why you are going to mass again,” said her grandmother.

  “I feel the need,” Eva answered, thinking about the improper dream she had about coupling with Sir Adam last night. When he kissed her again today in the larder, she had to slap him. If not, she would have been lifting her skirts herself to live out the dream. Aye, she needed to go to mass again as well as confession. And most of all, she needed to stay far away from Sir Adam de Ware.