his britches because of that."
"Are you saying he was as surly before the plague as he is now?" Murie asked with disbelief.
"You thought his having nothing but fish to work with had caused his moodiness?" Gatty guessed. When Murie nodded, she said, "I suspect Lord Balan thinks the same, but it is not the case. He was cantankerous from the day Lord Gaynor lured him away from our neighbor Lord Aldous."
"Aldous is a neighbor?" Murie asked sharply.
"Aye, our closest, and Gaynor and Aldous have always been at odds. Balan's father and the old Aldous both loved Lady Gaynor, but Lord Gaynor got her. Aldous never forgave him, and the two have been feuding ever since, though not openly. It seemed to transfer naturally to the sons. Malculinus and Balan both trained at Strathcliffe and were constantly at odds from what has been said. Though, as with the fathers, not openly. I gather Malculinus used to get a bunch of bullies together to harrass Balan, never actually doing the dirty work himself. But then, he was always a small, frail lad and would not have been able to stand in a fair fight."
"And Lord Gaynor hired Clement away from Aldous Castle?"
"Aye. More than fifteen years ago. Those were better days, of course. Lady Gaynor was still alive, and Gaynor was healthy and prosperous. 'Tis only when Lady Gaynor died that things began to slip. Lord Gaynor seemed to lose interest in everything around him at that point. And then, the summer before the plague hit, he suddenly found a renewed interest in Gaynor and decided we needed a bigger, finer fish pond. He spent a great deal of money on the task, and it was fraught with difficulty. The moment the men started the project, the heavens seemed to open up and pound us with rain that simply did not stop."
"I remember that summer," Murie admitted. "Many lost their crops to the mud and damp."
"Aye, we did as well. So the pond ate a good portion of our income. Then the crops failed, and the plague hit. Had Lord Gaynor not built the pond, we would have been in a much better position to keep servants."
"Mayhap," Murie said thoughtfully. "But then you would have had more mouths to feed and no fish to feed them." The maid looked startled, and Murie shrugged. "Who is to say there would have been enough people here to tend the animals and keep them from wandering or being stolen? We are close to the border of Scotland up here, and they are famed for reaving. Mayhap it was more fortunate than you think that Lord Gaynor put in the new pond. Fish may get tiresome in a hurry, but they are good for keeping up one's strength." Her gaze slid across the great hall as the door to the kitchens opened and Clement reappeared. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must tend Juliana's hair and then tour the kitchens and gardens."
Murie was no expert on cutting hair. In fact, she'd never cut hair before in her life, but there was simply no way she could make more of a mess of the child's - no doubt once beautiful - chestnut locks than Juliana had made herself, so Murie approached the task with more enthusiasm than was probably warranted. The project turned out surprisingly well. She managed to turn the hacked mass of hair into an even bob of sorts. She was most pleased with the results, and Juliana seemed so as well. After showing absolutely everyone she could find -
which turned out to be only Clement, Thibault, Gatty and Frederick - the child rushed upstairs to change into her new dress. Aware of the day slipping away, Murie worked quickly at pinning up the gown, then sent the girl off to change again while she herself headed for the kitchens. Once she'd inspected, she moved on to the gardens outside. And while she'd only intended to look, the sight of parsley made her gasp in alarm and immediately drop to her knees. She was tearing the plants from the ground when an alarmed cry rose up behind her.
Glancing over her shoulder, she stared in amazement at the horrified expression on the cook's face.
"My lady!" Clement bellowed, finally finding his voice as he charged toward her. "What in God's name are you doing?"
"I am removing the parsley," Murie said soothingly. " 'Tis all right. I shall replant it outside the gates."
"But I do