The Brat Page 0,44

if he was in my room that night and why."

"Good. I am sure it will all work out."

"Aye." Murie slipped out of her friend's room and pulled the door softly closed behind her. She then paused and peered around. She needed to talk to Balan, but this was a serious matter and must be approached carefully. She was married to the man now, with no way out until one of them died. This had to be handled delicately.

Most delicately, Murie thought as she moved up the hall. She would go for a walk and consider how best to approach the matter before confronting her husband. And then she would stop at the chapel and pray her husband's answers were acceptable and did not prove he was a tricky, cheating lord who had taken advantage of the St. Agnes Eve superstition to get her to marry him because he needed coin for his castle.

"Balan, there is trouble. Murie knows.!"

"Knows what?" Balan asked. He and Reginald had been headed back to their rooms, but came to a halt as Osgoode rushed up.

"That you were in her room that night. That it was not a dream," his cousin explained, his voice worried.

"Oh-ho. What is this?" Reginald asked with interest. Balan ignored him and said, "And she married me anyway?"

"Nay." Osgoode waved that possibility away with exasperation.

"She did not ken ere the wedding; she realized it this morning when you picked up your cross from the table. It had not been caught in your clothing; you apparently lost it the night you were in her room.

She found it the next morn and put it on the table. You must have lost it in your struggle with Malculinus."

Balan frowned, one hand rising to touch the cross at his neck.

"Nay. There was no struggle. But mayhap it fell off when I picked him up."

"Hmm, that is possible," Osgoode agreed.

"Oh, now, you have to explain this," Reginald said firmly. "A struggle with Malculinus? In Murie's room?"

Balan grimaced, but quickly explained the events of that evening to his friend.

Reginald nodded solemnly when Balan had finished and then glanced at Osgoode. "And you say Murie knows Balan was in her room that night, really kissing her?"

Osgoode nodded.

Reginald sighed. "This could be a problem, Balan. Murie will not be pleased if she thinks you tricked her into marriage. Neither will the king if he hears of it." His gaze suddenly returned to Osgoode. "How did you find out that she knows? Is word of it already spreading around court?"

"Nay. At least, I do not think so," Osgoode said. "I had my page follow Murie this morning, just to make sure Malculinus and his sister did not try to pull another stunt or cause trouble. He says she rushed out of the room shortly after Balan left, and he followed her to your room and listened at the door to what was said, then came to report to me directly after they spoke." Reginald did not look pleased to hear that Osgoode's page had eavesdropped through his door, but then neither was Balan pleased with the information obtained.

'You are not to set that boy on my wife again," Balan said with irritation. "She is my wife. If I deem she needs following, I shall arrange it. And she does not need following."

"Well, obviously she does," Osgoode argued. "Had I not commanded Robbie to follow her, we would not now know about this problem and could not do anything about it."

"That is true enough," Reginald pointed out, some of his annoyance fading.

"Aye." Osgoode nodded, then turned a raised eyebrow to Balan. "Now, the question is ... what are we going to do about it?"

Balan scowled for a moment, then said, " We are doing nothing."

"Nothing?" Osgoode squawked, and then rushed after him as Balan continued up the hall. "Balan, you have to tell her what Lauda and Malculinus planned. 'Tis the only way to make her understand that we never intended her to see you, that we only meant to stop Malculinus."

"I fear he is right," Reginald said with concern. "You really should tell her, Balan. She may be thinking all sorts of things right now."

Balan paused and turned to face both men with a weary expression. "Do you really think she would believe me?" Osgoode and Reginald exchanged glances, both seeming to realize it wasn't likely.

"Then what are you going to say when she asks you?" Osgoode asked.

"When she confronts me, I will admit I was there," he said simply.

Reginald winced,