The Brat Page 0,48
not be surprised, but. .." He peered at Balan. "Should she not have approached you rather than the king?"
"Aye," Osgoode agreed. "And what of her upset over learning you had really been in her room and it was not a dream?" Balan shook his head with amusement. 'You are always looking for trouble, Osgoode. Stop looking this gift horse in the mouth. I am just grateful it is all going as we planned. I will be glad to get home to Gaynor sooner than expected; and I know you, Reginald, are glad to be able to get Emilie home as well."
"Aye." Reginald smiled. "I should go break the news to her."
"And I should go have the boys pack our things," Osgoode said.
"Aye," Balan agreed. "I shall go and see how long it will take Murie to be ready to go."
Nodding, Osgoode set off. Balan followed Reginald to the stairs, but he was frowning as he considered they might not be able to leave today. He, Osgoode, and the Lord and Lady Reynard had only come to visit, so had just what they had brought to take away. This, however, had been Murie's home for ten years. She would have a lot to pack, he realized.
They reached Reynard's room, and the men parted, Balan continuing on toward the room he'd shared the night before with Murie. However, he paused when Reginald opened the door to his room and several women's voices could be heard. One of them was Murie's.
Returning to Reginald's side, Balan peered in to see his wife fussing around Emilie, helping her and her maid pack away her things.
"Oh, good. You are already packing," Reginald said to catch their attention. The three women turned as one.
"Aye." Emilie smiled widely at her husband. "Murie is eager to get to Gaynor to see her new home, and she managed to convince the king to let her leave early. And, as you have been fretting so about our leaving, I thought.. ." She paused and bit her lip, then said, "Well, I did not mean to presume, I just got excited. And if you do not wish to leave yet - "
"Nay, that is fine," Reginald assured her, moving into the room to slide an arm around her. "I am glad to leave." Balan watched him press a kiss to his wife's forehead and then glanced for his own wife. Murie was watching the other couple with a smile, apparently not at all concerned that Balan might not wish to leave. He did wish it, but she could hardly know that, and while he'd told Osgoode not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Balan could not think it a good thing that the woman cared so little for his opinion and intended to do as she liked regardless of how he felt.
This, however, was not the time to broach such a subject. He really did want to leave. If she showed such presumption again, he would tackle it. For now, he was annoyed but would let it ride.
"How long will it take you to pack, wife?" he asked, drawing Murie's attention.
"Not long. The servants are packing as we speak," she assured him. She added wryly, "The queen got wind that we were leaving and sent several of her servants to help. I was told to take myself out of the way, so I came to help Emilie."
Murie was smiling as she said the words, but he could see the hurt in her eyes, and it was obvious to him that she thought the queen had sent the servants along to speed up the process, to be free of her as quickly as possible. Balan decided he would have to tell her the truth of matters sooner rather than later. He understood why Queen
Phillippa had refrained from showing her attention, and it was true doing so had probably saved Murie even more torment, but it had left the girl feeling uncared for and unvalued. Balan would not have his wife feeling that way.
"With all that help, they shall probably be done within the hour," Murie finished.
"An hour?" Balan's eyes found Reginald's and saw the man's surprise equaled his own.
"I had best get the men together," Lord Reynard declared. Balan nodded and backed out of the room into the hall. "I will go let Osgoode and the boys know."
"I am surprised they didn't take exception to our presumption," Emilie said as the door closed behind the men.
Murie shrugged. "They wished to leave.