The Brat Page 0,74

pain. He simply stood there, immovable, allowing the girl to wear herself out. Having just jogged across the bailey up the stairs and around the room several times, it did not take the child long to give up. Apparently, seeing how ineffective her attack was, she then tried to squeeze her way around him to reach the door handle. Godart let her, but was leaning against the door so it did her little good. After tugging uselessly for several minutes, she turned to glare around the room.

"Your brother said that I may handle the matter of your kicking me in greeting," Murie said, drawing the girl's gaze. "I would prefer to be friends with you and even proper sisters. However, if he does not feel I handled it effectively, he shall surely punish you himself and no doubt much more harshly than I would, and then you would no doubt blame me and never be willing to be friends with me.

"I am sure he will think helping Cecily and I clean this room is punishment enough," she added quietly. "And that way, perhaps we could talk, and you could get to know me better and decide if you might wish to be friends."

The girl hesitated, scowling. "I do not want to be friends. And once you get to know me, you will not wish to be friends either."

"Oh, that is where you are wrong," Murie assured her, moving to collect the linens from where she'd set them earlier. "I already quite like you." A glance to the side showed the girl looking uncertain.

"Why?"Juliana asked suspiciously.

"Because you remind me of myself at your age." This comment made the girl's eyes widen in complete and utter disbelief.

Before any doubt could be voiced, Murie announced, "I too was orphaned at the age often."

That made the girl pause, so Murie continued: "My mother fell ill with the red plague."

"The smallpox?" Juliana asked uncertainly.

"Aye." Murie carried the linens to the bed. "The servants were afraid of contracting it and neglected her terribly. When my father found out, he took over her care; trying to get her to eat, cleaning her sores and bathing her to try to bring down her fevers. He stayed with her night and day, neither eating nor sleeping himself so that, by the time she died, he was sick as well and too weak and exhausted to fight the illness himself. He went very quickly."

"My father nursed my mother as well," Juliana said quietly, automatically taking the end of the linen Murie handed her. "She had childbed fever, though, and I do not think men get that."

"Nay," Murie agreed.

"But you went to court," Juliana pointed out, her eyes narrowing. "And the king is said to have spoiled you."

"Aye, I was sent to court to live with my godfather the king. And aye, 'tis said that he spoiled me. However, the truth is, the king was always terribly busy and had very little time for me," Murie assured her. It was true. While the king had spoiled her and his own children when at court, until the plague hit, Edward had very rarely been there. Usually he'd been mounting some campaign or other in Scotland or France. Murie could count on the fingers of one hand how many times she'd seen him during her first five years at court.

"What of the queen?" Habbie asked, reminding Murie that the men were still present. She didn't mind, however; the stable master had asked the question, but his gaze was on Juliana, trying to gauge how she was reacting to the news.

"The queen was very busy too," Murie said quietly. "And then, she already had children of her own to tend, and between that and state business she had little enough time for another child. I was pretty much on my own at court except for my friend Emilie."

Murie commented when Juliana remained silent, "Gatty seems very nice."

"Aye... but she has her own children, too, and everyone here is always busy. Frederick is my friend," Juliana added quietly, as Murie folded the edge of bed linen under the straw-stuffed mattress and then imitating the action herself.

"And what do you and Frederick do to have fun?" Murie asked, moving to the foot of the bed to tuck in a corner. The girl began to talk, and Murie glanced toward the men and nodded silently. After a hesitation, they nodded back and reluctantly left the room. A glance toward Cecily showed she'd paused and leaned against her