in his first wife's gowns, and find a brush, for surely he had one somewhere. The man had long hair and did not run around with it all knotted up, so he must have one. Everything would turn out, Evelinde assured herself. These were just little hiccups on the path to happiness, and truly she had little to complain about. These small problems were better than a cruel, coldhearted husband who beat her and was uncaring of her pleasure in their bed.
Buoyed up by these thoughts, Evelinde stood and ran her hands through her hair. Then, hoping it looked passable, she made her way to the door. It was time to explore.
When Evelinde stepped out of the chamber, it was to find herself in a very dim hall. This explained why her husband had had no difficulty making his way to his room in the dark when they arrived the night before. With no windows to allow sunlight in, it was nearly as dark now. He was obviously used to traversing the hall in poor light. Making a mental note to suggest lit torches be placed in the hall during the day, Evelinde made her way carefully to the top of the stairs.
Much to her relief, the light here was better thanks to arrow slits at intervals in the wall rising above the great hall. Evelinde had grabbed up the voluminous skirts of her gown to keep from tripping over them and started down the stairs when the keep doors opened and Fergus entered. The man didn't notice her on the stairs, but strode quickly across the great hall. His long legs ate up the distance as he approached the door she had guessed led to the kitchens when Cullen had carried her through last night. Once he passed through the door, the great hall was once again empty.
Evelinde started down the stairs then, finding it quite odd that the big room was abandoned. At d'Aumesbery the great hall had always seemed to have someone in it. When the people and servants were not crowded around the tables for a meal, there would be a servant cleaning, a group of knights enjoying an ale before returning to guard the wall, Edda seated by the fire… The list of possibilities was endless.
Stepping off the stairs, Evelinde hesitated, uncertain what to do. As lady here… She bit her lip, acknowledging she had no idea what her responsibilities would be. She'd known what to do at home but had no idea how things went at Donnachaidh.
Evelinde glanced toward the door she thought must lead to the kitchens, took a step toward it, and paused again. At home, one of her duties had been to confer with the cook about meals and what supplies were needed and such, but presumably, Donnachaidh had run along well enough ere she'd arrived. She had no idea who did such tasks and did not wish to step on anyone's toes.
Clucking her tongue impatiently, Evelinde shifted from one foot to the other, wishing she'd asked Biddy a thing or two while the woman had been helping her with her bath. She would next time, Evelinde promised herself, and she would also ask her husband what he expected of her when she had the chance. For the moment, she would just explore and get a feel for her new home.
Feeling better now that she had a plan, Evelinde caught up her skirt and crossed the great hall to the door Fergus had disappeared through. As expected, she found herself in the kitchens when she stepped inside. What she hadn't expected was to find it completely occupied by females. The kitchen at d'Aumesbery had both male and female workers. Aside from the rotund little male cook who ran the kitchens, there were several younger, strong male servants to do the heavy work, such as preparing boars for the spit and so on. However there wasn't a single male in evidence in Donnachaidh's kitchens. Even Fergus was gone. Obviously, there was another door leading out of the kitchens because he hadn't come back the way he'd entered.
Evelinde's gaze slid around the room, running over the women of varying ages until it landed on Biddy. Much to her surprise it appeared the woman who had acted as her lady's maid was really in charge of the kitchens. At least, she was the one waving a large knife and barking orders at the other women bustling about as she paused in carving up a