you would realize all men in my position .. . Besides, you knew we had no future together, it was just a pleasant way to pass the time.'
'Pleasant!' she shrieked at him.
He'd tried to stop her raging torrent of words with his fingers, but she bit them, hard enough to draw blood. He swore, clamping his hand under his armpit. He said other things, words that were meant to soothe and mollify. But she did not hear any of them. She did not want to hear any of them.
After he left, she had raged and cried, planning spells and poisons, curses and love charms in equal measure, but in the end she had done none of those things.
Madron was right, she could have bound him to her with Yadua. She could have witched him so deeply he would have married her in defiance of a whole army of mothers. But what use is it to win a man by magic? What joy is there to lie in his arms realizing that he only holds you because he has no choice, and knows not what he is doing? What contentment is there to wake every morning wondering if this will be the day when the enchantment fails, and that when he opens his eyes and looks at you, you will see only hatred in them?
No, Gytha couldn't soothe her pain like that. In the cold grey dawn, after many sleepless nights, she could think of only one thing to avenge the hurt she felt. It would not bring him back to her, but it would punish him far more cruelly than any earthly power could devise. For as Madron had always taught her — the taste of revenge is far sweeter than love.
Luce led Elena towards the first of the entertaining rooms, as she called them. She flung the door of the chamber open and set about pushing wide the shutters to let in the early morning light.
You'd best start in here. Straighten the covers, see the oil lamps are filled and wicks trimmed ready. Then rake over the rushes on the floor and strew some fresh herbs in them. Ma likes the place kept sweet. You'll find the lamp oil and sacks of strewing herbs in the stores across the yard.'
The room, which last night had been filled with grunts of pleasure, this morning was empty and silent save for the gentle snores of a couple lying at the far end. They slept on, tangled in each other, naked except for a cloak which barely covered the girl's buttocks as she lay with one leg thrown across her client's groin.
Unlike the chamber where Elena had spent the night, this hall had low partitions dividing the pallets from each other, not for privacy, for they were open at one end to the narrow walkway between them, but to keep out the worst of the winter draughts and prevent the more vigorous of the customers from accidentally striking their neighbours or rolling on them as they flailed about in the throes of passion.
Luce sank down on the nearest cot and curled up, yawning.
'Best make a start, Holly.'
Elena moved awkwardly in the overlarge kirtle which Luce had lent her and began to smooth the covers in the first of the stalls. She was almost grateful for the work, for it was an everyday task, something any woman might do in her own croft. But this was not her own cottage, and as she bent she caught the strong, salt-sweet smell of stains on the covers and the thick stench of sweat, overlaid with musky perfumed oils. She recoiled, her hands trembling. Would a stranger force her down among these smells, these stains, till her hair reeked of them as Luce's did?
Attempting to calm herself, Elena looked around, trying to find something that did not shriek at her of what went on in this room. Nailed to the wall near the door she noticed a long board divided into squares in each of which there seemed to be a painting of sorts. Curiosity drew her closer and for a moment she stared, unable to comprehend what she was seeing, then, flushing scarlet, she turned away. She heard Luce chuckling. The girl slithered off the bed and, putting her arm around Elena's shoulder, turned her firmly round to face the board again.
'That's what's on offer, see.'
Each of the little squares depicted a crudely painted figure of two or sometimes three people in various strange positions.