servant replaced the wet coverlet with a dry one and took the dishes out, giving them a bit of privacy.
Evan waited until Annie left. “Oh, ye look bad, Maddie. There’s a big bruise here and a little one there,” he added, touching her brow and cheek. “What are we to do now?”
“Lord Montayne has said we may stay here for the present. When I am well, you and I are to journey to your father’s house.”
Evan’s eyes grew wide at the thought. “I have a father?” His excitement quickly changed to doubt. “Mama never said that.”
Madeleine laughed. “We all have fathers, Evan. Yours just happens to live in Sussex. His name is Lord Eversleigh.”
Evan pondered this information. “So my papa’s a lord?”
“Yes,” Madeleine said. “But he’s a wife and three other sons, Evan. Your mama was not his married wife but she loved him very much, nonetheless.”
Madeleine placed her arm around Evan. He curled up next to her. “Your mama hoped Lord Eversleigh would make you a stable boy at his home. Would you like that, Evan?”
The boy’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes, Maddie, I do love the horses. I think they like me a little bit, too.”
“Then we’ll see if Lord Montayne will let you practice being a stable boy here. We’ll be here for a while, Evan. As soon as I’m able, I’ll write to your papa and let him know we’re coming.”
From the doorway, she heard Garrett say, “That’s not necessary, Madeleine. I wrote to Eversleigh this morning about the boy. But where did you learn how to write?”
Chapter Eighteen
Madeleine glared at Garrett as he stood in the doorway. The man eavesdropped with more ease than Evan, she thought, steeling herself for the coming conversation.
Evan scampered over to him and hugged his leg.
“You wrote my papa, me lord?” The boy smiled and squeezed Garrett’s leg again.
“Yes, Evan, and I’m sure we’ll hear from him soon. Now, I do believe Lyssa was looking for you.”
“I’m going to tell her about me papa.” Evan puffed up with pride. “He’s a real lord.”
“Go look for her then. I’ll tend to Madeleine.” Garrett glanced at her, a gleam in his eyes.
She lay helplessly in the bed, trapped for another inquisition.
Evan ran over to her, planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “Got to go, Maddie,” he said and ran from the room.
As Garrett strode confidently toward the bed, she forced herself not to squirm as he said, “Now that prying ears are gone, I’ll ask again. How did you learn to write?”
“How do you know I can write, my lord? I might have been telling little Evan that for comfort and then asked you to pen the letter for me later. Did you think of that?”
Garrett shook his head. “You have a ready answer for everything, don’t you?”
“In this case, I do. I can write, you know. My papa was not a serf. I explained it all to you before.”
Garrett groaned. “Yes, I remember now. Norman invasion, aided his lord, rewarded with land, first betrothed died, second betrothed died, third betrothed kicked in the head by a mule and died, ran away, joined the mummers, wound up here. Is that the right order for the lies?”
Madeleine wanted to slap him. How dare he make fun of her! “You seem to have everything memorized. Mayhap you’d make a good troubadour. They must commit to heart hundreds of stories to be any good at all.” She sighed. “The better ones know thousands.”
He raised his eyebrows expectantly, a smile tugging at his mouth.
“Oh, of course, I can read and write,” she told him, her exasperation growing. “My papa taught my brother and I listened carefully. I actually caught on faster than Peter, which made him want to bash my nose a few times.”
“And did he?”
“Bash my nose?” She chuckled. “Of course he did. Always when no one was looking. He’d claim I tripped and landed face down, hence my bloody nose. He was always causing me grief.”
“Was?”
She nodded. “Yes. He’s dead now. Eventually, I was the one left to help Papa with the accounts. I have quite a head for figures.”
“How did Peter die?”
She cleared her throat. “On the way to town. He was alone and accosted by highwaymen.” A single tear slid down her cheek. “My parents never got over his death. Peter was always the favorite one.”
He burst out laughing. “You are incredible, Madeleine. Racked by pain, alone in the world, responsible for a little boy, at the mercy of a wicked