Lass' Valor (The Pith Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page A

since we entertained. I find I’m excited to have another lady staying
at our manor.”
    Kate
watched her trying to rise from her seat and thought to offer assistance. She
stepped forward, but Lady de Morris held out a hand to ward her off.
    The
lady’s thin hair, worn in curls atop her head, was matted and flattened. Though
she had been told Lady de Morris was young, her rumpled appearance made her
seem aged. The chartreuse color of her gown was quite ugly. Kate shook her
head. It wasn’t polite to judge the lady so, Goddess forgive her, she pleaded,
for being so uncompassionate. She tried to find something pleasant about the
woman, but honestly, even her high-pitched voice unnerved Kate. What did the
lady say? She remembered now.
    “Aye,
my lady, I’m very tired from my journey, I would like to rest.”
    At
that moment, her cat decided to make her presence known. She popped her head
from the carryall that Kate held, and Lady de Morris’ shriek could be heard all
the way to Londontown by the sound of it.
    “What
is it?” Lady de Morris jumped onto the bench that flanked the table, lifting
her skirts high enough to show her knees. “Someone get a sword, kill it. Kill
it!”
    “’Tis
just my cat, Trixie. I’m sorry she scared ye. She’s quite harmless, I assure
you.” Kate petted her cat, trying to soothe her. Trixie clawed at the carryall,
attempting to free herself.
    “Be
gone with that rodent.” Lady de Morris’ demand came in another shriek.
    Kate’s
first thought was that having an animal in this keep would really not make much
difference, her second, to calm the horrid lady. The lady continued to hold her
gown above her ankles.
    “Lady
de Morris, if you would allow me, I shall keep my pet in my bedchamber. She’ll
not be bothersome. She’s not a rodent, but a feline. I promise she’ll behave.”
    “See
that, that thing stays in there. I don’t want it walking around my keep, the
filthy, vile beastie.”
    “Aye,
my lady.” Kate raised her eyes heavenward. If only the lady knew that cats were
revered and respected for their mystical aura. Then again, the lady probably
didn’t hold any such beliefs. After all, cleanliness was next to Godliness.
    Lady
de Morris showed her to a large bedchamber on the second level. Several young
boys brought her trunks and other baggage into the room. She set Trixie on the
floor and closed the door behind the servants. Finally alone, she was thankful
the chamber wasn’t as filthy as the hall. The chamber contained a large
canopied bed with clean linens tucked neatly at the corners. A table flanked
the bedside, on which, sat a bowl and a pitcher. A tall screen stood in the
corner of the room. It was a rather nice room, considering what the hall had
looked like.
    She
went to the wooden hutch that would hold her clothing and began placing her
garments inside. Trixie jumped on the bed, curling into a ball, purring. Kate
finished her chores and joined her friend on the bed. Trixie always soothed her
and made her feel not so very alone. She petted her, and closed her eyes.
    Kate
opened her eyes to see the window-casement had darkened. She had fallen asleep,
but something awakened her. Someone yelled in the adjacent chamber, making
thumping sounds. Lady de Morris’ high-pitched voice reverberated through the
wall.
    “You’re
going to have to eat.” Lady de Morris’ voice hardened.
    Kate
heard a child’s bawl follow and she wondered who the child was, knowing the de
Morris’ had no children. Lady de Morris’ yell rattled the wall again.
    “Ye
best get used to being here, little savage. This is your home now. If this food
is not eaten, you will be punished again. I don’t know why I even care for the
likes of ye. Starve yourself for all I care.”
    Kate
heard the door bang and the lady’s footsteps retreat. Her first opinion had
been accurate; the lady didn’t possess a good character. She heard the child
sob loudly and her heart ached hearing it. The child’s