Twin Passions Read Online Free PDF Page A

she been asleep? she wondered dazedly, sitting up in her bed. Faint memories of her nightmare, its
twisted images blurred and foggy, still tortured her thoughts. Rubbing her
aching temples, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and rose shakily to
her feet. Swaying unsteadily, she felt her legs suddenly buckle beneath her and
she crumpled to the floor.
    "Lady Gwendolyn!" Just returning from the
kitchen, Leah rushed over to her young mistress's side. She gently lifted her
from the wooden floor and helped her back into bed. "'Tis the sleeping
herbs, my lady. They make a body feel all wobbly for a while," she
murmured. Turning to the small table at the side of the bed, she poured cool
water into a goblet, then handed it to Gwendolyn. "It
will soon pass," she added. "Just give it a moment."
    Leah's startled cry had pierced the gray mist in
Gwendolyn's mind, painfully reviving her dulled senses. Sipping the water, she
could feel a tingling in her limbs as the numbness gradually disappeared. She
handed the goblet back to Leah, then stretched her
slender arms above her head, yawning.
    "There, now, that's better," said Leah. The
color was slowly returning to Gwendolyn's cheeks, and her eyes had regained a
hint of their sparkle. Satisfied that her charge was feeling more like herself,
Leah patted her mistress's hand. "The hour is growing late, my lady. You
slept way past the midday meal, and now you must bathe and dress for the feast.
If you are feeling better we should begin, for there is little time."
    Gwendolyn groaned inwardly. So, the day she had dreaded
had come at last. Tonight Wulfgar would present his marriage gift to Anora. If
her sister accepted, as Gwendolyn had no doubts she would, the wedding ceremony
could proceed as planned. She threw back the fur coverlet. "Very well,
Leah, I suppose we had better hurry."
    Leah frowned at Gwendolyn's obvious lack of enthusiasm.
Surely the lass could show some joy on such a day, she thought irritably, but
for once she held her tongue. Nay, there simply was not enough time to lecture
her today!
    Soon the room was a flurry of activity. Servants
quickly filled the large brass tub in the corner of the room with buckets of
warm water, while Leah began to pull silken garments from the large chest at
the foot of the bed.
    Gwendolyn rolled her eyes at the sight of the various
tunics from which she must choose. She knew this was one occasion when a shirt
and breeches would not be allowed.
Stepping gingerly into the tub, she bathed herself quickly, ignoring the
disapproving glance from Leah as she dunked her head under the water to wet her
hair. Her method made much more sense than standing over a small basin while
someone poured water over her head. It was far quicker, and required a lot less
fuss! Shaking her wet curls, she stepped out of the tub and toweled herself
dry.
    "Where can I find Anora?" she asked
impatiently, squirming as Leah slipped a cream silk tunic over her head.
    "She has been in the solar this afternoon, no
doubt working on that fine tapestry with your mother's ladies-in-waiting,"
Leah replied gruffly. "Please stand still, my lady!" Her attempts to
smooth the many folds and pleats in the tunic were being frustrated by
Gwendolyn's constant wriggling. Next came a mauve
mantle of fine linen embroidered with golden threads, which she managed to get
over her young mistress's tousled head with slightly less trouble.
    Lastly, Leah handed Gwendolyn an ivory comb to smooth
her unruly curls. But she threw up her hands in despair when Gwendolyn chose
instead simply to run her fingers through her damp hair. Sliding her feet into
a pair of gray kidskin slippers, the girl was out the door and hurrying down
the stairs before Leah had even set the comb back on the table.
    "My lady, you forgot the circlet for your hair!"
Leah called out after her, running to the door. Receiving no response, she
turned back into the room, grimacing at the mess. Towels were flung every which
way, water sat