Unknowingly, Colyne commented on it. He laughed loudly, holding his stomach. “She has to eat bairn food!”
All eyes were on the trencher in front of Aeschene, who looked thoroughly puzzled. Marisse, on the other hand, looked fit to be tied. “Och,” she said, trying not to sound as angry as she felt. “That be mine.” Quickly, she began to trade her trencher for Aeschene’s.
Understanding dawned bright and clear in Aeschene’s eyes. She put a hand on her friend’s arm, stopping her in mid action. “What be goin’ on?” she asked.
“No’ a thing,” Marisse lied.
“It be bairn food,” Colyne said, still giggling. “Because ye be a blind cripple.”
“Colyne!” Black Richard ground out. “She is not a cripple.”
Aeschene glowered in the boy’s general direction, who was now looking quite embarrassed. “Come with me,” she said to Marisse as she swung her legs over the seat. “And bring the trencher of cripple bairn food with ye.”
With the trencher in her hands and Aeschene holding on to the finger loops, Marisse led the way out of the keep and to the kitchens.
“Is this the first time they’ve sent such fare?” Aeschene asked.
Marisse did not wish to continue lying. “Nay. They have been doin’ it ever since we arrived.”
“Why did ye not tell me?”
“Ye were already upset with yer husband. I did not want to make matters worse,” she replied. “Watch out for the puddle,’ she said as she made a wide berth around it.
“Ye should have told me,” Aeschene said as she stepped lightly across the damp earth.
Blowing hair from her forehead, Marisse said, “I thought I had handled it for ye. I told Loreen not to bring such fare again, after the first time. But she keeps bringin’ it.”
Back on the path to the kitchens, Aeschene’s anger continued to bubble. “Well, we shall put a halt to it once and for all.”
Marisse mumbled something along the lines of I hope ye have better success than I.
Pausing outside the door to the kitchens, she looked over her shoulder at Aeschene. “Take a deep breath before we enter,” she said. “Elst ye might say somethin’ we both could end up regretting’.”
There was no sense in arguing, for she only spoke the truth. Taking a deep breath, Aeschene decided the best route to take at the moment was one of kindness and patience. But she would also be firm in her resolve to put a stop to the matter once and for all. “Let us go in.”
Marisse pulled open the door and led Aeschene inside. Whispering over her shoulder she said, “There be four women here. But I dunnae see Loreen.”
All activity in the room skidded to a halt when the women noticed their new lady and her maid.
“Which of ye is the cook?” Aeschene asked, using the sweetest tone she could muster.
“That would be me, m’lady. I be Hattie,” came a voice from her left.
Aeschene turned her head slightly and smiled. “’Tis a pleasure to meet ye,” she told her. “Marisse, would ye give her the trencher?”
Marisse waited until she felt Aeschene’s finger slip from the loop before taking the trencher to Hattie.
“Be ye the one who prepared this trencher for me?” Aeschene asked.
Hattie took the trencher and eyed it for only a brief moment. “Nay, m’lady,” she said, sounding quite confused. She put it on the table beside her. “I sent empty trenchers with the food this night.”
Marisse returned to stand next to Aeschene.
“Have ye ever prepared a trencher like this for me before?” Aeschene asked, folding her hands together in front of her.
“Nay!” Hattie exclaimed. “This be bairn food.”
Aeschene gave a slight nod of understanding. “Would it surprise ye to learn that each of the meals ye have sent to me have had a trencher such as this made for me?”
Hattie’s eyes grew wide with dismay. “Aye, m’lady, it certainly would surprise me,” she replied, her tone turning from confused to upset. Pulling her shoulders back, she said, “I have prepared regular trenchers for ye. I dunnae ken who did this.”
Marisse watched as Hattie glanced toward the younger girl who had brought the food to the table. “Did ye do this?” Marisse asked the girl.
Looking fearful, the girl stammered her answer. “I, I did not mush it up.”
“Then who did?” Aeschene asked.
The girl glanced nervously at the women.
“Well? Speak up, Alyce,” Hattie ordered gruffly. From her tone of voice, Aeschene could deduce the woman was as happy about all of this as she was.
Alyce started twisting the ends of the apron nervously. “Loreen,” she answered. “Loreen said the lady was not well. She said the lady was blind and …”
Aeschene took in a deep, patient breath. “What else did she say about me?”
Alyce swallowed hard before answering. “She said ye were not well. That yer maid had to feed ye because of all yer ailments.”
“I can assure ye that I suffer no ailments,” Aeschene told her. “I am fully capable of takin’ care of myself.” She paused to let her words sink in to everyone in the room. “Where be Loreen now?”
“In her room,” Hattie answered. “She said she was feelin’ poorly.”
“Fetch her for me, please,” Aeschene said.
She could hear feet scurrying across the floor and out of the kitchen. “Hattie, Marisse has been switching trenchers with me these past few days, unbeknownst to me. I must tell ye, the food has been quite delicious.”
“Thank ye, m’lady,” Hattie replied.
Aeschene could hear the pride and relief in the woman’s voice. “How long have ye been the cook here?”
“I started out as a scullery maid some twenty years ago,” Hattie answered proudly. “I became cook right before the Chisolms attacked us. As soon as Richard won back the keep, I returned.”
Aeschene knew very little about the Chisolm attack. Her father had been very tight-lipped on the matter. Marisse hadn’t been able to glean much from anyone, no matter how many shadows she hid in. “I would like to meet with you, on the morrow, after the mornin’ meal. I would like to go over upcoming menus with ye.”
“Verra well, m’lady,” she replied.
Aeschene detected a note of hurt as well as annoyance in the woman’s voice. If she had to guess, she would put the woman at more than forty. Later on, she would ask Marisse to describe each of these women to her. “I dunnae wish to change anything, Hattie. Ye have done a remarkable job these past years. I only wish to understand more fully what kind of meals me husband likes and to understand the workin’s of the keep a bit better.”
“Thank ye, m’lady. I shall come to ye then, in the gatherin’ room in the morn.”
“Who else works here with ye?” Aeschene asked.
“Well, there be Alyce, who ye’ve just met,” she said before quickly adding, “I swear I dunnae what be keepin’ her.”
Aeschene had a sneaking suspicion that once Loreen learned she’d been found out, she was going to do her best to avoid the impending confrontation. “Who else?”