Forbidden: Claude (Second in Command #2)(10)

“Evelina didn’t seem to think so. Girls can tell those things, I guess. She was surprised that Lady Rose could have ever been in love with you in the first place.”

“Rose wasn’t in love with me,” he grunted. “And what do you mean Evelina was surprised by that? Is it that unbelievable that it could have ever happened?”

“Nay. Of course, I don’t think so. But Evelina said even though you were handsome, she couldn’t believe anyone could ever be in love with you because she said you were not likable at all.”

“Not likable?” His eyes flashed over to Evelina. She was watching him, but when he caught her eye, she looked the other way. “How can she say that? That is preposterous. I’m likable. Everyone likes me. How can anyone think I am not likable?”

“Excuse me, my lord,” interrupted a young page.

“What do you want?” snapped Claude. The young boy jumped.

“My name is Nicholas Vaughn. My father said he knows you. He sent me over to get you. He said the meal is starting and you need to join the nobles at the dais.”

“I’ll go when I’m ready to go.”

Felix cleared his throat. “Likable, my lord. Likable,” he mumbled.

“Oh.” Claude realized he snapped at the boy and now felt horrible about it. He had been so upset at hearing that the nursemaid thought he was unlikable and that she knew he used to look like a girl, that he couldn’t think straight. “Tell your father I will be there presently.” Claude looked up and nodded to Lord Nicholas who raised a tankard of ale in the air and nodded back to him.

“Yes, my lord.” The boy ran off.

“So, you won’t be sitting below the salt with us, then?” asked Felix.

Claude studied Evelina. She was using the side of her spoon to cut a piece of chicken into smaller portions. Most of the servants he knew gobbled down their food quickly, using their hands and no spoon at all. They were just happy to have something to eat and eager to get back to work. She looked as if she were separating the food on her trencher into neat little piles before she even took a bite. This girl was like no other servant he’d ever met.

“Nay, I’ll not be sitting down here with the servants. I am a noble and will sit at the dais, no matter how unlikable I am.”

“Aye, my lord. I understand.”

“Felix, keep an eye on that one,” he said nodding toward Evelina.

“What do you mean, my lord?”

“There is something odd about her.”

“I think she is delightful to be around.” Felix smiled at Evelina. “She is stunning, too.”

“And she smells like rosewater instead of sweat and tallow.”

“Pardon me?” asked Felix.

“When she crashed into me in the courtyard, she was close enough that I smelled rosewater on her. I also noticed her hair was clean and not tangled at all. It smelled like fresh air. I think she is not who she pretends to be.”

“Who do you think she is?”

“I’m not sure. I need to think about it. She seems familiar, but I don’t remember anyone named Du Bisset in France at all. I don’t think that is her real name.”

“So, she is hiding something?”

“I would bet on it. I wouldn’t trust her at all. Keep your ears and eyes open and report back to me if she says or does anything suspicious at all.”

“Aye, my lord. I will stay close to her at all times. It would be my pleasure.”

“Not too close,” Claude mumbled, walking away. “And stop telling her anything about me. If she wants to know something, tell her she can ask me herself.”



Evelina tried to listen to Claude and Felix’s conversation, but there was way too much noise in the great hall to make out what they were saying. She had seen them looking at her several times and got the feeling they were talking about her.

“Hello, Evelina,” said Felix happily, squeezing into the empty spot on the bench next to her. “How is the food today?”

“We are sharing a trencher,” she said pushing the old, stale piece of bread being used as a plate closer to him. “I found it a little challenging to cut the meat without cutting into the trencher, so I apologize for the mangled look of the bread.”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” he said, digging into the food.

“I separated the food because I wasn’t sure if you cared for steamed cabbage. I am not fond of it, myself. However, the root vegetables are delicious today. The meat is a little tough and needs more sauce, but that was all I could manage to get. Some of the men at the table are very greedy.”

“Aye, it is always that way below the salt. If you were up at the dais where Sir Claude is sitting, you would have more than enough food to eat and have the first choice of the best cut of meat.”

“Sir Claude,” Evelina repeated, taking the wooden cup into her hands, looking over the rim as she took a sip of honeyed mead. Lady Rose smiled from ear to ear, holding up a piece of cheese to Claude’s mouth. He shook his head and flashed a smile, then buried his nose in a tankard of ale. “He is an odd one, isn’t he?”

“That’s funny,” said Felix, using his fingers to shove more food into his mouth. “He said the same thing about you.”

She jerked in surprise. “He did? He thinks I’m odd? How so?”