The Beautiful Pretender (A Medieval Fairy Tale #2)(10)
What would the days ahead bring? She would be a guest in this castle for at least fourteen days. She would play a part, pretending to be something and someone she was not. Would she shame the Earl of Plimmwald and the name of his daughter, Dorothea? If she failed to fool everyone into thinking she was an earl’s daughter, she and her family would be punished, banished from Plimmwald.
The tart suddenly didn’t taste very good.
4
THE SUN PENETRATED Avelina’s consciousness.
She looked around, but nothing was familiar. The bed was big and soft and surrounded by dark-red curtains with gold fringe.
She turned onto her side—and groaned at the pain. Then she remembered. She was at Thornbeck Castle, pretending to be Dorothea.
The bed felt so good and smelled so clean, Avelina closed her eyes and stretched. And groaned again.
“Are you sore too?” Irma stood from the little table where the servant had apparently set her breakfast. “I’ve never been so beat up in my life. I don’t know if I could get back on a horse today if my life depended on it. I thank the saints above I don’t have to.” She rubbed her lower back, then poured herself a cup of whatever was in the pitcher and drank a long gulp.
Avelina looked down at the floor from the edge of the bed. She was so high, she got dizzy. She lay on her stomach and let her feet hang over the side until her toes touched the floor. Then she poured herself some water.
“Do you know what I’m supposed to do today?” Avelina eyed Irma over the top of her goblet.
“Frau Schwitzer said you and the other guests would be taking the midday meal with the margrave in the Great Hall. And the margrave will want to speak privately with you, as he is taking time to ask all the eligible maidens questions about themselves.” Irma’s eager smile grew even wider. “You’ll meet the Margrave of Thornbeck.”
Avelina stared at the short young woman. “Do you honestly think I am excited about the prospect of meeting the Margrave of Thornbeck?” She lowered her voice to little more than a whisper. If having to fool the margrave was not enough to terrify her, making sure she did not anger him by her unrefined manners surely was.
Irma waved her hand dismissively. “I do not know why you’re so worried. Lord Plimmwald told you he does not think anyone here has met his daughter, and the margrave has no reason to think you are not Dorothea. And as for making sure the margrave does not fall in love with you . . .” She made a hissing sound through her lips. “With all the other lovely noble maidens, I do not think you have anything to worry about.”
“Thank you for the compliment.” Avelina looked at the breakfast tray, hoping for a cherry tart. There were plum pastries and stewed spiced apples with sweet cream instead.
“Oh, you are pretty enough, Avelina—”
“Please don’t call me that, Irma. You know we cannot risk it.”
“I am sorry, Lady Dorothea.” She frowned and raised an eyebrow. “As I was saying . . . you don’t know how to be flirtatious, how to make a man fall in love with you. I’ve seen you. You are very blundering around men you think are handsome, and you were naively oblivious when that stable boy, Hans, showed interest in you.”
Avelina tried to think of a retort. Irma had already stated that she need not worry that Lord Thornbeck would want to marry her, since he could not possibly want her.
These noble ladies might be better at flirting, but could any of them take care of a little brother and sister and a father who was lame in both legs, cook for her family, then go and work all day at the castle, fetching for and cleaning up after a spoiled earl’s daughter?
“Perhaps you will find a husband here, from one of the noblemen, a brother accompanying his sister. You are beautiful, after all.”
“I don’t think any of them would consider me a possible bride.” Avelina shook her head.
“They would if they thought you were the Earl of Plimmwald’s daughter.”
“Irma, I cannot deceive someone into marrying me. If I married someone under a false name, he would have the marriage annulled, especially when he found out I am only a maidservant.”
She kept eating the delicious fruit pastry. Perhaps if she gained some weight she would look more attractive to a tradesman, and when she returned to Plimmwald with her dowry, she might marry a butcher or miller or someone else who could improve her brother and sister’s situation in life.
But . . . the fruit pastry could hardly give her courage for meeting the margrave in a few hours.
Avelina went down the long staircase toward the ground floor of Thornbeck Castle wearing the deceased Lady Plimmwald’s silk dress. The looking glass in her bedchamber told her that the jewel-like plum color was actually very becoming, as it brightened her brown hair and pale complexion.
But when she entered the Great Hall and saw the clothing of the noble ladies already gathered there, she realized her style of dress was somewhat old compared to theirs. Still, she held her head high. I am the daughter of an earl. I am of noble birth. I am Lady Dorothea of Plimmwald. She only had to pretend to believe it for two weeks.
A servant announced her as “the Lady Dorothea Seippach of Plimmwald” while she strode forward. Those standing around talking among themselves turned to stare.
Please don’t let me trip.
She stopped when she came within a few feet of the nearest group of ladies. A few men stood around as well, fathers and brothers who had accompanied them.