Page 83 of Bloom
The one in a blue dress sidled closer and pulled a peppermint sweet from the reticule hanging from her sash. “My Aunt sent me a heap of sweets from a shop in Arquous. I couldn’t possibly eat them all.” She held up the sweet wrapped in waxed, red paper. The other raised her fan and didn’t quite hide her smile in time.
“I don’t particularly like peppermint,” he fibbed. “Thanks anyway.”
“I have other kinds if you want to come to my room.”
And she’d probably be trying to get in his trousers. No thanks. “Sugar often makes my stomach hurt. I need to go find Aleric. He’ll be looking for me quite soon and annoyed.”
She sighed. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
She went to walk alongside the other who snorted while vigorously fanning herself. Jaime rolled his eyes as soon as he turned his back.
As he walked along the path to the back door, he noticed a figure standing by the open entrance. Like they’d been watching the exchange even though the trio had been too far for anyone inside to hear. When he was closer, he recognized Gautier’s figure.
“Finding a wife?” he asked in a joking tone.
Jaime glanced back at two women who looked small as they meandered along a path much farther down. “What? No. I’m not interested in women.”
“Oh. The one in the blue dress wants to get married.”
“It won’t be me.”
“Are you sure? She’s quite rich. If you went out there and proposed to her right there, she’d likely say yes and jump into your arms.”
Jaime forced a chuckle. “I doubt she’s that desperate.”
“Her parents have been trying to get her to marry an older man who’s loaded, and she’s not happy about it. She’s been saying she might marry a poor commoner and bring him home to get back at them.”
“Ohhh. I’m not going to be anyone’s revenge husband.” Some marriage it would be if it was only to get on her parent’s nerves.
“Are you doing all right? Olivier’s death must have been a shock, and after the incident with Aleric…”
“I’m fine. Olivier’s passing was unfortunate.” It was the best thing all month. Jaime wanted to grab the past lord by the collar, shake him, demand to know anything he was planning, and stick him with his sword afterward.
If only. Half of the Castle would be chasing him through Côte for murder.
“It must have been a shock to Aleric as well since he wasn’t feeling well, and he’d fainted on the stairs,” said Gautier. “I also wanted to apologize again for the incident in the entrance hall.”
Aleric was right about Gautier probing. Why apologize for that whole thing again? It wasn’t Jaime he’d punched. “I’m not holding a grudge.”
“Well, I know you’re Aleric’s aid, and you probably feel as though you should protect him to some degree. I hope he hasn’t been bothering you about it.”
Jaime squinted. “Why would he? That was…about a month ago.”
“Since he doesn’t get along with Zacharie, I’m sure you hear a lot of complaining.”
“Eh, he doesn’t talk to me about his personal life. Sometimes, he gets a bit prickly, and I just ignore it. Like you said, if hedoesn’t get me riled, he finds me less entertaining. I’m basically a minor servant who doesn’t have to do much.”
“Ah. Not surprising.” Gautier said as he started walking, and Jaime followed to seem polite. “Has he been all right? He’s appeared a bit odd. Is anything going on?”
What a sneak. Why didn’t he simply come out and ask everything he really wanted to know? “I don’t think so. He seems normal to me. If there’s anything, he’s not sharing it with me.”
“Does he say anything about me?”
Jaime shook his head. For their first conversation in a while, he’d expected it to be shorter. “No. He doesn’t seem prone to gossiping about anyone here. I’m just the aid, you know?”
“I figured he might since he’s so unhappy with me, and I wasn’t sure if Zacharie had said anything to him or his Father. Lord Monet would probably mention it to Aleric, and he might use you as someone to whine to. Zacharie is saying he wants to get married next summer, and he doesn’t want to wait much longer than that.”
“That’s nice. Aleric hasn’t said anything about you or his brother, so I had no idea.” Gautier would surely prefer if Aleric died by then or shortly afterward if possible. Then he could settle into marriage with his young husband and look forward to being the Earl along with him later.
