Page 45 of Chivalry in the Meadow
Sir Cedric turned his head and sent him a scowl, his lips forming a thin line.
Was he jealous?
“I am, Sir Alaric,” she said with a smile.
She glanced over at the horses at the edge of the tiltyard. Most had their amor removed except for Sir Cedric’s horse.
Squires were hurrying to gather all the horse’s armor, placing it in two large wagons which stood nearby.
“Your horses are magnificent up close,” she said, eyeing the broad-chested destriers with their glossy coats, and their nostrils still flaring from the strain of the joust. “I’ve never seen horses so big.”
“They are, milady,” Sir Alaric said. “These breeds are made to be the best warhorses.”
“Of course,” Sir Cedric butted in sounding as if everyone should know this. “A knight must always have the best horse. Mine has impeccable bloodlines.”
She saw two of the squires already leading horses away and as she watched them go, she wondered where they were taking them.
Sir Alaric had turned back to help his squire finish removing the armor from his horse. The squire was now carrying it toward the wagon.
She hesitated, then took a step toward Sir Alaric.
Sir Cedric, off to the side had begun to berate his squire for something, but she ignored that, her focus on Sir Alaric now.
He held his gauntlets, and his helm tucked beneath one arm. His dark eyes flicked toward her, unreadable as ever, as he and his squire kept removing armor.
“Sir Alaric?” Her voice caught faintly in her throat. “Forgive me for interrupting, but where do they take the horses after the joust? To the stables, I mean?”
“Not an interruption, at all milady,” he said. “Tis my pleasure.” For a moment only, he studied her. Then he inclined his head toward the far side of the field. “Past the tiltyard, beyond the armorer’s tent. You’ll find the stables against the tree line.” His voice was low, quiet, but there was something in it that made the simple directions sound weighty, as though he were telling her more than she asked.
“And…who cares for them?” she asked, emboldened by the way his gaze stayed steady on hers.
“The squires,” he answered, slipping his gauntlets onto his belt. “And the grooms. They see to the feeding, the cleaning, the care. A knight cannot fight without his horse, nor live without those who tend it.” His tone softened, almost reverent at those last words.
He ran a hand along his stallion’s neck before passing the reins to the waiting squire with respect and not a hint of superiority.
How different he was from Sir Cedric.
Mia nodded, tucking the directions away in her mind. She wanted to see the stables for herself, to understand what happened behind the pageantry. But more than that, she felt the pull of his words, the respect beneath the hardness, a glimpse of the man behind the steel.
There was kindness beneath that, beneath his brooding nature.
Before she could reply, Sir Cedric’s laughter rang out. He strolled toward them, blond hair gleaming in the sun, flashing Mia a smile that all but demanded she look away from his rival to focus only on him.
“Ah, fair lady,” Sir Cedric said, “you mustn’t let Sir Alaric bore you with details of hay and mucking stalls. If you’d like to see the stables, I’ll be delighted to escort you there myself. And I promise, my stories are livelier.”
Mia found herself caught between them again, the golden knight offering charm and attention, and the dark knight who had already given her the answer she sought.
And for the first time, she realized the stables might hold more than horses. They might hold answers about the men themselves.
“Thank you, milords,” Mia curtsied to them both. “You’ve been kind to answer my questions when I know you’re both very busy. I will now resume my shopping.”
“Never too busy, milady,” Sir Alaric said with a bow.
“Allow me to accompany you,” Sir Cedric said, having removed all his armor. His squire was now loading it into the wagon, while his horse stood waiting. “What are we shopping for?”
So, would he now leave his horse for his squire to do all the work of removing the armor and tending to the horse?
She suspected he would.
