Page 46 of The Raven and the Rose
“When Ravenspur travels to his castle at Ravenglass, I will endeavor to stay here. Then we may spend some time together.” When they saw Captain Kelly headed their way, they quickly separated.
Roseanna discovered that Mr. Burke had been looking for her.
“The master asked me to prepare dinner for the two of you and serve it in the living quarters. He said you would choose what to serve and give me my orders, Lady Roseanna.”
“How very thoughtful he is,” said Roseanna sarcastically. “Mr. Burke, tell me, is he very accomplished at cards and chess and games of chance?”
“He’s challenged you, has he?”
“He has, Mr. Burke, and I intend to beat him. I’ve diced with Castlemaine’s men-at-arms since I was live. The King himself taught me to play chess and how to be devious. So if you will tell me which game Ravenspur does not excel at, it will give me the advantage.”
He chuckled and stroked his chin. “Well, I’ve never seen any beat him at chess, but young Tristan always wins when they play backgammon.”
She gave him a conspiratorial grin and said, “Set the backgammon board up before the fireplace, and we’ll dine over there in that alcove beneath the pretty stained-glass aureole window.”
“Very good choice, my lady.” He nodded his approval. “What do you wish me to serve?”
“Let’s see. We’ll begin with smoked salmon or trout. Then I suppose we should have some sort of game bird because they are so plentiful now, but I hate grouse, and pheasant flesh sometimes has a strong taste.”
“May I suggest partridge, my lady? There’s nothing as sweet as a plump partridge.”
“Perfect, Mr. Burke.” She nodded her agreement. “Serve Ravenspur whatever wine he prefers, but I’d like mead, please.”
“I’m pleased that you like the mead, my lady. ’Tis made with honey and gets its distinctive flavor from the heather. When we go back south to Ravenspur, I shall take some barrels of mead along for your enjoyment.”
“Thank you, Mr. Burke. Tell me, what was Ravenspur’s second wife like?” she asked disarmingly.
He looked taken off his guard for once; he measured his response carefully before giving it. “Well, I would say she was a man’s woman, if you know what I mean.”
Roseanna felt annoyed and her voice rose slightly. “No, I don’t know, Mr. Burke. Whatever is a man’s woman?” She almost felt jealous; what was the matter with her?
He looked most uncomfortable. “It’s hard for me to explain, my lady. It’s almost nine years since she died. What do you wish to know about her?”
“Was she beautiful?” she asked bluntly.
“Very beautiful, in a voluptuous sort of way.”
Roseanna bristled. “How long were they married?”
“Ah, not long, not long at all. She died while still a bride, technically. Within two years, I mean.”
“I see,” she said. “I understand he was married for the first time at fifteen?”
“Yes, that is so, to a lady who was older than himself. That first marriage could not be called a love match, though they were wed over five years.”
“That means his second marriage was a love match?” she queried.
Mr. Burke coughed to clear his throat and wished he were not being put on the spot. “He was certainly in love when he first met the lady. He was widowed at twenty and rushed headlong into a second marriage before his twenty-first birthday, disregarding a decent mourning period.”
“Thank you, Mr. Burke. I know you feel you are breaching his confidence, but I have no one else to ask.” She had a hundred questions about the “voluptuous” bride Ravenspur had loved so madly, but she bit her tongue. She would save them for another time, after she and Mr. Burke had become more comfortable with each other. “Mr. Burke, would you be good enough to have hot water sent to my chamber? I must bathe the traces of the stables from myself before I dine with Ravenspur.”
Suddenly it was very important to her that she look beautiful tonight. She wished herself to be the loveliest woman he had ever dined with in his life. She would choose something revealing that his maleness would respond to and that would keep his mind from the game.
She stepped from the tub and allowed Kate to wrap her in a thick towel. She opened her wardrobe with Alice at her elbow and began to search through the great number of gowns. She stopped when she came to the red velvet that she had worn so long ago for King Edward’s visit. Her mind flew back to that night and to the influence it had had on her life.
“Oh, you can’t wear that red velvet tunic without the underdress again!” pleaded Alice in a frightened voice.
Roseanna gave her an amused look over her shoulder. “As if I would do such a thing. No, tonight I’m going to do it the other way around. I’m going to wear the diaphanous white underdress without the tunic.”
