Page 9 of Heart of Snow
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. “Not I. The servants.”
Oh. “Of course,” I muttered.
We sat in embarrassed silence until the countess cleared her throat. “If you please, I must bandage your wound.”
I shifted away from the pillows, sucking in a short breath when the countess set a hand on my waist. It was only the shock of her touch that caught me off guard.
She shot me a glance, then ducked her eyes back to her work. With the cloth strip pinned beneath her palm, she unwound the bandage, fingers grazing the tender skin at my stomach.
I focused my thoughts on the draping bed canopy until the countess shifted to wrap the cloth around my back, her face merely a breath away from mine. She kept her gaze down, and my eyes traced the gentle pull of a swallow in her throat, telling me her discomfort was every bit what I felt. My shallow breaths were steeped in the scent of her: lilacs and sunshine and something distinctly feminine.
The rattle of the door had me straightening, leaning away from the countess as if I’d been caught with the count’s gold in my pocket. I tugged the cloth from her hand and finished wrapping the wound myself, only letting her assist me in securing the bandage into place.
“The lady’s maid will bring your things as soon as the countess is finished.” There was a perceptibly amused tone to Mistress Hatzfeld’s words.
I raised an eyebrow. “The countess isn’t finished?” As if to prove my point, I let my shirt drop to cover my waist.
The countess looked at her companion. “We can be done, yes? He needs his rest now.”
She moved to the door, but Hatzfeld returned to my bedside, picking up the tray and clearing her throat. The countess froze, her hand still on the handle before she dropped it to her side and dragged herself back to the foot of the bed. Wrapping an arm around the post, she hugged it as if it were the only thing keeping her on her feet.
“There is one thing more.” She fastened her gaze on the bedcover, tracing the pattern of the fabric with her finger. I found myself watching her hand dance over the curls and circles. “In a few months I leave for Brussels, to the court of Queen Mary. If I can gain her favor, I might have a chance to win my brother’s freedom.” Her words were stiff, as if they’d been rehearsed. “I’ve learned the queen is an avid huntress, and I was hoping you would teach me to hunt.”
I waited for her to continue speaking, but that seemed to be it. “What about your huntsman?”
“He’s too feeble.”
“Then why hasn’t he been replaced?”
She tugged on a loose thread. “Father is kind to him.”
I held back a snort, seriously doubting the count was kind to anyone. “Countess, I’m in no condition to be teaching—”
“Not now.” She looked up. “Not until you’ve recovered. But once you’ve regained your usual vigor, I want to be trained.”
Something struck me as off. “Why do you make this request when your father could simply command me?”
Ducking her head, the countess tugged the thread of the blanket harder.
“I see. He doesn’t know, does he?” I adjusted the pillow behind my back and shook my head. “I will not be teaching you to hunt. I’ve run afoul of your father before and don’t care to risk his anger again. When I’m recovered, I plan to get myself out from under his charity and away from this castle as quickly as possible.”
Hatzfeld spoke up from the other side of the bed. “If I may, with the war ending, you’ll be needing to find work. Perhaps Countess Margaretha could speak to the count on your behalf, get you a position here. That is, if you agree to act as her instructor.”
The lady-in-waiting bowed her head again after speaking, assuming the role of a humble servant despite her bold speech.
I did need the money. And with little training or skills, finding a position would be nigh unto impossible. Still, I loathed the idea of working for the count, knowing I would chafe under his orders. Being conscripted to his army was bad enough, but to work here in his castle? I’d only come back at all to fulfill my duty and deliver news of his son. I had no high opinion of the count. And despite my childhood impressions of the countess,much time had passed. She was likely now as spoiled and selfish as every other woman of her rank.
Living here, working with the pair of them...
I shook my head at the thought but startled when my eyes landed on Hatzfeld’s venomous glare. She lifted a brow as if daring me to refuse.
The countess pulled herself around the bedpost, actually meeting my eye when she sat down by my leg. “Please,” she said, her voice breaking as she scrubbed a hand over her nose. Was she about to cry again? “He is my brother. I must do something to help him. If you agree to teach me, I promise to grant you anything you ask.”
I let out a skeptical laugh. “What could you possibly grant—” I stopped short, an idea forming. “AnythingI ask?”
A sudden, fierce blush came over her cheeks, and she lowered her face. “Anything that will not offend God or my conscience.”
It took a moment before I understood her meaning, but when I did, heat crept up over my neck and reached all the way to the tips of my ears. “No, I didn’t mean... I’m not the kind of man who would demand anything... untoward.” I rubbed the back of my neck to calm my embarrassment. “I’ll agree to your bargain, as long as you give me time to decide how you will repay me.”
