Page 34 of Her Royal Houseguest

They spoke of neutral things. The duke appeared somewhat worse for wear. He’d spent the evening with the prince Regent and clearly drank too much, so took refuge in the newspaper rather than converse. But Lady Anna was an interesting companion. She was clear in her answers when he asked questions about English life and curious about him in return. Altogether, it was a pleasant way to pass the time.

Until the gong sounded.

Lady Anna looked up with a frown. ‘What does that mean?’

‘It is time for alms.’

‘Oh. Food for the monks. Are you sure it must be left over food? Not fresh?’

He smiled, pleased that she had remembered. ‘I am sure but do not stir yourself. I shall serve the monks directly.’

The abbot came first, his bowl lifted above his tonsured head. Thankfully, Deva was tall enough to place the food carefully in the monk’s bowl. Leftover eggs, toast he had buttered but had not eaten and kippers.

‘I am unsure if you will eat that,’ he said to the abbot. ‘My apologies for not knowing.’

Actually, he did know. Meat was strictly forbidden at home but they were travelling. Adjustments could be made, especially for a food as delicious as that. But he would leave the decision to the abbot.

Next came his brother. Deva had seen him enter, sniffing the inviting scents in the room and barely able to control his smile. Vaji was looking forward to his first English meal.

‘Oh no,’ Deva said with false regret. ‘There is no more of this food. We shall have to use last night’s meal.’

His brother’s head lifted slightly. He was not supposed to raise his head fully but Deva saw excitement in his eyes. English breakfast was relatively simple compared to what they had served last night.

‘I will return in a moment,’ Deva said.

‘But—’ Anna began.

He cut her off. ‘You cannot serve them. You are a woman.’

He saw her grimace and he agreed with her annoyance. Separation between the sexes made sense in a monastery, else unwanted pregnancies occurred despite the rule to never touch a woman. But when travelling in a foreign land? It made everything more difficult.

He ducked into the kitchen and grabbed what he wanted. Old food with its congealed sauces and soggy vegetables. The meat was cold, the bread hard. It was perfect.

He returned and unceremoniously dumped it all into his brother’s bowl. The lady, of course, had good eyes.

‘Oh no! Surely there’s better—’

‘My brother is learning humility,’ he interrupted. ‘And honestly. Did he not tell you to cook a huge meal last night? Because I would be hungry enough to eat everything?’

She sighed, her expression tortured. ‘It was a misunderstanding.’

No, it wasn’t.

‘This is the food Monk Vaji will enjoy today.’

It was a rebuke of his brother’s lie. And a glance at the abbot’s smirk showed that the man approved. Good. Vaji would learn to not manipulate their hosts even in so small a thing. To show that he understood, Vaji intoned the traditional response in Siamese. With a one-word addition.

‘By this merit, may you have commensurate long life, beauty, happiness and strength.’

Deva smirked. His brother was poking him, just as he had teased Vaji. Which meant the debt was paid and harmony restored.

Then the two monks shuffled off.

Lady Anna, however, was not so pleased. She waited until the monks left before pushing her point. ‘I hardly think that was necessary,’ she said.

‘Do not interfere where you know nothing,’ he said. He spoke mildly. Indeed, it was a common statement to women who thought to challenge a man. One that many forceful women challenged with a few words. Something akin to, ‘Educate me then, glorious prince. Teach me why humiliating a brother is required.’ Indeed, in his thoughts, she said exactly that and he, in turn, explained that dishonesty is never acceptable in a prince, much less a monk.

She didn’t challenge him. Her eyes slipped down and, though he saw her jaw firm, he knew she was suppressing anger at the rebuke. That left him in a confusing tangle of emotions.