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Now Aimee laughed. “She is fortunate you do not bear a grudge now you are grown.”

“I’m sure I was deserving.”

“What were you like?” Aimee asked impulsively, turning toward him.

“Before the war?” he asked with an edge to his voice he had not intended.

“I meant as a boy, but I confess, that would interest me also,” she answered wistfully.

The sound of approaching horse hooves cut off their conversation. “Jakeman is back,” he said needlessly, and Aimee nodded as though she understood the time for exchanging confidences had passed.

The rest of the morning passed without event. Aimee returned to her own mount’s back, now Deirdre was less inclined to act out. He suspected she would have been happy to remain on the brown mare, for her own horse would never be docile, but she seemed resigned to her fate.

After that, he kept a close eye on her progress, steering Actaeon to her side when they passed carts or wagons in the road and Deirdre shied or caviled. His destrier was steady as a rock, and his example seemed a calming presence. Then, too, Actaeon was so large that when beside him, the mare could not see anything to alarm her around his solid bulk.

They stopped at the halfway point to give the horses water and to briefly stretch their legs. Aimee leaned stiffly against a wooden fence and rubbed her backside beneath her cloak when she thought he and Jakeman weren’t looking. He guessed she would be stiff and uncomfortable by the time they reached their destination, though there was little he could do to spare her that fate.

The idea occurred to him that if she had brought her lotion, mayhap he could rub her limbs for her later. He adjusted his stance and tried to think of something less stimulating. He ought to by rights to ask the Lady Howard who ran things these days for a room at Caple Hall for his wife to sleep in, for Aimee would be unaccustomed to sleeping out of doors in a pavilion. However, it was unlikely she would suffer any ill effects from a couple of nights in such accommodation, especially with him wrapped around her to guard her from the cold.

His aspect brightened considerably at the prospect, and he plucked apples from low hanging branches to feed to the four horses. He gave the pack horse two apples, for the beast was loaded up with the cumbersome pavilion. Actaeon, who was huge, carried his weapons and armor, which left Jakeman’s horse to carry the rest of their things. Only Aimee’s pretty white mare was not burdened with anything additional but for her rider and a set of blue and silver tack.

The rest of the journey passed without event, and they reached the village of Beres Caple by three o’clock. Caple Hall stood on the outskirts of the village, a large manor house, of half-wood and half-stone construction with a handsome, prosperous appearance. They had no sooner turned up the driveway, then they spotted people teeming about the grounds and setting up for the tournament. Their appearance seemed to cause something of a flurry, for there were a series of shouts and hurried footsteps at their approach.

“Do they know you?” Aimee asked with interest. “You seem to have caused quite a stir.”

“It’s the sight of a charger,” he said with a shrug, patting Actaeon’s neck. “They do not get many knights travelling in from out of the county. This tournament is not a well-established one. I am not displaying my banner,” he elaborated when Aimee continued to look unconvinced.

His words were then dashed rather, when he was hailed loudly by a stocky young man approaching from their left. It was the oldest of the Howard sons, he realized, though he could not recall if this was Chaucey or Darby, for there were two of them and both very similar in age and appearance.

“Lord Kentigern! You honor us with your presence!” he called out, beaming all over his face. “We hoped you might, but we weren’t sure you would manage to fit us in after your recent victory in the capital.”

Konrad nodded to him. He had only just growled out a ‘Well met’ when his brother hurried over from the opposite direction. “You might have waited, Chaucey!” he puffed. “So we could greet his lordship together!”

They exchanged some words in a furious undertone before both swung back around again, once more wreathed in smiles. “We have saved you the best spot, my lord,” Darby assured him. “Mother said we ought to have given it to Sir Jeffree, but we stood firm. After all, de Crecy hath only attended once before, whereas you have attended four years out of five.”

“Everyone from hereabouts knows you are a local crowd favorite,” Chaucey added, clearly not wanting to be outdone by his brother.

Feeling Aimee’s eye on him, Konrad cleared his throat. “This is my wife, Baroness Kentigern. Aimee, this is Sir Chaucey and Sir Darby Howard who are our hosts here at Beres Caple.”

The Howard brothers’ eyes nearly fell out of their heads. “You have brought your wife along?” Darby stammered before giving a nervous chuckle. “That seems to be the new custom!”

“Mother will be relieved at all events,” Chaucey said nudging his brother in the ribs.

Relieved, seemed an odd choice of word, but as they were performing their bows with frowning concentration, Konrad let this pass.

“I am pleased to meet you,” Aimee responded amiably. To Konrad’s discomfort, she seemed to be deriving great entertainment from the way the brothers vied for his attention as they were led to a meadow lying to the west of the house.

A few tents were already set up, and Chaucey pointed out one that was for equipment and one for servants use. “This spot is the one we had marked out for your use,” he said with satisfaction. “As you can see, it has the best views all round and is at a clear vantage point if it should rain.”

Konrad nodded, glancing at Jakeman who was already driving a stake into the ground to tether the horses.

“We can send a couple of servants to help you set up,” Chaucey offered generously.

“You will dine with the family, of course, in the great hall,” Darby interrupted. “As our guests.”

“Lord Kentigern knows how we run things, Darby,” his older brother chided him. “He is not new to our ways here at Caple Hall.”

“Aye, but I wanted to make sure he would join us at supper tonight,” Darby persisted. “For only recollect, sometimes he shuns the company of the Great Hall and has his food brought to his tent.”