I've tried to be as authentic as possible to the medieval setting. But there are places where I've slipped up.


When you feel a peaceful joy, that's when you are near truth.

Day/Night Zero:

That night, for the first time in 3 weeks, Pepper slept in peace.

Day One:

In the morning, Lord Stark introduced her to Jarvis, his faithful butler/valet/assistant and Magdalene, housekeeper/cook/groundskeeper extraordinaire. She was relieved to learn that Magdalene had undressed her the day she was pulled from the lake. She also met Balthazar, Lord Stark's war horse, stormy and arrogant but a soft touch, once you petted his nose and offered him sugar.

In the afternoon, she sneakily stared at her benefactor from her bedroom window, as he practiced his swordsmanship with Jarvis. He had the body of a warrior, with a broad chest and strong arms, tapering to a narrow waist and muscular legs. But in looks, he was just like his beast, black haired and heavily bearded with sensual lips. He even moved like the beast, with a languid grace that hinted at suppressed strength.

But his eyes fascinated her. Molasses colored with just a hint of green. That night in his workshop, she saw them cold and hard, when he regarded her suspiciously. Then as he warmed up to her, his eyes turned into this molten, melting shade of brown, that enchanted her. She never thought she'd ever use the word 'beautiful' to describe a man but Lord Stark was worthy of such an adjective.

Day Two:

She met the black beast called Tigliath. He was a 'panther', according to Lord Stark, who had rescued him as a cub from a gypsy camp and raised him. He was fearsome but very cuddly and Lord Stark assured her that he was actually very harmless unless provoked. She quickly learnt that Tigliath was really just a larger house cat and started to treat him like one.

Magdalene dug up some clothes for her. She wondered who the clothes belonged to as there were no other women in the house. They didn't seem like Magdalene's clothes. Magdalene understood what she was thinking and sarcastically mentioned that Lord Stark received feminine company some days of the month but he always shooed them away in the early hours and they often left clothes behind. Pepper graciously accepted some of the more "decent" articles of clothing.

Day Three:

She learnt that Lord Stark was an inventor. He had invented an ingenious way to lower and raise the drawbridge without actually touching it all, using sound waves generated by a device known as a tuning fork. All one had to do was to strike the fork on a block in a particular manner and for a particular number of times, to lower or raise the drawbridge. Apparently he had invented a number of such small yet clever creations that she had yet to discover.

She spent most of her time between Jarvis and Magdalene. It was such a pleasure to be involved in running a household again. Then she spent time at the stable, cooing to Balthazar, who now nickered with pleasure when she came over. At night, she would sit on the window sill and gaze at the stars, with Tigliath's giant head in her lap. Lord Stark had noticed the big cat's affinity for her and she suspected he was envious. She also noticed the way Lord Stark would stare at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Surprisingly not at her body but at her hair. But from time to time, he would also stare at her legs.

Day Four:

Lord Stark noticed Pepper spending time in the stable and told her she could ride the little brown pony, Buttercup, if she wanted to. Pepper was so pleased that she ran to saddle Buttercup for a short ride in the afternoon. The wind in her hair, the brightness of the snow covered day, Buttercup's gently canter... this was bliss to Pepper. When she returned, she left a bouquet of snowdrops on his desk as thanks.

After dinner, Lord Stark asked her if she wanted to go back to Cumbria. He would accompany her on the journey. The thought made her turn visibly pale and she refused hastily. He didn't press her and let it go.

She noticed that he never slept on time. Rather, he spent the wee hours of the night, tinkering mysteriously in his workshop. What is he working on?

Day Five:

She noticed a different wing of the house, the East Wing. The door to the wing was locked and dusty. Jarvis sadly told her that the wing had fallen into disrepair and that no one was allowed inside. Why is he so sad about it? And why won't Lord Stark fix it if it is old?

Much to her delight, she discovered that Lord Stark had a small library. There was a connecting room between his and hers, filled with books and two armchairs. At first, she was bemused to find that all the books were scientific treatises but she did find some classics as well. And to her embarrassment, a book called the Kama Sutra, that explained sexual positions used in Asia. She did not read it but wondered how he got it and whether he had read it. Of course, he has.

She spent the whole evening reading and dozed off in one of the armchairs. After some time, she felt like she was being carried and woke up drowsily. "Ssssssh, it is ok. Sleep, do not awake, Milady." said a familiar voice. She nodded, her eyes weren't opening anyway and the body carrying her, seemed so warm and firm. She nuzzled closer and wrapped her arms around the body's neck. Then she was gently lowered to her bed and her blanket was drawn over her, tucking her in comfortably. "Sleep tight, a thousand times. Good night, milady." the voice murmured and was gone. And Pepper slept.

Day Six:

The next day, at breakfast, she looked at Lord Anthony and suddenly realized who had tucked her in. She blushed vividly. Of course he noticed and winked at her impudently. He seemed to take great delight in watching her blush.

She busied herself in the kitchen, shooing Magdalene away, so she could prepare her masterpiece: Sweet-and-sour lamb flavored with cinnamon and ginger. When it was served, she waited anxiously to see if her food was received well. Jarvis liked it and Magdalene shrugged but Lord Anthony charmingly commented "Beauty, brains and the ability to cook lamb without charring it to a crisp (looking at you here, Jarvis). Is there anything you cannot do, Lady Virginia?" She impishly dropped a curtsy and he roared with laughter.

That night, Lord Anthony asked her to accompany him on a midnight ride, something Pepper had never done before. It was a magical experience to ride in the moonlight, along snow covered land. They rode casually till the frozen lake, a few miles from the keep. Then Pepper dared Lord Anthony to a race around the lake. He looked at her mischievously and said "You want to pit my magnificent animal against Buttercup? No offense, Buttercup."

"What's the matter, my lord? Scared of little Buttercup and me?" She looked at him from beneath her lashes.

He snorted and said, "The loser has to do whatever the winner wants for a day."

"You seem pretty confident you will win, my lord." She twinkled at him. "I shall remember that when I cross the finish line before you."

He smirked at that and they lined up at the great oak near the lake. A count of three and they were off, Balthazar matching Buttercup's speed. Pepper could see he was holding Balthazar back to give her a chance but she had no intention of being so noble. She saw the snow was deep at one side of the track and purposefully led Buttercup into it. She took the lead then because Balthazar had to slow down in the deep snow whereas Buttercup had a light step and could easily walk on the snow.

As she turned the corner of the lake, she glanced over and saw Lord Anthony urge Balthazar out of the deep snow with a gentle hand and words of encouragement. She recalled seeing lords at a joust, treat their horses like dirt, pulling at their soft mouths with no care. Another thing to admire about him.

As she neared the finish line, she heard Balthazar thunder close on their heels and then abruptly his thundering stopped. Then she heard a yell and a thud. She turned and saw Lord Anthony sprawled sheepishly in the snow. She dismounted and ran to him. "My lord, are you alright?"

"I'm OK, nothing wounded, except for my ego. Damn Balthazar threw me." He shook his fist at the horse who was ignoring them. Pepper giggled. Then Lord Anthony slowly got to his feet, bent towards her and whispered "The race is not over yet, milady."

She gasped and turned swiftly on her heel to run. He was quicker than her and just as he reached the finish line, she lunged forward and ended up knocking them both off their feet. They tumbled, laughing in the soft snow and he looked at her as they caught their breath.

"Milady, that was a close race but I think I won. What say you?"

She hadn't had such simple fun in such a long time. She looked at him and for a second, thought she saw a glimmer of blue light. It must be the blood rush from the running. She dimpled at him and said sweetly, "You win this one, my lord. But next time, I shall be the victor." He gave her a cheeky smile and they rode back to the keep.

Day Seven:

She didn't see Lord Anthony all morning as she was busy trying to learn pastry making from Magdalene.

In the evening, dark clouds had gathered on the horizon. An hour later, a powerful thunderstorm shook the keep. Pepper was horribly scared of storms. She sat on her bed, hugged herself and tried not to cry. Storms brought bad memories. Tigliath was not around, so even his cuddly comfort was missing. She had just started to sniffle when there was a knock on her door. Lord Anthony entered cautiously.

"Whatever is the matter, milady?"

She wanted to say something clever and fob him off but instead a tear fell from her eye and she trembled.

He sat at the edge of the bed and took her hands in his. "Are you scared of the storm?"

She nodded.

"The noise frightens you?"

Again she nodded.

"You know they are just arguing, right?"

She looked at him, puzzled.

"The rain and thunder are a married couple taking a walk. The rain being the man, wants to reach somewhere while thunder being the woman, obviously wants to enjoy the walk. The rain leaves her behind so she expresses her displeasure with loud noise." He twinkled at her charmingly and Pepper smiled at his silliness. Then he put his head out of the window and yelled at the sky, "Milady Thunder, would you mind keeping it down? You are scaring my lady, Virginia." Just then a flash of lighting struck the wall near the window. Lord Stark pulled his head back in hastily, lost his balance and landed right on his rump. Pepper laughed loudly at the sight.

He looked at her from the floor and said, "This is why you don't criticize women. If they say something, they always are right and you are wrong." He looked at the ceiling. "It was just a suggestion, milady Thunder. No need to get sparky."

She was still laughing as he picked himself up and came over to her. He gave her his monogrammed handkerchief to dry her tears. Then he urged her to come with him to the workshop where he wanted to run some of his ideas by her. She followed him with pleasure, charmed by his efforts to comfort her.

At night, she didn't return his kerchief. Instead she tucked it in her pillow, with the initials "A E S" towards her face.