Page 45 of First Light
“Oh, go ahead.”
Bonnie cocked her head and nodded a little bit. “That’s fine of you.”
Carys waited for the woman to wash her hands in the corner, and then Bonnie quickly opened the shutters, cracked the window open, and tossed the water out.
Carys made a mental note to walk well away from the castle walls in the mornings.
“There, that’s better.” Bonnie dried her hands on her apron. Then she held out her hand, took Carys’s, and pumped it up and down. “I’m Bonnie. A pleasure to meet you, Lady Carys.”
“Nice to meet you, Bonnie. I don’t think I’m a lady though.”
“You’re Lady Seren’s Brightkin, are you not?” Bonnie bustled over to the wardrobe and threw open the doors. “That would mean you’re a lady here too. And you’re sleeping in a lady’s room, so I’ll call you Lady Carys.”
“Or just Carys is fine too.”
Bonnie turned. “I’ve been told that there aren’t lords and ladies and such in the Brightlands. Is that true?”
“There are in some places, but not where I’m from.”
“But you’re from Cymru, aren’t you?”
Duncan was right. News traveled fast in this place. “It’s called Wales in the Brightlands, and it doesn’t really have a king either.” Okay, that wasn’t one hundred percent true. “I guess they do technically, but he’s not as powerful as the rulers here.”
“Oh.” Bonnie nodded. “That’s odd. They have a king but not a powerful one?”
“It’s… complicated.” Carys didn’t know if she should be detailing the intricacies of a constitutional monarchy or the current political situation in the United Kingdom, so she turned her attention to the clothes in the wardrobe. “What do you think I should wear today?”
Bonnie scanned the clothing. “These are Lady Seren’s old things—she was made a new wardrobe when she was married, but that’s still stored in Lord Lachlan’s quarters. These should all fit you.” The maid opened a lower drawer. “What are your activities today?”
“I know Duncan said I’d have to ask formal permission if I want to stay in the castle, so?—”
“Formal clothes if you’re going to see Lord Robb.” She started pulling things from the wardrobe. “From what I hear, Lord Lachlan is insisting you stay in the castle, so I wouldn’t worry.” She pulled out a pair of grey wool pants. “Lady Seren preferred trousers to skirts. Are you the same?”
When she was hanging out at home, Carys loved a long, flowing skirt and a comfy tee, but that didn’t seem wise within the chilly walls of the old castle.
Carys nodded. “Trousers would be great.”
“Excellent.” She tugged at a tunic in a bright red color. “She did prefer red and green.”
“For Wales.” Carys smiled.
“For Cymru.” Bonnie nodded. “This is a lovely red color, but maybetooformal for today. Why don’t we go with the green?”
Bonnie sounded much more knowledgeable about court protocol than Carys was, so she deferred to the older woman. “Sounds good.”
She waited for Bonnie to set out the clothing on the bed, and then she yanked off the warm wool wrap, jumped into the tunic before she froze, then the pants—trousers—and watched carefully as Bonnie tied an elaborate knot in the gold-colored sash to give the tunic some shape.
“There you go.” She eyed Carys’s feet. “Let’s get your feet covered so you don’t catch a cold. Stockings and boots for you, I expect.”
“Please tell me Seren had some spare shoes I can wear instead of Duncan’s old boots.”
Bonnie’s dimples reluctantly peeked out. “Without a doubt. Let’s get your stockings on your feet so I can brush and braid that hair.”
An hourafter she’d woken and dressed, another knock came at the door. Carys opened it, expecting to see Bonnie’s face again, but she froze when it was Lachlan.
She knew it was Lachlan from the length of his hair, though he’d grown a light beard in the time he’d been away from her.
“Good morning, Carys.”