Bondmaiden Read Online Free

He let out a long, soft groan of pleasure and began to move his hips.
    Suddenly, without a word, he pulled away and rolled out of bed. She heard him scurry back to his own bed, and then a few moments later she heard a heavy tread coming along the passageway. Holmann appeared bearing a lantern. He prowled along the women’s beds, stopping at each in turn and briefly lifting the blanket. When he came to her bed Lia closed her eyes and feigned sleep. She felt the blanket move, and felt the creep of cold air against her skin. It seemed an eternity before he covered her and moved on. He reached the end of the row and came back, pausing briefly at Lia’s bed before moving on again. Finally he left, to her relief.
    She wondered if Durwin would come again. Part of her hoped he would, for she could forget her troubles for a while when he touched her, though she was still afraid of being caught. But he didn’t return, and she fell asleep despite everything; the next thing she knew was someone shaking her.
    ‘Wake up; it’s almost dawn. Come on, sleepy-head, there’s work to be done.’
    It was the fair-haired girl Lia had seen in the kitchen when she first arrived. Lia rose and dressed, and followed her through into the washroom where they collected two buckets, one big and one small. The girl handed Lia the smaller bucket.
    ‘I’m to show you what to do today,’ she said as they left the washroom. ‘Tomorrow you have to do it by yourself. My name’s Tilda, by the way. You’re Lia, aren’t you?’
    She smiled, and Lia nodded and smiled back, though her heart wasn’t in it. She was already worrying about this new duty, convinced she would never wake up in time to perform it. She would be punished for certain if she overslept.
    ‘A guard will wake you,’ Tilda said, as if she could read Lia’s mind. ‘We have an arrangement with them. They change at dawn, and the night sentry comes here before he goes off duty.’
    They went out to the ward, and Lia saw they weren’t the only ones stirring. Two men were grooming horses outside a stable, the blacksmith was lighting his fire, and a sleepy-eyed boy with tousled hair was filling a bucket at the well. They waited until he’d finished and staggered off with his load, then Tilda set her bucket on the step and pumped the handle. Water gushed from the wooden spout, which was carved into a dragon’s head, and splashed into the bucket.
    ‘One thing I forgot to tell you,’ Tilda said. ‘The guard will want a favour in return for waking you up.’
    ‘What sort of favour?’
    ‘It depends who’s on duty. It used to be extra food, but Holmann put a stop to that, so now it’s usually chores. You might have to clean someone’s boots or mend his clothes. It’s Stig this week, and he just wants a good grope.’
    ‘A grope?’
    Tilda nodded. Her bucket was full and she lifted it off the step. Lia put her bucket in its place and began to pump. The handle was stiff and squeaked loudly.
    ‘That’s how he wakes you up; by groping you under the blanket.’ Tilda sat on the step, holding up her skirts so they wouldn’t get splashed. ‘I wouldn’t mind, but his hands are always cold. You’ll find out, because I told him to wake you up tomorrow, not me.’
    Unexpectedly she grinned, and Lia decided she liked Tilda, who seemed cheerful in spite of everything.
    They carried the buckets back, setting the small one down outside Holmann’s room. Tilda rapped lightly on the door with her knuckles. ‘Master Holmann, are you awake?’
    A groan and a curse told them he was, so they made their escape. They took the big bucket to the washroom, then Tilda started to wake all the others. They bathed in order of seniority – the old woman from the kitchen went in first, then Kerta the laundress, then Jarold, then Durwin, then a plump young woman Lia didn’t know until Tilda told her she was Clady the seamstress. When everyone else had finished Tilda and Lia went in, and Tilda immediately