Her Dark and Dangerous Lord. Anne Herries

in the tubs. It is a lot of work for nothing, for as I told you they will not be used.’

      ‘We shall see,’ Anne said. ‘If Lord de Montfort has guests, they may be needed.’

      ‘He never has guests, except you,’ Sulina said. ‘Give me the cloth you have in your hand if you want them all put to soak.’

      ‘This is torn. I shall use it for lavender bags. When the sheets are stored once more, the lavender will keep them fresh and sweet. I have found a sewing box; if you insist on taking the linen yourself, I may as well begin at once.’

      Sulina went off with the linen, still muttering to herself. Anne smiled as she took the torn cloth into a small parlour she had discovered at the back of the house. The windows here were larger and the view was of the garden where she had picked lavender and roses. She had used some of her harvest for bowls of potpourri, and the scent was already drifting through the house. She sat down on a wooden bench with a high, smooth back and took the sewing box she had found stored in the linen room. She was smiling, humming to herself as she began her work.