Page 293 of Historical Hotties
Darius began to sort them out. “They are perfect,” he said. “Can you pull the small ones out, please?”
They were returning to the bed, and Nicola caught his eye, winking at him, before heading back toward the keep. That left Darius alone with a skittish girl, one he hoped he wouldn’t chase away with talk of lessons. But, as Nicola said, he was practically the only one who could do it.
He began inspecting the small nails.
“These are very nice,” he said again. “You are smart, my lady. Do you wish to learn how to make a chicken bed? Are youwatching what I am doing so you can do it someday if you need to?”
Jane was still pulling out the shorter nails. “I would rather help.”
“You do not like to build?”
She shook her head. “Nay.”
“What do you like to do?” he asked, inspecting a nail closely and blowing on it to dust off the rust. “What I mean to ask is: what brings you joy? Drawing? Singing?”
He was trying to be very careful with how he led into the conversation. He wanted it to be natural, organic. She didn’t seem defensive as she continued to sort the nails.
“I do not know how to draw or sing,” she said. “I spread the word of God.”
“Do you like it?”
She nodded. “I will go to heaven.”
“You will go anyway,” he said. “You do not need to preach in order to go to heaven.”
She set aside a few nails into the short nail pile. “That is not what Madam Madonna says.”
Darius picked up one of the smaller nails in preparation for using it. “There are many good men who do not preach but still go to heaven when they die,” he said. “I think Madam Madonna meant that knowing the word of God is good and keeping it close to your heart is good, but you do not need to preach. Living a good life and honoring God’s commandments are a better way to get into heaven, I think. I do not preach, but I know I am going to heaven.”
She looked at him then. “How do you know?”
He glanced at her, smiling. “Because I have followed his commandments,” he said. “I do not envy. I do not lie. A knight must take his vows of knighthood before God, so in a sense, I have sworn to uphold God and those He loves. That means I willgo to heaven. As I said, many men who do not preach will go to heaven. There are better ways to get there.”
That had Jane thinking. Having lived such an insulated life for so long, new ideas were strange to her. Intriguing, but strange. Over the past several days, she had shown some interest in learning what others knew and thought, but the innate fear that Madam Madonna had instilled in her was difficult to overcome.
“How… how else can I get there if I do not preach?” she asked.
Darius shrugged before placing another leg against the bedframe and giving it a few whacks. “It makes God happy when you are obedient and strive to do the right thing,” he said.
“I am obedient.”
He glanced at her. “Are you?” he said. “I heard that you and your mother had strong words today. Were you being disobedient to your mother?”
Jane appeared horrified that he knew about their argument. She quickly lowered her head and refused to answer, so Darius stopped hammering. He had a feeling he had just ruined what he had started, so he kept his voice low and calm as he spoke.
“What did you argue about?” he asked gently. “Jane, one of the things that displeases God is a stubborn attitude. If I ask you a question, then it pleases Him if you answer. Tell me what you argued about.”
Jane began blinking rapidly as her eyes filled with tears. “She said that Madam Madonna lied to me.”
“She did. We have all told you that.”
Jane’s head shot up, her expression full of distress. “But why do you say so?”
He set the hammer down and came around the table, pulling up the stool next to her. “My lady, would you say that you and I have become friends?” he asked.
Jane nodded hesitantly. “Aye.”
Darius reached out, taking her little hand. “Janie, do you feel safe with me?”
