Darcy Branwyn

England, 1192:

…She looked over the document, glad now that Jeremy had been adamant that she learn to read and write. Her mother had never learned and had left it up to her as to whether she did or not. She’d almost given up several times but her brother refused to let her.

Matthew pointed to a brief genealogy that lay out his parentage. She was already added in there as his wife, and there was space below it for any children they should have. The space next to it was blank.

“There are my grandparents, and my parents,” he pointed out. “And there’s us.”

She smiled at that, at his patience, even though it wasn’t needed. Whether she could read and write or not didn’t seem to have any bearing on how he thought of her.

“We’ll need the names of your parents and their parents over here.” He moved his finger to the empty space.

Jennifer reached for the quill and expertly dipped it into the inkwell. “I’ve got it,” she said, scratching out the first name. She slid her eyes in his direction mischievously.

“You could have told me you could read,” he said.

“You never asked me, my lord. I don’t think it’s been on your mind.”

She heard Powell trying badly to smother a laugh.

“Cheeky wench,” Matthew muttered…

(This book doesn’t have a name yet. LOL. But it takes place in the same fictional world as Enduringly Yours.)