They were seated separately at
dinner; Nesta at the foot with some the hangers-on and sundry; and Imogene at
the Bayeux Bishop’s main gauche. All the men and ladies of the castles sat and
servants wrought them bread with softened, salted butter and they ate it with
their hands. Odo entered then, and all the conversation paused, and all stood
up to welcome in the handsome host with sweet applause. (Although they had all
seen him through the day, this was his custom: to be greeted by the company
this way.)
“My dearly honored guests and all
the rest of ye, may I present to you again our sister in the fight for Normandy
and ere beyond this sainted land: Dame Imogene of dol-Combourg in Brittany; she
is our honored guest for whom tonight we feast.” The ladies clucked to one
another and the lords and knights smiled sweetly to the dam.
Odo’s blessing was perfunctory,
and presently he disattached his collar and removed his scapular, revealing he
an open linen shirt beneath, for on this eve, he hadn’t worn his habit; rather
button-shirt and trousers, and some riding boots. He cut a silhouette!
The start of dinner was some
pottage made of lentils, onions, garlic and of tongue. Followed that, the
servants brought stuffed swan, with carrots in a garlic sauce as well. The main
course was three boar, spit-roasted whole, and split among the men first, then
the ladies afterward. Odo and his best man, Gabriel, ate of the brain and
haunches of the best of three whole boars. But for those who didn’t fancy
eating boar, the chef had also made up mutton haunch on cabbage cooked with
mustard seed and weld. Fish were brought on Odwinsday and Freya’s, so there was
none for the host.
As dessert, the men ate almonds.
Nesta ate some, too, for she had dearly fancied some since they had reached the
millhouse at Bec-Hellouin the other day. The ladies sipped on chilled fruit
mash in wooden bowls. Within the mash were liquor, too.
All throughout the dinner, first
one man and then another would they stand, and raise a toast to one saint or another,
or a family they knew, or else the Summertime, or pass-times, or to one
another. Nesta tried requesting ale, but this was not Le Mans: there was no ale
or water to be drunk at one of Odo’s feasts; only peach-beer cider or red wine.
After dinner in the hall, some
servants brought a grand container, some 4 pieds
across and deep, upon a barrow made for such a task. All the waiting ladies and
the ribald men let out a cheer and clapped.
Nesta knew not what the object
were about!
A servant opened up the crate
with great and fancy flourish, and came out were scores of goslings! Some were mottled yellow; some were black and
some were brown. Each wore downy mantle and they waddled out and squawk at
goose and man alike. “Swee! Swee! Swee!” they gaily called, and fluttered they
their stubby wings!
As they spread about throughout
the hall, each lady and each man took up a piece of linen, given for this
purpose, in his hands and captured one the goslings in this blanket, yea but
with great care. Some were very drunk by now, and fell upon the floor or missed
their mark quite comically. Nesta caught on quickly to the sport, and picked
one up as well. Hers was adorned in silvry sable downing, and a little sleepy
did it seem. It was quite happy just to look about and see what’s going on, and
not its freedom break to mean. She found that it had, tied onto its hallux[1]
with a ribbon, a wee tag of parchment with some writing put upon it in a
woman’s hand.
The other guests were seated once
again, and each held on a gosling, all around. Odo turned his gosling
upside-down, and pulled the bit of parchment from the ribbon, and released the
gosling down. It trumpeted in triumph, Swee! and strutted thence away. Odo read
the note and smiled broadly, and then cast about the room. His eyes alit upon
dear Imogene. He teased, “Shall I ask your squire there this question on my
paper?” And fifty pairs of eyes turned ere to Nesta there. Fifty pair of eyes,
sopped, and tokened up with two acclivities: the main part was there joy, but
in the minor part, there was some vicious hunger, too. What could now these
nobles mean to do?
Imogene saw Nesta was suspicious
of the game. “Odo, shan’t we hold off with initiating her? She hasn’t got the
notion of the game yet, has she now?”
“Very well,” he then acceded to
her. “Very well, I’ll ask it of --” he looked about again and eyes alit upon a
woman dressed in green, “-- Victorène, the Lady of Lion-sur-Mer!” Tense
ghostfire filled the air betwixt the revelers, and some the women tittered at
the choice. All eyes were on Victorène and off of Nesta now.
“Victorène,” Odo began, with
shades of wolfishness at corners of his mouth, “tell us here: dans comment avez-vous été conçu? Dans
quelle position? With that, the crowd erupted once again in peals of
laughter and delight! The woman turned a
shade quite sympathetic to her dress. That is to say, ivy-colored dress she
wore then complimented well her florid, blooded skein. She was quite red! And everyone
hung closely on her answer to the test.
“M-missionary, M’seeur?” Gasps
and laughter eminate.
“Dost thou ask or dost thou say
it?” Odo pressed her then. Wild laughter then again!
But Victorène had naught to
answer him, and threw her hands up into the air, surrendering herself to one
the knights nearby! He picked her up and threw her up about his shoulder as the
merry host began to sing and cheer them on. The knight continued on, and
merrily he stepped away and took Victorène withacht, and exited the fray!
“I shall go next!” exclaimed a
boy named Jean-Jaquinot, perhaps thirteen, and seated near to Nesta’s skein.
Unraveled he his message hie and puzzled out the writing on the note with
trouble tried. He smiled and he turned to Nesta, and she turned to him. He
said, “It says for you to chuse a body part.”
“For what?” She asked. The throng
all pressed to her, from every side, to choose a body part. Some named some of
them, and Nesta lost the thread in pressing bald cacophony. She blurted out, “La joue! That is, joue faciale!” And laughter and applause sprung forth around the
feasting hall.
Jean-Jaquinot reached for a bowl
of heavy cream with honey, and he ran his finger round the rim and picked up
quite a dollop. He stood, and spread the cream upon his cheek – la joue, and
came quite close that Mortimer. Near her ear he whispered in the way that all
could hear it: “Lick it.” And there, a heavy silence in the smoky air beheld.
She was sorely glad she’d said
the cheek!
She made a proper show of it! And
all the dams and men about gave homage to their little act! Nesta, was she well
relieved! She’d passed their test, she did believe.
One by one, the parties took
their turn to ask and answer bawdy queries of each other one. And off they trod
then, two by two. And Nesta gathered some these sloppy noblemen would ere
continue with frivolity perhaps they past the dawn. As for herself, she wished quite
dearly to retire rather proximately, than anon. She found a girl to take her to
her quarters and to Nod. And so she went, and so she did.
