“And so a knight naturally becomes your backup choice for a career?”
“Yes, I suppose so,” he said. “I’ve always liked the idea of the knight errant, wandering the land and doing good deeds. My father recently hinted he might let me join the Crusades one day.”
“That surprises me. I would have thought he’d want to keep you close. You are the heir after all.”
“It’s true, but being the first in line to be baron can be lonely.”
“And yet,” Charlaine said, “from what I’ve heard, you have no problem finding companionship.”
“That’s my position again,” Ludwig admitted. “If it weren’t for my father’s title, I’d be a nobody.”
“We all have to make our own way in life.”
“Who told you that?”
“Saint Agnes.”
“Advice from a long-dead Saint?”
“They aren’t called Saints for nothing,” she said. “They
