14
Loud knocking on Thomas’s door roused him far too early. He tried ignoring it, but whoever was on the other side had obviously been told not to go away until he answered. Thomas, still tired and slightly hung-over, dragged himself out of bed and shuffled to the door.
“Lord Henry’s regards,” said the page on the other side. “He asks that you join him this morning in the old great hall.”
“Why?” asked Thomas, glaring blearily and shivering in the cold morning air.
“Practice.”
For a moment, Thomas considered getting his rapier and running the page through, but he held off. It wasn’t the boy’s fault.
Henry, on the other hand…
He let the thought of incipient mayhem on Henry keep him warm while he washed and dressed. Throwing on his cloak for extra warmth, he followed the boy through th
