Ludwig suddenly realized he had said too much. He had already revealed his heritage to Cyn and Sigwulf. If he kept this up, the entire company would soon know of his background, and then word might get back to his father. He decided to change the subject.
“How did you become a cook?” Ludwig asked.
“I took after my mother.”
“What did your father do?”
“I never knew my father,” said Dorkin, “though I was told he was a soldier. Maybe that’s why I fit in so well with the company. What about your da? What did he do?”
Ludwig cursed his luck, for his attempt to distract had merely returned the discussion to his own past. “He was a soldier as well,” he replied. In fact, it was a partial truth, for Lord Frederick had seen battle under Ludwig’s cousin, King Otto, but that had been years before L
