Lady Sara’s voice dripped with sarcasm. Her haughty brow arched as she continued. “It is funny though. I do not believe I have seen any other of the former Saxon nobility adorning themselves with one.”Rhiann bit down on her instinctive unflattering retort about the other woman’s blatant rudeness. She was willing to be generous considering she ended up with Nathan, and Lady Sara was left quite alone. Rhiann was certain if their positions were reversed she would no doubt not be feeling particularly charitable towards the other woman either. “Excuse me, ladies. I was on my way to morning mass. It would be terribly rude of me to arrive late.” The subtle emphasis she placed on the terribly rude was not completely accidental on her part. She supposed she would have to confess that sin to Father Bernard in the confessional, but still Rhiann left the keep with a satisfied expression on her face. Rhiann tried not to feel guilty about her deliberate attempts to avoid her mother-in-law. Although she would have welcomed the opportunity to get to know Nathan’s mother better, the woman seemed constantly in the company of Lady Sara. As Rhiann saw no reason to make an effort to befriend her husband’s former fiancé, and assumed correctly any attempt on her part to do so would be coldly rebuffed, the opportunity to become better acquainted with her mother-in-law eluded her. Under the circumstances Rhiann thought it best to avoid Lady Sara’s company as much as possible.
