Because I was kneeling at her feet I managed to hide my irritation. It was only when she was in chapel that I had time to attend to the other tasks I had assumed in the household. Jasper had no wife or chatelaine to oversee the domestic arrangements. In general the castle was a male enclave; sentries patrolled the battlements, guards manned the gates, male cooks and scullions sweated in the kitchens, grooms and huntsmen staffed the stables and kennels and archers and men at arms practised their skills incessantly in the outer court. Only in the brewery and the laundry were any women employed and they did not have the manners or the training to be of any use in a lady’s solar. I had quickly realized that more female staff were needed as cleaners and tire-women if I was not to become exhausted and Lady Margaret was to be attended in the way to which she was accustomed and on which Jasper insisted. So he had asked the steward to seek out some suitable candidates from among the women of the town and for the first week I was busy interviewing them and inducting those chosen. This had been done while Lady Margaret attended Mass, along with the routine tasks of changing bed linen, ordering meals and obtaining potions and salves from the Pembroke apothecary.

Luckily Alice was of a similar age and mind as me and we worked well together. She always accompanied her mistress to the chapel, for which I was grateful. The Church required attendance once a week and I adhered to that, with confession at Easter and Christmas but otherwise my prayers were said privately and usually in bed at night.

I tied the laces of Lady Margaret’s second boot before looking up. ‘I believe God knows what my duties are, my lady,’ I said, swallowing my impatience. ‘And as long as you have Alice to go with you I am satisfied that you are well attended.’

She frowned and took my hand to pull herself out of her chair. ‘It is not my soul or Alice’s I worry about, Jane, it is yours.’

‘Perhaps you will honour me with your prayers for my soul then, my lady, for I feel sure He will listen to you. Now do you have your psalter?’

* * *

Jasper had booked the services of a Pembroke midwife, a bossy but motherly soul called Mallt, who had been recommended by his steward’s wife because, apart from having some experience with very young mothers, she also spoke fluent English. Lady Margaret had an abhorrence of revealing any personal physical details which made it hard to estimate when her pregnancy had started and therefore when it might end. Between us, the midwife, Alice and I decided that she should enjoy the Christmas celebrations and begin her confinement at Epiphany.