Nimue darted around the Lady to accept the cloak. She looked at the cloak and up into the knight's face with adoration. She remembered to curtsy.<br/>"Thank you, Sir Maric. I would have been cold without my cloak." She turned to the Lady,<br/><br/>"May we invite him in for refreshment? It has been a long way from the Abbey to the Tor."<br/><br/>Nimue could have sworn that the Lady rolled her eyes but stepped back and said graciously,<br/><br/>"I am the Lady of the Lake, Vivianne. Would you honor our home with your presence and allow us to receive blessing by giving your succor?<br/><br/>Nimue's eyes never left Maric's face. She felt as if she were starving and he was the bread sent from the bakery of the King. She stepped closer to him and put her hand on his forearm.<br/>"I would add my urging to the invitation, Sir Maric. I will serve you from my own hand." and she batted her eyelashes. Much to her mortification, she actually fluttered her eyelashes and blushed prettily.<br/><br/>"Nimue," the Lady's voice hissed at her, Nimue turned to see, for she was truly obedient. The Lady's face had drained out its color and her eyes were wide with a warning of some sort but Nimue only had the will to stare stupidly at the beauty of the knight. When to her amazement, she saw Layla waddled up silently behind the huge black stallion. She was sniffing him much as a hound would sniff one of his own kind. Nimue put her hand to her mouth to stifle the exclamation that was rolling around on her tongue.<br/><br/>The horse whinnied and sidled to the left but did not bolt or try to run. Nimue took that as a good sign but wanted Maric to get to know her a little better before she introduced him to Layla. Taking the knight by the arm, she cut a sideways coquettishly flirtatious glance.<br/>"Come into the house. We have fresh tarts cooling on the hearth and you are just the man needed to tell us if they are quality or rubbish. come along, now,"