Nope. The Baron's household all speak Middle English. The nobility themselves speak Norman French (separate skill from Middle French, being a bastardisation of French and Old Norse) but Sinmore did not interact with any nobles as she was kept out of sight.
I switched it to Awareness then, she was looking for someone hidden in the Baron's castle.
Since Samuel seems to know so much gossip, she'll try to get information on Sir Guillaume. Nothing untoward; how long he's been at the Covenant, how long he's been a Redcap, is any of his gear magical. Always in a friendly tone and also to mention ("Shhh! This is our secret!"). She doesn't want him to do any research or investigation, just what he might already know. Since he's so keen on impressing her with his studies and they're not focused she'll also let him tell her what he's currently studying and help her straighten out the Guest Lab ("I need to use this lab Samuel, the others are far too small. But they're just the right size for you. And is this astrolabe properly configured considering this month's horiscope?")
"Oh, Little William?" Samuel pipes up. "He's the greatest knight in all the isles! The only man who ever bested him in combat was William the Marshal, and he'll show you the scar if you ask! Do you want to see it? I think he let him win the fight, too." You'll glean that Guillaume has been a Redcap for at least half a century, his greatsword is Excalibur itself, and he singlehandedly slew a fearsome dragon that was terrorizing a town in Cornwall. Due to your insistence on secrecy, however, Samuel is convinced that Sinmore has a crush on William. 
...Which means that within a week, the entire covenant is whispering about how the freakishly huge redhead is in love with Sir William. Uh-oh.
As soon as you try to get him to help with the guest lab, though, he balks. "No way. If you don't work out a deal with my pater for my services, then you have to pay me. Two pawns of vis per season of lab assistance. Did you know I'm a genius?" He also scoffs when you mention horoscopes, snorting that "astrology is a false science, which leads laymen to misunderstand true astronomy, which is not a matter of natural philosophy but is actually a question of mathematics and physics" and then explains the heliocentric theory of the universe, quoting some philosophers you've never heard of ("All Zidgey" and "Barony"). The idea that the earth not only rotates around its own axis, but also revolves around the sun? You know it to be preposterous. And up until now you hadn't seen any glimpses of Lamentus' madness in his young apprentice, but now, you know, the kid's nuts.
Normally you only get any experience from an adventure if you devote the season to it, whether on adventure the entire season or reviewing what you learned outside of the adventure. You get the Confidence, Warping, and anything else regardless.
I'm still stuck understanding. The experience you're giving us for the adventures is separate and on top of what we're getting from what we might study or do that season? Is that correct? In which case, what happens if we take adventure experience for the season? Yes... I'm confused.
Chris
Yes, the adventure experience I award is separate and in addition to what you get from what you do for the season. If you decide to take adventure experience for the season, you would spend the entire season going adventuring; you'll get your own thread wherein we storytell your adventures, and the overall experience you get would be dependent on how much, and how well, you write.
Ah well, he's cleverer than I thought. He'll humour him as he regales her with all the information on a heliocentric universe, probably at this point figuring out that his original Master is a Criamon. She'll ask simple questions about that as she's moving things into her lab. "If it's Heliocentric, why is there a limit of the Lunar Sphere and not the Solar Sphere?". Regarding any gossip, she'll ignore it, children do spread tales after all. Other than that she'll mind her business, assemble her lab, read the charter and wait for her yellow robes.
"Wow, I'd heard that the Flambeau can be gauntleted without having even a rudimentary grasp of Hermetic Theory, but I thought they were just nasty rumours until now." He'll then lecture you on the layout of the universe, plotting the sun right in the center, and the earth rotating around the sun, and the moon rotating around the earth. He takes a moment to chart some mathematical equations that go way over your head, but explains how these rotations explain lunar and solar eclipses (which is also ridiculous-- everyone knows God causes those, but then again, this kid is a Jew, and probably heard all this nonsense from demons anyway). "Of course, 'Lunar Sphere' is an oversimplification, but 'Lunar Ellipsoid' doesn't really flow off the tongue, you know," he mentions casually. The moon, Samuel explains, rotates around the earth, and is much smaller than the earth. The sun is far, far larger than the moon, and is much, much further away, and thus the sun is well beyond the Lunar Sphere "--or Lunar Ellipsoid, rather--" and that a Solar Limit is beyond the Lunar Limit. He'll snort and offer to allow you to prove your logically flawed argument by affecting the sun with magic, but then his condescension evaporates as he diverges into an explanation of mathematical limit theory, and describe how Hermetic limits relate to them.
On the plus side, you pick up 1 exposure in Philosophiae.
You don't get much reading done on the charter, as it is HUGE and you're only allowed to read it in the presence of an official covenant scribe. Who, in this case, is Great William-- a man larger than Sinmore, though gentle as a doe. His time is limited so she only gets a couple days' worth of reading in, and the charter is written in such intricate legalese that she really doesn't get anything out of it.
"Sir Guillaume, your armaments are most impressive! ... Verditius himself..." Several days later Rhodri gives Sir William an axe head of exceptional quality. (That was the second top tier item, the one after the display piece was made. The total was 34, which is enough for +7, but he's capped at +5.) "I can make you a haft for that if you have any good wood. I have none at hand." )If Rhodri makes the haft the weapon should probably end up at +4 overall since he's a little weaker with wood than with metal.)
"I would be honored to so serve your great House. I look forward to hearing back. In the meantime, we all" (gesturing to indicate Sir Guillaume, the Tremere, and himself) "should dine together and share stories."
How do you handle the application of the adventure experience? The normal limits are for greater amounts, so I'm not sure if you're using other limits. I'm figuring each adventure is separate.
Chris
Someone bigger than Sinmore? Well that will keep her interest no doubt.
Regarding Flambeau's Hermetic mastery she'll ignore the quip. He does seem quite knowledgeable, Sinmore will press him on knowledge related to Magic Lore, specifically Regios and see what he knows. Her own theory (which she doesn't share) is that Muspelheim is a specific place in the Realm of Magic, with corresponding Regios on the mortal sphere (Midgard). She's no slouch there, but it's obvious with his knowledge and how much he's read she can learn a few things.
Little William laughs good-naturedly. "And you know the real irony?" he asks. "It's not enchanted. The Founder forged it himself and opened it for enchantment, but it sat neglected in his studio while he worked on other projects, and was never enchanted. Verditius gave it to my grandfather as payment for services rendered, and after the sword passed along to my father, he tried to have it enchanted... and every Verditius magus he approached swore it would be presumptuous beyond belief to enchant something crafted by the Founder." He chuckles. "In my weaker moments I've considered having a Bonisagus enchant it, but I would never be so gauche."
Will is duly impressed, and after a couple days he tells you that he can secure a suitable haft of ebony all the way from Ceylon, and have it transported within a few days, if you wish. (Hurrah for Mercer Portals!)
He thanks you for the kindness and asks jovially whether you expect anything in return "...besides the renown in your weapons winning the king's tourney this year."
What he's really in the market for, he tells you later, is a good shield. It needs to be a proper heater shield, thicker than most, in order to hide a hidden compartment in the shape of a circle about as big around as a man's thumb and about half an inch deep. He would be willing to pay well above market value, not only for the shield, but also your discretion.
...And the seven of you embark on a three day bender, replete with copious quantities of faerie wine and an entire side of roast mutton. Rhodri will pick up one experience in Order of Hermes Lore, as he picks up various bits of information regarding Tremere's internal house structure and politics from the soldiers, while they regale you with tales of their time serving under Justinius.
"That would do well. Let me know when you have it."
"Nothing whatsoever, though I would appreciate sparring with you more when time allows. I am happy to have found a comrade in arms in my new home, and this is my way of showing my appreciation. If you eventually want to go into business with me, that would be wonderful, but that is an entirely separate matter."
"Ah, that I will be able to do something about. I need a little time to set up my workshop and lab. Once that is done I can make an excellent shield for you. I can make it an Item of Quality, too, if you are so inclined. As you know, I don't have as plentiful access to the wood as I do to iron."
Fun!
Great William is only size +2, but he's bigger built than Sinmore. He moves with quiet deliberation, as someone who is accustomed to breaking things when he is not careful, and has decided not to break anything else 
He is soft-spoken and gentle, and when he meets Sinmore (a woman he would not have to worry about breaking!), he becomes quite flustered and steadfastly refuses to meet her gaze, turning red whenever she speaks to him.
"That's 'regiones,' maga. Ray-ghee-OH-nays," Samuel corrects. He then tells her Lamentus' theory that Infernal and Magic are opposed to each other, and that Faerie and the mortal realms overlap each other and lie between the Infernal and Magical realms. That is why one can travel to any place in the world from any other place in the world by skipping through Faerie, because it is inextricably tied to the waking world. "Faerie is everywhere on earth and nowhere, all at once. But the Infernus and the Magic realms are specific places with their own discrete physical locales. Infernal and Magic regiones are simply gateways to the outskirts of their realms. The Divine has no physical location-- its regiones are simply reflections and reminiscences, much like a puddle of water where a glacier has passed."
He delivers it personally two days later.
Little William is more than happy to be able to get a workout without needing to make a spectacle by taking on five soldiers simultaneously. As for your business, he asks what would be required of him, and seems interested, though worried about whether it would conflict with his duties to the House.
"While I know it is unorthodox, I would be happy to have a kite shield made entirely of proper Damascus steel. I do not know if shields are usually made of wood due to limitations in smithing techniques, or due to limitations of the wielder's arm strength, but between your smithing arm and my shield arm, I believe such limitations could be entirely circumvented! What is your expert opinion, friend? Can it be done?"
"If you find those who would like to buy my swords, or I suppose axe heads and the like, you could have 20% of the sale price. That's of the sale price, not of the profits. Gauging the profits is too difficult. Not everything needs to be of top quality; it could be rather expensive for a lord to try to outfit an army with legendary weapons."
Hmmm... Perhaps I was mistaken? I thought I'd read they were nearly all made of wood for some reason. If not, Rhodri would certainly be using a metal one as well. I'll keep checking...
Oh, for sure, in the 13th century everyone's using wooden shields. The really good ones have their rims reinforced with metal or leather. William's suggesting the two of you do something entirely crazy... though it might possibly work.
Ah, OK, got it now.
"Sounds interesting. I'm game. Let's see what I can do."
Rhodri will put some time into it this season when away from his studies. In the meantime, are there books Rhodri can study, or does he not yet have access? Also, he'll contact the Confraternity of Roland to find the location of Durendal so he can steal it. He didn't want to do so before having a place of his own.
Also, any thoughts on my question about distribution of experience from adventure bonuses?
Durendal is in the possession of Vanessa filia Theorus, who resides at the Forge of Hephaistos in the Theban tribunal.
Adventure experience can be allotted however you desire, so long as it goes into something you used during the course of the adventure.
Attravere plans to use Maribus' laboratory until his mentor returns.
He'll seek to clear that with Sanno, of course.
Attravere will relay the information on Leona's wood to the other members of the covenant when they return.
--
When the opportunity arises he'll corner Sinmore for a private conversation. "Greetings Maga Sinmore. You're a flambeau, at last check, and seem to carry your weapon like you know how to use it. We Magi have egos which are often larger than we deserve. I ask you, having said that, how good are you with your blade? I'd like to clear the air between you and my housemate, Sir Guillaume. I think the best way to do that is to have you both duel non-lethally. I understand that respect can be gained in battle that might not be had any other way, yes?"
--
Attravere will keep a new pebble from the covenant every month to keep on hand as an arcane connection.