The Marriage Prize (12 page)

the February Parliament, and without the king's presence

there could be no Parliament. Earl Simon had many

informants who traveled with the king's court in

63

Europe, and it took only four days for merchant vessels to sail

from the Continent and bring messages to England.

The institution of regular sessions of Parliament was the first

and foremost of the Provisions of Oxford, but obviously it was

the provision that stung Henry's colossal pride the most. Until

now, cal ing a session of Parliament had been solely the

king's prerogative. He had had time to recover from the panic

that had made him sign the Provisions, and now he wanted to

rule personal y once again, without a council dictating to him.

Simon was furious. He knew Henry would use the French

treaty as a last-minute pretext for not returning in time for

Parliament. So before the king wrote to the justiciar, the

marshal, and his other nobles, asking for a postponement,

Earl Simon decided to forestal him and write to the nobles

himself, summoning them to London for the Candlemas

Parliament in February. He assured them that Lord Edward

Planta-genet, heir to the throne, would be at his side.

Simon hoped Rodger de Leyburn would return to Kenilworth

soon. That persuasive young man would be indispensable in

helping him to convince Lord Edward to replace the king in

Parliament, if Henry did indeed refuse to return in time.

Alyce de Clare was furious that de Leyburn had taken himself

off without so much as a by-your-leave. With Rod absent, it

was impossible for her to spend the night with Edward, so it

was pointless for her to remain at Kenilworth under Eleanor

de Montfort's contemptuous gaze.

******************

Owen, since he was the only one she dared to trust.

Mon Amour,

I shal persuade Richard to return to Gloucester, but shal

proceed to London and stay at Westminster in my fathers

apartments. I wish you would return to Windsor before

Christmas, so we could spend it together, but if not, I wil come

to you whenever you send word.

It was an arrangement they had used before. As wel as

access to Westminster, Alyce often enjoyed carte blanche at

the numerous de Clare castles close to London, without the

presence of her odious young husband.

64

She and Gilbert hated the sight of each other and were

happiest when they were separated by a goodly distance.

Alyce was alarmed that Edward was al ying himself with

Simon de Montfort, though she was far too wise to voice her

objection to her lover. Instead, she would voice it to her father-

in-law, Richard de Clare, when the opportunity presented

itself.

The fol owing day, Edward hid his amusement when Richard

de Clare bade him farewel . "I've absented myself from

Gloucester for far too long. Gilbert has decided to stay on

awhile—he hero-worships Simon, you know—but duty cal s

me. You must come and stay with us at Gloucester and

sample our hospitality."

"Thank you for your generous offer, Richard; I have every

intention of sampling it one day soon."

******************

her. The food was good, and she was able to enjoy it because

she had inspected the kitchen and found it clean and tidy.

Rosamond and Nan sat alone at the head table, while the

household servants sat much farther down the hal . "I give

credit where it is due, they have earned their dinner today."

Nan replied, "The change in attitude is amazing. It is difficult to believe it was only yesterday we were treated like dirt beneath

their feet. We owe it al to Sir Rodger."

"Yes, a royal steward has a great deal of power and authority."

"My lady, even if he had no such office, the result would be the

same, I warrant. It is the man they are obeying, not the office."

"Yes, it is a man's world—I wil never doubt that again. Al the

power is in their hands."

"If a woman is fortunate enough to marry a powerful man, and

clever enough to hold that man in the palm of her hand, she

gains al his power for herself," Nan pointed out.

"That is certainly what Lady Eleanor de Montfort has done,

and I know what you are trying to tel me, Nan; I'm not oblivious

to the fact that I am betrothed to Sir Rodger de Leyburn."

Nan smiled knowingly. "He reminds you of it every time he

looks at you with those devilish green eyes. Surely he sets

your pulses racing and heats your blood, my lamb?"

65

"He does not!" Rosamond declared, yet an inner voice cal ed

her a liar.

"Have you ever noticed the marked resemblance between Sir

Rodger and Sir Rickard de Burgh?" Nan asked innocently.

"Yes ... no ... I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about their bodies—shoulders so wide and

powerful, they make a female feel faint, hair blacker than

midnight, eyes like green pools of temptation a woman would

wil ingly drown in, and the same rich, dark laugh that makes

your very spine tingle. Both are wickedly handsome warriors

who could lure any lady to wantonness."

Rosamond tried to picture Rickard de Burgh, but it was

Rodger de Leyburn who rose up vividly in her mind,

completely obliterating her ability to conjure the older knight,

who until recently had fil ed al of her daydreams and

fantasies. She shivered, for Rod de Leyburn was real flesh

and blood, not some ephemeral fancy.

Just as she drained her wine goblet, Griffin, accompanied by

Ned, came into the hal with news. "My lady, your horses have

been safely returned. Ned has just fed and watered them."

"Oh, how wonderful! My palfrey means so much to me; I would

dearly love to see her. Has darkness yet fal en?"

"Yes, my lady, it is dark outside, but I wil light your way, you need have no fear," Griffin assured her. "But you wil need a warm cloak, for the night is bitter cold."

"I wil fetch your cloak, my lady," Ned said. "You wil be so pleased at the condition of the stables." He almost ran from

the hal .

"Griffin, you and Ned must stay and eat; I can visit the stables

tomorrow."

"We are both eager for you to see the vast improvements in

Per-shore's stable. We wil both enjoy our food better after we

have seen the pleasure in your eyes."

Such a concept startled Rosamond. The very notion that her

happiness could bring them pleasure made her feel quite

special.

When she arrived at the stable, flanked by Griffin and Ned, her

heart overflowed with affection for her little palfrey, and

Nimbus greeted her with a soft nicker and a nuzzle. As

Rosamond stroked the

66

fil y, she breathed in the clean smel of soap and fresh hay. "I

can hardly believe what has been accomplished."

"Sir Rodger has been known to move mountains, my lady."

Rosamond laughed. Griffin had an earthy sense of humor, for

indeed Sir Rodger had moved mountains of horse dung. As

she crossed the bailey, she lifted her eyes to the bril iant stars.

There was no cloud cover tonight and it was cold enough for

frost. She pul ed her purple cloak closer about her and thought

of de Leyburn. Surely he would not rout people from the

warmth of Worcester Castle tonight. Nay, he had told her he

would return today to keep her from being afraid. Likely it was

done in kindness, yet she didn't appreciate being treated like

a child.

She glanced about nervously. Where was the brutish

stableman this night, or the men of Pershore who had been

drunk in the bailey? The pockmarked face of Dymock rose up

in the dark and she felt her fingers tremble as they clutched

her cloak. She liked Griffin very much, and Sir Rodger had

told her she could trust him with her life, but Rosamond knew

she would not feel secure tonight without de Leyburn's

protective presence.

The entire wing of Pershore where Rosamond had her

bedchamber had been scoured and cleaned, and each room

had been aired by its own fire, so tonight Rosamond had her

own private quarters. Nan took an adjoining room, while Ned

would sleep in the knights' quarters with Griffin.

As Rosamond readied herself for bed, she imagined her

chamber as it would be once improvements had been made.

She visualized a plush carpet on the floor and rich, artistic

tapestries upon the wal s. A rug and cushions before the

fireplace would lend a cozy atmosphere, and deep-red

hangings about the high window would make the room feel

both warmer and safer. Rosamond loved vivid colors. Her

hand caressed her crimson bed curtains and goosedown

quilt, their familiarity bringing a measure of comfort, as she

silently thanked Lady Eleanor for suggesting that she bring her

own bedding.

She went to the window searching for some sign of de

She went to the window searching for some sign of de

Leyburn, but other than the stars, she could see only

blackness outside. She climbed into bed and the incredible

events of the day replayed themselves in

67

her mind. Rosamond didn't believe she had ever fainted

before in her life, and could not explain how her trampling

dream had overtaken her senses while she was ful y awake.

She told herself that the events leading up to it must have

taken an emotional tol on her. The terrifying black horse must

be a symbol of her fears threatening to overwhelm her. If she

conquered her fears, she wondered if the trampling dream

would stop.

Eventual y her eyelids became heavy and she began to drift

down into sleep. In the distance there was a low rumble.

Thunder? No, it was far too cold for thunder. It was more like

the drumming of hoofbeats on the frozen ground, coming ever

closer. A wave of stark terror swept over Rosamond,

snatching her breath away....

******************

welcome. The castle had always been a royal stronghold,

where he and Edward had entertained the young Marcher

barons of Hay, Clifford, Wigmore, and Ludlow. During the

previous year, most of the old barons had died off, leaving

their castles and titles to sons who were approximately the

same age as Lord Edward.

same age as Lord Edward.

From Worcester Castle's vast staff, Sir Rodger selected a

dozen household servants he intended to put in charge at

Pershore. He also picked land stewards to oversee the tenant

farms, and chose guards for its wal s and grooms for its

stables. To replace Dymock, he picked a man cal ed Hutton,

who was Worcester's under-steward. Rod promised that his

wife, Lizzy Hutton, could be head housekeeper in charge of

the other maids. She was so flattered that she helped him cul

some of Worcester Castle's royal furnishings to help replenish

Pershore.

By the time the wagons were loaded, it was time for the

evening meal at Worcester. Rod put Hutton in complete

charge and told him that tomorrow would be a better time for

the eight-mile journey to Pershore. Though the night was bitter

cold, Rod had assured Rosamond that he would return, no

matter how late the hour, and it never occurred to him to do

otherwise. He had left Griffin in charge, but the responsibility

for Rosamond's safety was far too heavy for one lone squire.

Pershore harbored more than a few disgruntled servants who

had been al owed to rule the roost.

68

When he arrived at Pershore's stables, it was after ten. He

gave Stygian a thorough rubdown, then led him to a stal that

had been made ready with clean straw. As Rod offered his

horse a handful of fresh hay, his eyes traveled about the dimly

lit stable with approval. His nose told him better than his eyes

that his orders had been fol owed to the letter.

Griffin awaited him and showed him to a chamber with a fire,

a clean bed, and a supply of wine, the three things he was

most in need of. Rodger learned that the missing horses had

been returned, that al had remained amazingly quiet at

Pershore, and that Dymock was securely locked up in a cel

beneath the stil room. Griffin indicated the account books

stacked on the table and withdrew for the night.

Rod removed his boots and heavy leather doublet, then

warmed himself at the fire. When he felt that he was beginning

to thaw, he poured himself a goblet of wine. His eyes fel on

the account books, and he picked one up and carried it to an

easy chair before the fire. Rod finished his wine before he

opened the book, knowing from experience what he would

find in the ledgers.

Suddenly, from an adjoining chamber came a bloodcurdling

scream that made the hair on the nape of his neck stand on

end. He knew it was Rosamond before the chil ing sound died

away, and in a flash he was on his feet and running, his palm

clasped about the hilt of his dagger.

Rod found no one in the chamber except Rosamond. She was