The Marriage Prize (31 page)

father's words. "Blood is thicker than water—especial y

Plantagenet blood."

Harry glared at Gloucester with disgust in his eyes. "Your own

son, Gilbert, wil never take sides against Simon de Montfort.

He is made of sterner stuff!"

"It matters little whose side Gilbert takes," his brother replied,

"since he has no men-at-arms to lead into battle."

"Speaking of men-at-arms, I have brought coin to pay your

men," Richard of Cornwal told Harry.

The defiance seemed to go out of Harry at the mention of

coin. Then he straightened his shoulders and declared, "I shal

go and tel Earl Simon that I cannot play traitor to my family,

but assure him that I shal never take up arms against him!"

His father clapped him on the shoulder. "You were ever

honorable and idealistic. I'm very proud of you, Harry. Now

let's get these bawds out of the Tower. The Queen and

Princess Eleanora are in residence up in the royal

apartments."

Richard did not immediately fol ow his father. He needed to

satisfy his curiosity. "Harry, about the whores—"

"They are sisters who work in tandem. I couldn't very wel

break up a matched set," he offered lamely.

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

Rodger de Leyburn cantered from Westminster's stables. "A

two-hour joust garnered scant information. Her lips were

sealed tight as a clam; only her nether lips opened wide!"

"She gave you no news whatsoever?"

"Only bad news," Edward said grimly. "Gloucester

accompanied Alyce; Richard of Cornwal summoned him."

"Christ, Gloucester has defected!"

"Exacdy! Simon de Montfort was right not to trust him.

Gloucester weighed the odds and jumped to the Plantagenet

side, as other barons wil do," Edward concluded. 176

Rodger de Leyburn, a keen student of human nature, knew

that Lord Edward himself was now careful y weighing the

odds. "Had Alyce any notion where the queen had taken your

wife?"

"Alyce swore she did not know, but we both know she can be

a deceitful little bitch. Speculation is futile; we have so many

royal residences, my mother could have hidden Eleanora

anywhere in the country."

"Where to now, Windsor or back to Durham House?"

"Durham House," Edward said decisively.

Simon de Montfort was not at home. He had gone to the city

gates to see for himself how wel London was sealed. As they

waited for his return Demoisel e de Montfort gave Sir Rodger

a letter for Rosamond. "I would love it if she would visit and we could see London together."

Rodger knew instantly that Demi was ignorant of their

situation, with no notion the gates of London were closed to

her. Rod smiled gal antly as he tucked the note into his

doublet. "Rosamond wil be overjoyed to receive your letter."

Within the hour, Simon de Montfort returned to Durham House.

He could not contain the fury he felt, and Rodger noted he had

the wild look of a fanatic about him. De Montfort was wearing

black riding leathers. His eyes burned like black coals in a

face that looked both grim and gaunt.

"Gloucester was summoned to Westminster," Edward said

tersely.

"Aye," Simon sneered, "I had a visit from Harry of Almaine, his sniveling brother, tel ing me his duty was to his father and King

Henry, but that he would never bear arms against me." Simon

laughed derisively. "I told him I feared his disloyalty far more

than I feared his arms!"

"So, they got to Harry, damn them to hel fire!"

Simon de Montfort stared into Edward's eyes as if he were

confronting the Devil. "At least your cousin had enough honor

to tel me to my face that his loyalty lay with the Plantagenets;

you would betray me behind my back!"

"That is a lie!" Edward roared.

"Today's lie is tomorrow's truth! Your father landed at Dover

and his mercenaries are beating al the seaports along the

Channel into submission. Since London is closed to me, I wil

hold my council of war in

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Oxford. You, Lord Edward, wil not be welcome! I need no

fucking Plantagenets to stab me in the back!"

Edward gave him a level stare. "You had my ful backing, but

suddenly you don't want me. You hope to win the war against

my father so that you can rule through a weak king. You realize

you could never do that with me on the throne."

De Leyburn closed his eyes in dismay. The two shrewdest

and most powerful men in the country had just severed their

relationship. Part of him wanted to cross over to Earl Simon's

side, because de Mont-fort was a man of integrity who

intended to right the wrongs done to England by a weak king.

But his duty lay with Edward, and Rodger knew that de

Montfort would have no respect for a man who did not honor

his duty and remain loyal.

On the ride back to Windsor, Edward Plantagenet and

Rodger de Leyburn remained silent, each submerged in his

own private thoughts. The prince was making plans for his

future, while his steward's thoughts were more immediate. He

knew Rosamond would be devastated when she learned that

they were no longer al ied with the de Montforts, who had been

her beloved guardians. After waging an inner battle, Rodger

knew it would be in his best interests to keep his wife in

ignorance for as long as possible.

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

some dragonwort to keep her from conceiving. She hid it from

Nan, because her servant, like most women, thought that

preventing conception was wicked. It was not that Rosamond

didn't want a child, it was simply that she could not bear to

have a baby, love it with al her heart, then lose it. Far better to

avoid the risk completely.

Rosamond took an early bath, then donned a pale green

under-dress. It looked so feminine that she decided not to put

the dark green tunic over it. When she opened her jewel

coffer, her eyes fel upon the beautiful Celtic torque Rodger

had given her the morning after they were wed. She had never

worn it, because torques were reputed to be slave col ars, but

tonight the magnificent emerald tempted her, and she knew it

would please her husband if she wore it.

From the long, arched windows, she saw Lord Edward and

her

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husband canter up the Lower Ward. As grooms came forward

for their horses, she watched their squires, Owen and Griffin,

hurry out to meet them. Al four were talking at once as they

disappeared inside. Rosamond summoned a servant and

asked him to fetch dinner upstairs for Sir Rodger and herself,

then she lit the scented candles and waited.

It was an hour before she heard footsteps, but when she

eagerly opened the door, it was only the manservant with the

food. She schooled herself to be patient and wondered if

aught was amiss.

Final y, he came. For a moment he looked as if he had al the

troubles in the world on his shoulders, but his expression

changed the moment he saw her. Rosamond stood by the fire

and waited until he came to her. He reached out to touch her

hair, gilded by the firelight, then his fingers touched the green

jewel at the base of her throat. "You are so lovely, you take my

breath away."

"I'm sorry about last night. Griffin told me you did not stay for the celebration with your men." She looked up into his eyes.

"Rodger, I wil try to give you my trust."

He flinched inwardly. It was a day for breaking trusts. Do not

start thinking me a saint, Rosamond, for in truth I am a devil!

"I ordered supper for us up here."

At last he smiled. "You are a good wife . . . you satisfy al my

appetites." He brushed his lips against hers, then, when she

did not pul away, he kissed her deeply.

They sat before the fire with the huge tray between them. He

lifted the silver covers and took a hearty helping of pigeon pie,

roast venison, and Yorkshire pudding. As he reached for the

artichokes Rosamond laughed. "I thought something might be

amiss, but I see by your healthy appetite, that cannot be."

You are far too perceptive, my love, he thought. I only eat

because I've had no food since yesterday. "Artichokes are

aphrodisiacs," he teased. "Won't you try some?"

She glanced at him from beneath her lashes. "What about

wine?"

Already aroused, he hardened instantly, remembering the

wine and what she'd done with it. "Wine is not an aphrodisiac;

it simply steals your senses, heats your blood, and takes away

inhibitions."

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"I did not realize it was the wine that did that I thought it was you."

"Flattery, be God! Are you trying to seduce me again?"

Rosamond shook her head and said softly, "Nay, I like it when

you do the wooing."

He began the wooing with his eyes, al owing his smoldering

gaze to fix upon her mouth, al owing her to see the desire, the

hunger, the raw need, and the intent he had to taste, her and

possess her. Then his glance dipped to her breasts, and she

saw the green fire blaze up in his eyes and saw his mouth

harden.

When Rod licked his fingers, Rosamond felt her yearning

begin. When he wiped his hands on a linen napkin and came

around the table, she shivered, knowing that at any second he

would touch her. He lifted her and slid beneath her so that she

was sitting in his lap. She could feel his hard thighs beneath

her soft bottom. She thought fleetingly of the scar, then the

heat of his body began to seep into hers through the finespun

material of her underdress.

His questing hand slipped up inside the diaphanous skirt and

he feathered his fingertips along her satiny skin. "Who has the

longest, prettiest legs in the world?" he whispered.

"I do," Rosamond said shyly.

"And who has a golden treasure between those pretty legs?"

"I do," she said breathlessly as he fondled it.

"And who wil plunder that treasure?" he teased.

" 'Tis buried deep," she teased back. "It wil take a bold man indeed, methinks." She slipped eager hands inside his

doublet to feel the hard muscles in his chest. She felt a paper

and drew it out. "No wonder you found it so unerringly, you had

a treasure map, you devil."

Rod cursed himself for a fool. He hadn't meant for Rosamond

to read the letter from Demi. She unfolded the note and read it

by the firelight, and he watched her face light up with pleasure.

"You were at Durham House!" Rosamond touched her lips to

his. "Thank you, Rod, for being so thoughtful!"

His thoughts were ful , al right, ful of deceit, duplicity, and

cunning; it was a good thing he was a master of guile. He

whisked the note

180

from her fingers and dropped it on the tray. "Don't try to divert me from my wicked intent."

"I'l fight you," she whispered.

"Such promises only spur me on!" He laughed deep in his

throat, ready to play the titil ating game of love al night.

Tomorrow would arrive al too soon. He set Rosamond on her

feet, put the food tray on the floor, then removed his doublet

and shirt with great deliberation. Then he lifted off her

underdress, sat her upon the table, and moved between her

silken thighs.

"Rod!"

He unfastened his codpiece, and his swol en sex rose up in

rampant splendor. "Rod, indeed!" He fastened his fingers in

her pale hair that excited him so much, and lifted her face for

his kiss. "You smel so good."

"And you smel of sandalwood and ... stal ion, which is far

more of an aphrodisiac than artichokes."

"I've been in the saddle most of the day."

"Poor Rod, can you manage one last ride?"

He flashed her a grin. "If I help you to mount, you can ride me,

Rosamond ... at least this first time."

"I once declared that unruly young stal ions needed a horse

whip. Do you not fear me, m'lord?"

"Aye, I fear losing my senses, fear losing my heart and soul to

your witchery."

"It is your strength and power for which I lust, never your heart, m'lord."

Don't ever make the mistake of underestimating me,

Rosamond.

Her fingertips stroked the blue-black shadow of his day-old

beard, and Rosamond was surprised that even though he was

unshaved and un-bathed, she found Sir Rodger de Leyburn

mightily attractive.

He slipped his hands beneath the soft curve of her bottom and

lifted her onto his erection. "Hang on, beauty," he murmured, and felt her grip his shoulders as he slowly impaled her tight,

scalding sheath, until he was seated to the hilt. Then he held

himself stil , as fire flamed through his groin, waiting for her to

take her pleasure.

When Rosamond began to move, Rod could not help himself,

but 181

moved with her in the wild, savage ride. They were both so

highly aroused, their kisses so fierce, their plunging thrusts so

deep and hot with passion, they peaked long before they

wanted it to end. She col apsed against him, her arms sliding

about his neck, her cheek resting against his heart.