The Marriage Prize (20 page)

and in the flesh, but Rosamond would be able to keep her

inner self separate.

Rod was extremely careful when he thrust his tongue inside

her. He would keep her virgin; her maidenhead must not be

breached until their marriage was consummated. Beddings

were an ancient custom, and if no blood was found on the

sheets the next morning, the bride would be shamed. He

never wanted Rosamond to feel shame; he wanted her to feel

pride, in her marriage and in her husband.

He felt her first tiny fluttering pulsations, then heard her cry out

in her passion. Quickly he moved up over her, to cover her lips

with his own, then cradle her in his arms.

"I can taste myself on your mouth," she whispered, shocked.

Her words inflamed him. He wanted her in the bed, beneath

him; craved her long legs wrapped about his body while he

buried himself in her honeyed sheath. His erection was so

pronounced, he could feel his blood pounding and pulsing in

his shaft. Forgetting his resolve, Rod lifted her high against his

heart and carried her to the bed. As her hands came up to

divest him of his doublet, incredibly, he heard a soft knock

upon the chamber door.

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"Peste!" Who would dare disturb him? He padded to the door

and listened. He heard a scratching sound on the wood,

instinctively palmed his dagger, and cautiously cracked open

the door. Chirk was through the opening in a flash, while Burke

stood at the threshold.

"Griffin has just arrived with messages, Sir Rodger. As soon

as you repair to your own chamber, I wil send him up."

De Leyburn nodded and closed the door. Chirk was wagging

her tail, eager to jump up on the bed, but waiting for

permission from the dominant male presence. Rod sat upon

the bed and took Rosamond's hand to his lips. "My squire has

tracked us down. Can you be ready to return to Kenilworth on

the morrow?"

Rosamond laughed tremulously, knowing she would be

married upon her return. "Since I have nothing to pack, I am

ready, my lord."

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

Griffin broke their journey at Pershore, and the fol owing day,

joined by Nan and Ned, they arrived at their destination.

Rodger de Leyburn had received two messages summoning

him back to Kenilworth; one from Lord Edward, the other from

Simon de Montfort.

Lord Edward greeted his steward and friend with great

warmth. Rod knew the prince so wel , he could tel he was

bursting with impatient energy to confide something. "Rod, I've

heard rumors that my father has no intention of returning for

the Candlemas Parliament."

Rodger de Leyburn knew if King Henry returned and tried to

repudiate the Provisions of Oxford, it could lead to civil war.

So the king would stay out of England and whittle away at the

Provisions one by one. "Simon de Montfort is adamant about

holding a Parliament. If the king reneges after signing the

Provisions of Oxford, we could find ourselves at war," Rod

cautioned.

"Earl Simon wil hold Parliament. If my father doesn't return, he wil hold Parliament with me in charge."

Rod knew Simon de Montfort would do it without hesitation.

Edward drew close and searched his friend's face intently for

a ful minute. Though they were completely alone, Edward

lowered his voice to speak confidential y. "I feel it in my bones that Simon wants to put me on the throne in my father's place

and make me King of England."

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Rodger de Leyburn recoiled sharply, but it was on the inside.

His dark face registered none of the shock Lord Edward's

words evoked. Christ's Blood, I thought I was shockproof. I

thought I was the most cynical bastard who ever drew breath,

but I was wrong! I know Edward to the core, know his driving

ambition, so why am I shocked? Rod drew in a deep breath.

He had committed himself to Edward years ago, and his

loyalty was rock solid, come what may. "Never say it out loud

again, Edward," Rod advised. "Wal s have ears." He

deliberately changed the subject. "I too have news. Rosamond

Marshal has agreed to marry me."

Edward grinned. "Good man! Mayhap we'l both achieve our

goals."

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

chambers in the Caesar Tower. With his cynicism restored,

Rod was prepared to hear any proposal without being

shocked.

"I have information that leads me to believe King Henry wil not

return for the Parliament."

Rod did not reveal that he had already heard this. "The king

cannot swal ow his pride; it chokes him."

"Henry's pride wil be his downfal . Anticipating that the king

would use delays over the French treaty as an excuse, I wrote

to the justiciar, the marshal, and the other nobles, summoning

them to the February Parliament. I assured them that Lord

Edward would be at my side." He looked de Leyburn directly

in the eye. "Can I count on Edward's presence?"

"Edward wil be there, Earl Simon."

"I want the prince to add his signature to the Provisions of

Oxford and speak for the barons' cause at that Parliament.

Can you persuade him?"

Rod's green eyes did not waver as he stared back at de

Montfort. Did Simon real y have it in his mind to set Prince

Edward Plantagenet on the throne, supplanting Henry as

king? Or was de Montfort ambitious enough to want to rule

himself? Rod was far too wise to voice such treasonous and

perfidious questions. The earl might want Edward to assume

de Montfort would set him up as king. It was a deep game,

and the players, Edward and Simon, with their shrewd minds

and ruthless ambi-

112

THE MARRIAGE PRIZE

tions, were certainly wel matched in shrewd calculation.

"Together, I believe we can persuade him, my lord earl."

"Splendid! Is there aught I can do for you in return, Sir

Rodger? " "Rosamond Marshal and I are to be wed. Could we

impose upon you to have the nuptial ceremony at Kenilworth?"

"That is no imposition. Eleanor would have my bal s if I

al owed Rosamond to be wed from anywhere but Kenilworth!

I'l even give the bride away. She's a ward of the crown and

that duty should be performed by a royal, but I assume

Edward wil be your groomsman. Congratulations!" Simon

winked. "Pershore and Deerhurst are wel worth the trouble of

a wife."

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

are to be wed!" Eleanor de Montfort exclaimed. "What made

you change your mind, Rosamond?"

"I have discovered how useful a man can be in helping me

manage my estates." Rosamond blushed, then added, "And I

have actual y come to find Sir Rodger compel ingly attractive,

in spite of the fact that I don't completely trust the handsome

devil."

Eleanor gathered Rosamond into her arms, then released her

so that she could appraise the change in her. "You look

absolutely radiant! Mark my words, marriage wil be the

making of you, Rosamond. We must waste no time; the

nuptials can be celebrated just before Christmas, say the

twenty-third; that gives us only a week to prepare. The

moment the Yule celebrations are over, we shal al be off to

London. We go to Durham House, and I imagine Sir Rodger

wil take you to Windsor or Westminster."

"Thank you, Lady Eleanor, you are very generous to have the

wedding at Kenilworth."

"Kenilworth has long been your home, and I want you to

remember that you may come back anytime. We love you very

much, Rosamond."

"I love you too... you have been like a mother to me, my lady."

"Since you and Rod have been off on your own for some time,

I assume he has taken it upon himself to teach you the

mysteries of becoming a woman?"

113

Rosamond blushed. "Yes ... no ... I am stil a virgin. On the

wedding night . . . when the bridegroom broaches the hymen

... I haveheard gossip that there is much pain and blood "

"Oh my darling, I am the one woman in the world you shouldn't

be asking about this. My experience was so devastating—"

Eleanor stopped midsentence when she saw Rosamond's

eyes widen with apprehension. "Come and sit while I tel you.

You wil feel only relief that your wedding night wil not be like

mine."

Rosamond sat down on the padded settle before the fire

beside Eleanor de Montfort, wildly curious about her first

marriage.

"My father, King John, died when I was one, and I never knew

him. The important man in my life when I was a child was

Wil iam Marshal, your uncle. I didn't just love him, I worshipped

him. He was my heart's desire and they married me to him

when I was nine years old. Poor Wil iam! He was a great

soldier, the marshal of England, and a mature man of thirty

years.

"He did not take me to live with him until I was fifteen. Those

were the six longest years of my life. I lived at Windsor and

worked like a fiend at my lessons so that I would become a

perfect wife. But even when we lived under the same roof,

Wil iam's sense of honor would not al ow him to make me a

woman until he thought I was old enough to bear a child."

Eleanor sighed, remembering. "When I was sixteen, Wil iam's

sister Isabel a married my brother, Richard of Cornwal . At

long last Wil iam decided that their wedding night would be

our wedding night as wel . I was so excited, I wanted to

scream. I was extremely obsessive when I was young. I loved

Wil iam with al my heart and soul, and he had become my

obsession, I'm afraid.

"The wedding was at Westminster, and Wil iam and I were

given one of the towers, which consisted of two rooms, one

above the other. That night I went up to the sleeping chamber

first, and readied myself for bed. Wil iam remained below so

long, I simply couldn't wait! I went down to him and he carried

me back up to bed. I remember he had a man's body, a

me back up to bed. I remember he had a man's body, a

soldier's body—hard, wel muscled, strong. Splendor of God, I

stil recal every minute detail." Eleanor's sapphire eyes

became liquid with unshed tears.

114

"At last we were abed together. It was so intimate, so private,

so secret ... it was like Paradise. Wil iam was so gentle with

me. When he joined his body to mine, I felt the pain and the

ful ness, but I exulted in it. It spread inside me like a glorious,

burning sunburst, and I loved the closeness, the heat, the

weight of his body. I think I screamed, but I heard him cry out

too. Slowly, I realized that his weight was too much for me ...

he was hurting me. When he didn't speak and didn't move, I

thought he had fal en asleep. When I couldn't awaken him, I

knew something was wrong. In my ignorance, I thought he had

fainted from the hymenal rite."

Eleanor swal owed hard and whispered, "Wil iam was dead....

He had been poisoned by an enemy. I don't know how long I

lay there in terror before I began to scream. It was Rickard de

Burgh who came in and lifted Wil iam's body off me. Sir

Rickard was ever the perfect knight. I don't know what I would

have done without him."

Rosamond touched her hand. "Lady Eleanor, I had no idea."

Eleanor swiped at her eyes and laughed. "So you see, if I

could face al that on my first wedding night, you can face an

ardent Rodger de Leyburn."

"I didn't want to marry Sir Rodger because I fancied myself in

love with Rickard de Burgh," Rosamond confessed.

"Sir Rickard is a most chivalrous knight, and devastatingly

attractive, but far too old for you, darling. You lost your heart to

him because he was like a father to you, much as Wil iam

Marshal was to me. I didn't realize it, of course, until after I fel

passionately in love with Simon de Montfort. And it wil be so

with you and Rod."

No, Rosamond thought, I wil marry Sir Rodger, but I wil never

al ow myself to love him. What you have just told me proves

that to love someone deeply is to lose them. I wil try to never

love anyone again.

When Rosamond was alone with Demi, she told her friend

that she had final y agreed to marry Sir Rodger de Leyburn.

Demi was thril ed and asked her what had happened to make

her change her mind. Rosamond told Demi about fal ing

through the ice, and how de Leyburn's strength had saved her

life. She did not tel her any intimate details of what had

fol owed the rescue, because she felt Demoisel e de Montfort

was too young to learn about sexuality.

115

Chirk, however, provided plenty of innocent entertainment.

She made the young women laugh, and Demi had no

objection to the Welsh terrier sharing their chamber. The feisty

little dog was clean, wel trained, and independent, never

leaving little turds in the rushes, but going outside the castle,

then miraculously finding her way back to Rosamond and