The Marriage Prize (29 page)

hoping she would join me. I took my midday meal in the dining

hal , expecting to see her, but she did not come. When I

returned to my chambers, I found a note from her under the

door. I ran to the window and was in time to see the royal

barge going downriver toward London. That must have been

about two o'clock."

"A note?" Edward asked eagerly.

Rosamond took it from the bedside table and handed it to

him.

Alas, I must leave today. If I had a choice, I would not go. I am

torn in half. One glimpse of him was not enough. I have waited

too long and pray that Edward feels the same. Please tel him

he fil s my thoughts and my heart. Eleanora (Nora)

He looked up. "You have seen her, spoken with her?" "We met the night before last, when we took our dogs to the garden.

The princess was cold; I lent her my fur-lined cloak."

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"Isn't she the most exquisite female you have ever seen?"

"Yes, she is exceptional y beautiful, Lord Edward."

"Beautiful and shy! Did you see her glorious hair and her

skin? Her lips remind me of rose petals, and her skin is the

color of dark honey. Such beauty must come from her mixed

French and Spanish bloodlines. And she is so delightful y

sweet and innocent."

Rodger listened in amazement as Edward extol ed shyness

and innocence as if they were virtues. They'd certainly never

appealed to him before. Eleanora must indeed be a tempting

morsel.

"She says I fil her thoughts and her heart."

"Please keep the note, Lord Edward."

"Thank you, Rosamond." He took her fingers to his lips to

bestow a kiss of gratitude.

Rosamond noticed that he too smel ed of cheap perfume and

expensive wine. Wherever they'd been and whatever they'd

done, they had done together. It was high time the prince had

a wife to curb his wild, wicked ways.

"Don't mind me; I have al the patience in the world." A naked Rodger leaned against the bedpost.

"Go to the devil," Edward replied. "We want to talk of

Eleanora. Tel me more, Rosamond."

She cast Rodger an amused glance, thoroughly enjoying his

frustration. Not without effort, she dragged her gaze from his

lithe body and gave her attention to Edward. "She has a smal

dog, a Maltese terrier. She said the queen didn't like him, and

asked me if you liked dogs; I assured her thatyou adored

them, my lord."

"I told you my mother could be a bitch. She is using Eleanora

as bait to bring me to heel."

"Al women can be bitches," Rod commiserated.

Rosamond knew the barb was for her. "And by the smel of

you both, you've had much recent experience with bitches!"

"Aha, I am interrupting something here." Perversely, Edward

was glad his friend would also find his bed cold this night. As

Rodger accompanied him to the door, Edward winked at him.

"Never mind, it wil

soon be dawn."

* * *

Richard de Clare and his daughter-in-law Alyce traveled to

London together. Though Alyce would have preferred to go

alone, the Earl of Gloucester had received a summons from

his stepfather, Richard of Cornwal , and Alyce had graciously

accepted her father-in-law's escort. The earl left his son

Gilbert the Red in charge at Gloucester and, with a smal

coterie of knights, rode to Westminster Palace.

When they arrived, Alyce took the luxuriously furnished

apartments that her father, Guy de Lusignan, had occupied

before the bloody barons had banished the king's half-brother

from England. She was livid to learn, through servants' gossip,

that the queen had brought Lord Edward's bride, Princess

Eleanora, to England and had taken her to Windsor Castle.

Gloucester went immediately to greet Richard of Cornwal , his

stepfather. The two men, so alike in build and coloring,

gripped wrists in a familial salute.

"Richard, the king is enraged at the treasonous plot Simon de

Montfort has hatched, but he is equal y incensed that you and

Edward would take sides against him and turn traitor."

"There is no plot!" Gloucester protested. "Henry signed the Provisions of Oxford and the first provision is to hold

Parliament."

"Are you blind, Richard, or cleverly deceitful? Are you part of

the conspiracy to put Edward on the throne? "

Gloucester's famous temper exploded. "These are fucking

lies! I am England's leading peer and would never plot to

depose her rightful king! Upholding the Provisions of Oxford is

my duty."

"The Provisions of Oxford are moot. The Pope has issued

Henry a Bul of Absolution. It is now imperative that we

Plantagenets show the barons a united front."

"I am a de Clare," Gloucester pointed out.

Richard of Cornwal looked at him with affection, and slowly

shook his head. "That is your name and rank, but you are a

Planta-genet by blood. You are my real son, my firstborn, not

my stepson. Why do you suppose your mother, my beloved

Isabel a, named you Richard?"

Gloucester was stunned, and yet it explained many things in

his childhood. Royal Plantagenet blood gave him his towering

pride and his

165

temper. "Why did you keep this a secret?" he demanded, his

voice hoarse with emotion.

"Your mother was wed to Gilbert de Clare; I could not bring

shame down upon her, or you, Richard. They would have

cal ed you a royal bastard. When de Clare died in battle, you

inherited his title and became the Earl of Gloucester." Richard

poured wine for both of them and offered his son a silent

toast.

"I have orders from the king to set up an inner council

comprised of you, myself, and Justiciar Bohun," Richard of

Cornwal continued. "We wil summon a select number of loyal

barons. We must close the city of London to Simon de

Montfort and his traitorous adherents to prevent Parliament

being cal ed. If de Montfort does not back down, it wil mean

war."

"What about Lord Edward?"

"It wil be our job to wean him away from Simon de Montfort.

I've already told him that Henry wil name Edmund his heir, and

the queen has brought his bride, Princess Eleanora, to tempt

him back into the fold."

"Threats and bribes wil have little effect on Edward, from what

I've seen of him. He won't come to heel like an obedient

hound."

"He has a shrewd head on his shoulders. He needs gold. I am

having him fol owed. Today he wil find himself locked out of

the city, separated from his men who are bil eted in the Tower.

When he sees that many of the barons wil remain loyal to the

crown, and when Henry arrives with his three hundred French

mercenaries, Edward wil weigh the odds. I am counting on

his insatiable Plantagenet ambition."

"You are forgetting de Montfort's magnetic personality and

equal y relendess ambition."

"Not for a moment, Richard. Sooner or later Edward wil

realize that they cannot both rule."

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

of Windsor, they did not notice a horseman who waited in the

shadow of the Curfew Tower. "We'l go straight to Durham

House," Edward said decisively. "Then we'l get Harry, if he's stil breathing. I'l leave Westminster until last. Undoubtedly that

is where the queen has taken

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Eleanora, and I intend to take my wife back to Windsor, where

she belongs."

As they traveled the now familiar road, Rodger became aware

of hoofbeats behind them in the distance. As they approached

the vil age of Westminster the sound grew closer. "I think we're

being fol owed," he warned Edward. They deliberately

changed direction and headed toward the river, concealing

themselves behind the old palace wal to await their pursuer.

Edward grabbed the horse's bridle while de Leyburn dragged

its rider from the saddle and held his dagger to the wretch's

throat. "Talk, while you stil have breath."

The smal , wiry man, dwarfed by his two assailants, wet

himself from fear.

"Are you one of de Montfort's spies?" Edward demanded.

When he felt the blood trickle down his neck, the man nodded

eagerly. The horse Edward held smel ed the blood and

suddenly reared up in a frenzy of fear, flailing its hooves above

their heads. In a flash the man dove into the Thames and

disappeared.

"I should have kil ed the son of a bitch while I had him," Rod cursed, sheathing his dagger and quieting his own and

Edward's mounts while the prince soothed the terrified horse.

"We should have had our squires at our backs."

"We'l take the nag to Durham House and see if it came from

there. Bones of Christ, doesn't de Montfort trust me?"

"Simon de Montfort is too shrewd to trust you, my lord."

When they arrived at Durham House, a groom took charge of

the three mounts, bowing low to Lord Edward. "Did this horse

come from your stables?" Edward demanded.

"I am not sure, Lord Edward."

"You're a bloody groom here, don't you recognize your own

horseflesh?"

"Forgive me, Lord Edward, there are so many new horses

from Kenilworth, it is difficult for me to identify them al ."

"Even the nicking grooms are trained to be noncommittal,"

Edward remarked.

When Earl Simon came out to greet his royal guest, Lord

Edward

167

VIRGINIA HENLEY

made no mention of the disturbing incident. They fol owed

their host to Durham's hal , where Lady Eleanor offered them

food and drink. She kissed Edward and asked Rodger how

Rosamond fared.

"I left her in high spirits, my lady."

Eleanor laughed at his careful y chosen words, likening his

new bride to a fil y. "Then I take it she is not broken to the

bridle yet, and is stil trying to take the bit between her teeth."

Rod bestowed a kiss upon the hand of the Demoisel e, who

said, "Did you not bring Rosamond, Sir Rodger?"

"Darling," her mother said, "the men are here to discuss grave matters of politics. We wil withdraw and let them get to their

business."

Rod smiled at Demi. "I wil carry a letter to Rosamond."

Demi dimpled at him. "Thank you, my lord."

When they were alone, Simon wasted no time. "What did

Richard of Cornwal tel you?" he asked Edward.

"He said that there would be no Parliament, but I told him in no

uncertain terms that you were adamant about it, that you were

the undisputed leader of the barons, and that I had added my

signature to the Provisions of Oxford."

"And his response?"

"He told me my father had asked the Pope for absolution, but I

told him the Provisions would unite England, not divide her."

"Richard kept the whole truth from you. Henry has obtained his

Bul of Absolution and is on his way home to resume royal

power. He could be at Dover now."

Edward thought fleetingly of his brother Edmund, who was in

charge of Dover Castle. "When the king arrives, I wil talk with

him. I am sure I can persuade him that the Provisions wil unite

the country. The last thing my father wants is civil war. He has

always backed down when the barons have chal enged him,

and with my voice added to the barons', I'm sure he wil listen

to reason."

"And if he does not, Edward?"

The prince looked Simon de Montfort in the eye. "Then it wil

be time for England to be ruled by another. One who wil never

be weak. England is my inheritance."

Rodger de Leyburn held his breath, wishing Edward had not

168

shown his hand, but the moment passed, as Earl Simon said,

"I am a realist; the king's return wil split the barons. I am

making a list of those I can count on."

Edward and Rodger read the list. It was headed by Simon de

Montfort, Earl of Leicester, fol owed by Marshal Bigod, Earl of

Norfolk; John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey; John de Vescy, Earl

of Northumberland; the two warlike Bishops of Ely and

Worcester, and three Marcher barons, Clifford, Hay, and

Montgomery.

"You've forgotten Richard of Gloucester and Harry," Edward

said.

"Have I?" Simon asked cynical y. "I have learned not to count on those related to royalty. They change their coats too often."

"Is that why you had me fol owed?" Edward flared, stung at the implication.

"I did no such thing! But mayhap I should have!"

Rodger intervened immediately, lest they come to blows. "It

was my fault; I let the cur get away. No doubt he is in the pay of

Richard of Cornwal ."

Lady Eleanor stood poised on the threshold. "Richard? Is my

brother Richard in London?"

"He is at Westminster; I spoke with him yesterday," Edward

said.

Eleanor turned accusing eyes upon her husband. "You

deliberately kept this from me, Simon? "

"Damn you, Edward, can you not control your tongue?" the

earl said. He turned to face Eleanor. "If I had told you Richard

was here, you would have gone running to Westminster

Palace. I don't need you meddling in this matter!"

She drew herself up to her ful height of just over five feet.