The Marriage Prize (35 page)

of service to you? "

"Good morning. May I present my cousin Harry of Almaine,

Richard of Cornwal 's son."

Harry gave the man a sweet, beatific smile.

The custodian bowed again, highly pleased to have two royal

visitors. Moreover, Cornwal had the wealth of Croesus.

Edward indicated the others. "These men are my bodyguards.

I have come to be assured of the safety of the queen's

property."

"Of course, Your Highness, it would be an honor to show you

the vaults where Queen Eleanor's jewels are held for

safekeeping." It was not an unusual request, and as the prince

and his men dismounted, the custodian went inside to get his

keys. He led them back to the center of

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the great cluster of buildings, until they came to the Temple

vaults. When he located the one in which the queen's jewels

were deposited, he fit the great key into the lock and turned it.

Rod had his dagger at the custodian's throat before the iron

key even clicked. "I do beg your pardon for this

inconvenience," he said, flashing his dark, Lucifer's smile.

Harry took possession of the keys while Edward proceeded

to help himself to the vault's contents. Not only did he and his

men take the queen's jewels, Edward also filched ten

thousand pounds in gold which had been deposited by

London merchants. When their saddlebags were ful , Lord

Edward and his men rode from the New Temple without haste.

Only Rod remained, holding the custodian at knifepoint until

the thieves were long gone.

-******************

The great dining hal at Windsor rang with laughter and song

as Lord Edward's men-at-arms drained their goblets before

they sat down to the evening meal. It was the first time in over

a year they had coins in their pockets, and most of the

Gascons planned an evening of dice. Both Lord Edward and

Sir Rodger wanted their beauteous wives beside them in the

hal this night, but both ladies were conspicuously absent.

Edward sent a pageboy with a message to Eleanora, but

when the lad returned without a reply, the prince's golden

brows drew together in a frown. "It seems the mountain must

go to Mohammed."

"Eleanora is a princess, after al . I think it would be

unchivalrous if we didn't escort our wives to the dining hal ,"

Rod advised.

When the pair arrived at the royal apartments, they saw that

Princess Eleanora's ladies had arrived from the Tower and

the hal ways were fil ed with trunks and baggage. "It looks as if my mother has conceded the game to me this time. Splendor

of God, I shal take a lesson from this: There is nothing that

can beat a fait accompli!"

Edward strode toward the door that led into Eleanora's private

apartments, but when he turned the doorknob he realized that

the door was locked. "Eleanora . . . Nora, where are you,

sweetheart?" He rattled the knob. "Would someone open this

door, please?" When he received no response, he rattled the

door until it danced on its hinges. "Attend me!"

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He heard a female clear her throat, and spun to face her. He

saw that it was Rosamond's tiring-woman, Nan. "I've come to

take Eleanora down to dinner; would you tel one of her

damned women to open this door? "

Nan was loath to tel Lord Edward news he did not wish to

hear, but knew she had little choice in the matter. She cleared

her throat nervously. "Princess Eleanora ordered that the door

be locked, Lord Edward."

"Wel , I order that it be unlocked!” he commanded.

Nan's voice trembled, but she stood her ground. "That wil

avail you naught, Lord Edward. Your wife is indisposed and

refuses to see you or talk with you."

"Splendor of God, if she is unwel , then I must go to her!"

Nan pressed her lips together and cast her eyes upon the

floor.

"Nan, kindly explain what is going on here," Rodger

requested.

"The princess is upset; her women have put her to bed."

"What have her women said to her?" Edward demanded.

"Was it something the damned queen said?"

"Nay, Lord Edward, she was upset before her women

arrived."

"Nan, for God's sake, spit it out!" Rodger ordered.

Nan turned beet red. "It was Alyce de Clare."

"Christ!" Edward groaned.

"Where's Rosamond?" Rod asked Nan.

"She's below, my lord ... keeping to herself."

"Excuse me, Edward," he said quietly, then headed for his

own rooms. That morning he had been angry when he had

learned of Rosamond's use of dragonwort, but now he

decided not to confront her about it. If she was afraid of

bearing a child, it was far better to talk quietly about it and

soothe her fears, than issue his demands.

The moment he saw her, he knew she was seething inside. It

gave her a special beauty; she held her head high, her cheeks

were flushed, and her violet eyes glittered like amethysts. Rod

crushed down the urge to carry her to bed and turn her hot fury

into scalding passion. At first he'd thought that she was angry

about what Alyce de Clare had said to Eleanora, but her

words, shot at him like arrows, told him her anger stemmed

from what Alyce had said to her.

"Is it true? Can it possibly be true that Edward has defected

from Simon de Montfort?"

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"Lord Edward and Earl Simon have parted ways," he

acknowledged.

"You kept this from me, purposely!" she said.

"I knew it would upset you, Rosamond."

"Upset? I am outraged, scandalized, devastated that Edward

could do such a vile thing, and that you would condone it! How

can you change sides and fight against Simon? Where is your

honor?"

"Rosamond, there is little honor in war, none at al in civil war.

Edward is a Plantagenet, the rightful heir to the throne of

England. If Simon de Montfort wins the war, he wil set himself

up as the ruler of England. Edward could not tolerate such a

thing; he is the wrong sort of man to be subordinate."

"You are not a Plantagenet, de Leyburn. Wil you too dishonor

your pledge to support Simon de Montfort?" she asked with

contempt.

"My first al egiance is to Edward Plantagenet, no matter which

side he chooses, Rosamond. I pledged to him years ago; we

have a bond that cannot be broken."

"And what of our bond, my lord, our marriage bond? I only

agreed to wed you to cement the bond between Lord Edward

and Earl Simon. Now that that bond is broken, my sacrifice

has been for naught!"

His green eyes narrowed at the cruelty of her words. "Your

sacrifice? What cannot be cured, madam, must be endured. I

have no time for female vapors. Edward and I must recruit

men and fight a war. If you choose to be selfish and self-

centered on our last night together, I shal find more amenable

company in the hal ." Rod paused on the threshold. "When

Griffin comes for my war chest, I trust you wil not savage him

about his honor."

She wanted to hurl something at him, but finding nothing close

at hand, she used words instead. "Go to the devil, de

Leyburn!"

Below, Edward joined Rod as he watched the men-at-arms

dice. "I could cheerful y throttle Alyce de Clare! Eleanora's in

tears and has locked her doors against me. Do you think

Rosamond could soothe the roiled waters for me?"

"Rosamond is in the middle of her own tantrum at the

moment," Rod said dryly.

"Christ, look at the success we had at the Temple today. There

isn't a problem we cannot solve, unless it involves a bloody

woman! Can you

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explain to me why the fair sex chooses the damnedest times

to be total y exasperating?" Edward lifted a goblet of ale and

shrugged impatiently. "Wel , I haven't time for female vapors. I

have the daunting tasks before me of rebuilding royal strength

and winning this war."

Rod glanced up at him, realizing with irony how very alike the

two of them were.

Nineteen

The lathered horse was ready to drop as it gal oped into the

courtyard of Windsor two hours past midnight. The messenger

had ridden the thirty-five miles from Oxford nonstop with the

momentous news that Simon de Montfort's baronial army was

moving.

"Damn him, he's heading west to secure the Severn River and

the Marcher barons who fought with us in Wales," Edward

said. The prince, who needed little sleep, hadn't yet retired for

the night.

"Not al the Marchers love de Montfort. Mortimer and Clifford,

perhaps even Hay, wil join our ranks if we recruit them,"

Rodger predicted. "You've committed our men to Richard of

Cornwal , but I need only a smal force to establish our

communication with the Marcher barons. I'l get my own men

of Tewkesbury, then ride on to Hay. I wil leave now!"

De Leyburn, with Griffin and eight men-at-arms, set out within

the hour for Tewkesbury and the border country that lay close

to Wales. Edward longed to ride with them, but it was

fortunate that he resisted his impulse, for later that morning he

received word that the king and his men had arrived at the

Tower of London.

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

She paced her chamber like a caged lion, tossing back her

golden mane of hair, as she decided what she must do. What

cannot be cured, madam, must be endured. His words

ravaged her pride. Wel , she could not, would not endure it.

There could be no marriage if they were on opposite sides of

a civil war; she would not live with a man who could not be

trusted to honor his word.

Rosamond decided to go to the de Montforts at Durham

House.

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Deciding against taking Nan, who seemed to be needed by

Princess Eleanora at the moment, she did not wish to disrupt

her serving-woman's life for her own principles. Nan could

decide for herself later to which side she would pledge her

al egiance. Rosamond also decided to leave Chirk at

Windsor, as the poor dog had spent half its life in a traveling

basket.

Rosamond packed only a few clothes; Lady Eleanor and

Demi would lend her al the gowns she needed until she could

have new ones sewn. She penned a note for Nan, then

slipped through the Middle Ward to the stables just as dawn

was breaking. Ignoring the curious glances of the groom who

saddled Nimbus for her, she searched the rows of stal s for

Rodger's black stal ion. When she saw that Stygian was

missing, she heaved a sigh of relief; the last thing she wanted

was to encounter de Leyburn this morning!

As she rode alongside the river, the air was cold, and

Rosamond wished she had gotten her fur-lined cloak back

from Eleanora. She was glad when she saw Westminster

Palace. She knew Durham House wasn't much farther,

because she had seen it from the river.

The guard at the gate admitted her, but once she entered the

courtyard, she saw it had a deserted air about it. A stableman

in livery came forward immediately. "Are the de Montforts not

in residence?" Rosamond asked, unable to hide the alarm

she felt.

"Earl Simon left for Oxford days ago, my lady."

"But what of Lady Eleanor and Demi? I have come to Durham

House to stay with them."

"They are on their way home to Kenilworth for safety reasons,

my lady. They left yesterday at first light."

Rosamond literal y felt her heart sink in her breast. She knew

she had only two options: to return to Windsor or to try to catch

up with Lady Eleanor's household. The first was intolerable, so

she was able to make her decision immediately. "Would you

kindly feed and water my horse, sir? I shal get something to

eat at the kitchen, then try to overtake Lady de Montfort."

Rosamond knew the de Montfort cavalcade would travel by

way of Berkhamsted, the great castle that they always used to

break their journey north. She hoped to reach it before

nightfal , but she had woe-

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ful y underestimated the distance. When it was ful dark and

she was afraid to ride farther, she took refuge in a country

church. She tethered Nimbus beneath the lych-gate and fed

her oats, then stole inside the church and lay down upon a

wooden pew. The stone building was freezing cold, but at

least she was out of the wind. Soon, Rosamond grew fearful

of the dead spirits that might be floating about. She chided

herself for being fanciful; it was the living she needed to fear.

Here, alone, in the middle of nowhere, how would she defend

herself against an attack? She also knew that when she was

beset by fear, she could not keep the trampling dream at bay.

Rosamond remembered how Rodger had banished the

nightmare and fil ed her with his strength. Her warm bed at

Windsor, complete with husband, suddenly seemed most

inviting. She began a prayer to Saint Jude, patron saint of the

hopeless. "O holy Saint Jude, apostle and martyr, near

kinsman of Jesus Christ, the faithful intercessor of al who