Threads of Gold (Tales of the Latter Kingdoms Book 6)

by Christine Pope

  I knew any questions I asked would be ignored. Besides, I would discover the reason for this audience soon enough. After setting my embroidery down on the low table in front of the divan, I stood. “Of course,” I said. “I am always at His Majesty’s disposal.”

  Normally, the wry tone with which I delivered that particular statement would have made Lord Edmar’s mouth twitch at least, even if he would not allow himself an outright smile. Now, though, he only nodded, and my heartbeat speeded up that much more. I had a suspicion that I might not care much for the motivation behind this audience the king had requested.

  Attempting to delay would not help me, though. I went to the duke’s side, and Rashelle opened the door so we both might exit. It was not until we had reached the end of the corridor and had begun to descend the staircase that Lord Edmar spoke.

  “You are looking rather pale these days, Mistress Kelsden. Confinement does not seem to agree with you.”

  “I have not seen the sun for some time, Your Grace,” I retorted. “I fear that His Majesty cares only that I produce enough gold for him, and not that I get any fresh air.”

  “Ah, well, that circumstance may change in the near future,” he said darkly, and I frowned. Not that I was precisely overjoyed by my current situation, but his tone seemed to indicate it might soon take a turn for the worse.

  In that unsettled state of mind, I went with him, not to the king’s audience chamber, thank the gods, but to his royal suite. Whatever humiliation he intended to heap on me this time, at least it would not be in front of a crowd of amused, uncaring nobles.

  The day outside was quite gray and lowering, and so a fire blazed in the massive hearth of gilded and carved oak. The servant who had let us into the suite bowed and returned to the door — in case someone else required entry, I supposed.

  King Elsdon stood in front of the fire, his expression cheerier than I had seen it in some time. His pale blue eyes danced, and he hurried over to greet the duke and me.

  “Ah, Mistress Kelsden, Lord Edmar. Very good. Spiced wine?”

  I sent a mystified glance up at the duke, and his shoulders lifted ever so slightly in response. This unexpected good humor on the part of His Majesty did not put me at ease, but rather accomplished quite the opposite. But I knew I could not refuse the offer.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

  He gestured, and a footman stepped toward us bearing a tray with three silver goblets. The duke and I each took one, and King Elsdon helped himself to the one remaining. Duty fulfilled, the footman resumed his watchful position against the wall, empty tray tucked under his arm.

  Awkwardly, I held my goblet, waiting for one of the other men to drink first. That seemed the safest thing to do. Should not the king have precedence in this, as in all other matters of etiquette?

  Seeming to notice my unease, Lord Edmar said, “Thank you for the refreshment, Your Majesty.”

  King Elsdon nodded and helped himself to a healthy swallow. The duke lifted his own glass, eyes catching mine for an instant, as if to say that it was now all right for me to drink.

  The silver of the goblet was warm against my hands. I took what reassurance from that I could, then allowed myself to sip at the liquid within. It was warm and rich and heavily spiced, not too sweet. The taste was pleasant enough, as was the heat that traced its way down my throat as I swallowed, and yet I could not allow myself to be too much at ease.

  Once we had all drunk, the king turned toward me. “Mistress Kelsden, there is something I must needs say to you.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty?” To my relief, my voice did not shake at all. I told myself that perhaps he had had a change of heart. After all, he seemed quite jovial. It could be that he had finally realized the folly of his actions and wished to give me a friendly send-off.

  That was a pleasant fiction, one I did not believe at all.

  Beaming, he said, “I have been thinking a good deal on our situation, and I believe I have come upon an answer that will be advantageous for all concerned.”

  “You have, Your Majesty?”

  “Yes. Indeed, I do not know why I did not think of it before, for it is such an elegant solution. I might have saved us all a good deal of wasted time.” He paused then, fixing me with his pale eyes, and a shiver went down my spine, despite the warmth from the spiced wine I had just drunk.

  “You, Annora, will become my wife, and the next queen of Purth.”

  Chapter 14

  I stared at him, thinking he must have gone mad. Or perhaps he had gone mad some time ago, and I was only now just noticing.

  “Y-your Majesty?” I stammered. In that moment, I knew I wore an expression of dismay. Unfortunately, I could not think of how to remove it.

  But the king was so caught up in his own cleverness that he did not seem to notice my distinct lack of enthusiasm. “Yes, of course,” he said. “I do not know why I wasted valuable time attempting to convince my son that he should put away his wife and take you instead. If he wants that meaching milksop to be the mother of his sons — if she ever manages the task, that is — then so be it. I have been too long without a wife, and you will do very well.”

  I did not think I would do very well, no, not at all. Every fiber of my being shrank at the idea of being the king’s wife. Why, he was almost old enough to be my grandfather, let alone my father.

  Of course I could not say any of these things out loud. Possibly it was treason for me to even be thinking them. But oh, gods, what could I do now? As Lorelis had said, the king always got his way in everything…or nearly everything. True, his scheme to have me marry his son had gone nowhere, but that was because Prince Harlin would have none of it, and the ambassador from Farendon had made it clear that his country’s king would not react well to such ill treatment of his daughter. But in this terrible matter, the only players were King Elsdon and myself. I had no power, none at all, and so my protests would count for very little.

  Because he was watching me, clearly expecting some kind of response, I swallowed and said, “This is…unexpected, Your Majesty. I understand the honor you are offering me, but how will the people react to your taking a commoner as your queen?”

  He did not much like that question; his gray-frosted brows pulled together, and his jaw set. “It is not a question of how the people will react, for I care little for that. However, I have already anticipated this problem. I will grant you a title — you will be the new Countess of Wellinsdale. Once that is done, no one dare protest that your rank is insufficient for a king’s wife.”

  Oh, dear gods, what now? I had heard that the king did have the power to create new titles if he so wished, but he had always been parsimonious with such largesse, and had handed out very few such titles during his tenure on the throne. Clearly, he intended to make a special exception in my case.

  “I — I am honored, Your Majesty,” I replied. What else could I say? All along I had thought I was trapped. Only in this moment, as I truly felt those golden chains descend upon me, did I realize that I had not understood what trapped actually meant.

  I was definitely trapped now.

  * * *

  My present suite, it seemed, would not do for the newly created Countess of Wellinsdale and the king’s affianced bride. I was taken to new apartments several floors higher and on the other side of the palace, where I looked down, not over the gardens, but the River Marden, which wound through the town. I supposed that many would think this the better view, what with the sweet-gum and goldleaf trees that lined its banks, all showing their autumn finery in blazing red and amber. As I looked at them, however, all I could think of was the inexorable passage of time, and how little would now be left to me, for the king had decreed that we should marry in three days. No doubt he would have pressed for the wedding to take place even sooner than that, but such affairs took time to plan and execute, even those that had been so hastily conceived.

  Because he had found me before, I knew that Tobyn should have no trouble locat
ing my new suite; indeed, one of his clients had probably already carried the tale of the king’s precipitous engagement to him. No, the real problem was that my position as countess and soon-to-be queen meant that I did not have the luxury of solitude any longer. I had thought Rashelle burden enough, but now I had one lady’s maid to attend to my wardrobe, and another to take care of my hair and bath, and both of them slept in a room adjoining my own. When I had protested to Lord Edmar that such arrangements meant I would be unable to spin any gold, he’d only smiled and said that the king did not mind my missing a few days, since after the wedding I would be given a chamber in his apartments where I could create as much gold as I liked.

  Something in his manner had seemed almost mocking, and I said, “I suppose this pleases you, to see me made a puppet like this.”

  “No,” he replied, but that hint of a smile lingered around the corners of his mouth. “It never pleases me to see a woman I want taken by another. But the king has laid his claim on you now, and I would certainly never attempt to stand in his way.” Head tilted to one side, he added, “Do you now regret refusing me? I believe you had some concern as to my age, but His Majesty is a good fifteen years my senior.”

  “I know,” I said, nettled. Had not that loathsome notion been rattling around in my head ever since the king made his outrageous proposal? The king would reach sixty in a few more years, a number which made the duke’s forty and two far less repulsive. “But as for regret, my only true regret is that my father could not manage his compulsions at the dice table. Were it not for that, none of this would have happened in the first place.”

  “True.” A pause, and then the duke went on, “I have heard he is overjoyed by this news. Not merely by your elevation to countess, and soon queen, but also by the knowledge that no member of the royal family — which he will soon be, by marriage — may be prosecuted for debt. That should be very convenient for him.” He gave me a scornful little bow and went out after delivering his remark, leaving me seething.

  That all may have been true. At any rate, I was already angry with my father, so a bit of extra pique did not matter one way or another. What bothered me the most, though, was that I had no one to comfort me in this, no one I could talk to. Dinnertime had not yet arrived, and so many hours must pass before Tobyn could possibly risk coming to see me.

  At least the king did not expect me to sit in state with him at supper. No, it seemed he would rather wait to display me as his queen, to keep me away from court until my position was absolutely unassailable. In the meantime, ever since the formal announcement had been made, my suite had been filled with dressmakers and their assistants, and I had been stuck as full of pins as a hedgehog in one interminable fitting after another.

  I had also been given something of a companion, for lack of a better word. In the wake of the dressmakers came a very grand lady perhaps some fifteen years or so older than I, or even more. I found it difficult to tell for certain, as her face had been expertly painted, and her figure, in its gown of bronze-toned damask, as slender as my own.

  This lady introduced herself to me as Shelenna, Duchess of Ballinsvane, saying, “My husband and His Majesty are old friends, and so he thought it best that I come to see you, to help guide you through the few next days. No doubt this is all quite tumultuous, and you are still trying to take it all in.”

  Her pronouncement was nothing more than the truth, and so I nodded.

  “Very good. I have already given instructions to the dressmakers, and so they know what is required. But I thought I might look at the jewelry His Majesty has given you, and see what else might be needed.”

  I began to get up from the divan where we sat so I might fetch the little casket of jewels that had been given to me for my use. At once the duchess laid her hand on my arm.

  “No, my dear. It is not for you to perform such a task. Have that girl over there ” — she flicked a hand at the elder of my two maidservants, the one named Felinda — “bring it to us.”

  Felinda, who was somewhat younger than Rashelle and far less composed, jumped slightly, then hurried to do as the duchess had bidden her. The box sat on the top shelf of the wardrobe in my bedchamber, and so she required some time to retrieve it, given that this apartment was so much larger than the last one I had occupied.

  While we waited for her, the duchess turned and appeared to look me over from head to toe. “Well,” she said frankly, “I can see why His Majesty would be so impetuous in making you his bride, for you are quite the beauty, aren’t you?”

  Hot blood rushed to my cheeks, but I managed to say, “Thank you, Your Grace.”

  “None of that,” she replied at once. “We are equals, Annora. That is, we are equals in this moment. In a few days’ time, you will be queen, and then I must address you as ‘Your Majesty,’ unless you give me leave to use your name.”

  Truly, the thought of anyone, let alone this elegant and intimidating lady, addressing me as “Your Majesty” was quite enough to send chills over me once again. I did not want to be queen. Not King Elsdon’s queen now, nor Prince Harlin’s in the future. The very thought of the king kissing me, let alone….

  Somehow I managed to prevent myself from shuddering. No matter what else happened, I had to make this Lady Shelenna and everyone else around me think that I was quite happy to be marrying the king. After all, young women were married off to older men all the time. Most people would not think anything so strange about the situation, except perhaps that enough attractive girls of my age or thereabout already existed in the peerage, and so the king’s choice of a mere merchant’s daughter might seem somewhat odd.

  “Of course…Shelenna,” I said, hoping that she had not heard the way I hesitated before saying her name. “I do thank you for your guidance.”

  She waved a hand. Garnets and topaz winked from her fingers. Her hair was a rich russet shade, quite unusual, as were her amber eyes. Perhaps those auburn locks of hers had been enhanced a bit, perhaps not. But no one could argue that she was not a very striking woman.

  Felinda appeared then, holding the small brass-bound box that contained the jewelry the king had given me to wear. In it as well was the pendant Tobyn had created. I had not put it on this morning, although most days it lay snugged in the hollow of my throat, a constant reminder of his regard for me. Why I had not worn it today, I could not say for sure, except that it did not quite go with the dove-gray gown I wore, with its trimming of silver.

  Before I could reach for the box, the duchess snagged it from Felinda’s fingers. “Thank you,” she said, then turned toward me, effectively dismissing the serving girl. Felinda retreated to a corner, although not before having to dodge one of the dressmakers, who seemed to have appeared from nowhere, a bolt of deep green and gold damask clutched in her arms.

  “What think you of this, my lady?” the woman asked, freeing a length from the bolt so I might see the way the colors of the silk shifted as she ran a hand under the fabric.

  “It’s lovely,” I began.

  But Shelenna broke in, saying, “I am not sure that particular shade of gold will do well with her ladyship’s complexion. Something not quite so brassy, I think.”

  The dressmaker bobbed her head and retreated, and I refrained from letting out a sigh. Really, what difference did it make if one particular gown made me look a little sallow? Although I did not yet know how I would manage it, I was determined that this wedding would not take place, which meant I doubted I’d ever wear any of these gowns. I could only hope that they might be gifted to some other women of the court, so all that fabric and work should not be wasted.

  Lowering her voice, the duchess went on, “You do not need to approve everything they bring to you. I understand that it may be overwhelming to you to have all these choices, but you will be the queen of Purth. You must always keep in mind that your appearance will reflect on the king as well, and so you must be impeccable.”

  I nodded.

  “Well, then,” she went on, �
��let us see what you have here. Judging by the size of this box, I can tell that you will need a much larger jewelry wardrobe, but we must begin somewhere.”

  With that she lifted the lid and set it down on the low table in front of the divan, then began arranging the pieces on the tabletop as well. Truly, they did look rather impressive laid out like that; once Tobyn had given me the ruby pendant, I had not paid much attention to the jewels the king had lent me for my use. Now, though, I realized there were sapphires and garnets and pearls, and hanging ear drops of golden filigree.

  “These can do for a start,” the duchess said, “but they are rather meager for a countess, let alone a queen.”

  To my eyes, it seemed that uncounted riches lay before me. I knew I did not have much experience with such things, however, and so I only nodded.

  Then she drew out Tobyn’s pendant. Her eyes widened, and she said, “But this is Master Slade’s work, is it not?”

  “Who?” I asked, my tone all innocence.

  “Master Slade. He is a goldsmith here in the city, and does wondrous work. I have a few of his pieces myself. But I had not thought that the king had gifted Lady Ilendra with any of Master Slade’s work.”

  “Lady Ilendra?” I repeated. I had not heard that name before.

  At once the duchess shook her head. “Perhaps I should not have spoken of her. But soon you and the king will have no secrets from one another, so….”

  In that I most sincerely hoped she was wrong. I had many secrets I wished to keep from the king, chief among them the true identity of the man who had made the pendant which now lay in the Lady Shelenna’s hand. But of course I could not say such a thing to her, and so I only lifted an inquiring eyebrow.

  “His mistress, my dear. Oh, there was really nothing all that improper about it, since after all he did not take up with Ilendra until some years after the queen had passed away. Since you were staying in the suite that had been Ilendra’s, I suppose His Majesty thought you might as well have the use of her jewels, too.”