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would indeed move to Tonbridge, but not before she sailed up the River Thames to Windsor.
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Nan was relieved when Rosamond returned with her husband to Windsor, but none was happier to see her than Princess Eleanora. "Oh, Rosamond, I have been so unhappy; you should have taken me with you. Edward doesn't love me, he loves that creature, Alyce."
"No, no, Eleanora, you are quite wrong! I told you that Alyce de Clare cannot help flirting with every man she meets."
"Rosamond, she told me that she is his mistress!" Eleanora's eyes glistened with tears just thinking about it. "I have locked my doors against Edward ... and I have locked my heart against him too!"
"Alyce de Clare is a vicious woman who enjoys seeing others suffer. She would be delirious with joy if she knew that you had locked your doors against Edward."
"Oh, Rosamond, I cannot bear that they are lovers!"
"Eleanora, they are not!" Rosamond lied. "I will tell you a secret, if you promise never to tell anyone. It is my own husband, Rodger de Ley-burn, who is her lover."
Eleanora's hand flew to her mouth. "Ah, Rosamond, you too? Is that why you ran away? "
"No ... yes, that was one of the reasons, Your Highness."
"Not Highness ... call me Eleanora, please?"
Rosamond nodded. "I want you to be happy, Eleanora. I think you and Edward make a perfect couple. Someday he will be the King of England and you will be his queen. I know how much you love him; why don't you let him show you how much he loves you?"
Eleanora shook her head sadly. "He married me because his family arranged it for political reasons. It was not for love. It was the same for you, no? Can you love your husband, Rosamond?"
She hesitated, searching for words. "Yes, I know I must learn to love him, if we are to have any happiness at all." Rosamond wondered wildly if there was a grain of truth in what she said. "You exchanged vows before God that you would love and honor each other," Rosamond reminded the princess.
"We were children," Eleanora whispered sadly.
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Sir Rodger knocked on Princess Eleanora's door, which was opened by one of her women. "May I speak with Rosamond?" he asked softly.
Rosamond heard her husband's voice and was surprised he spoke in Spanish. She went to the door and saw by his face that something was amiss. "What is it?" she asked with apprehension.
"Sad news, I'm afraid, Rosamond. Edward just received a message from Westminster Palace that your cousin Richard of Gloucester has died suddenly."
"Richard?" Rosamond remembered the last time she had spoken with him at Kenilworth. He had been a man in his prime, his ruddy glow giving him an air of health and strength. "How did he die?" she asked in shocked disbelief.
"Apparently his son Gilbert had just arrived from Gloucester. The message suggests that it was his heart."
"I must go to the chapel "
"I will take you, Rosamond," Rodger offered gently.
"Nay, I want to be alone."
"I will escort you and wait for you at the door," he insisted.
Rosamond found that Rod was as good as his word, and as she knelt before the altar, she prayed for Richard's soul and prayed too for his mother, Isabella, who had been a very gentle lady. Rosamond had learned from Eleanor de Montfort that Isabella had not loved her first husband, Gilbert de Clare, but her second marriage, to Princess Eleanor's brother, Prince Richard of Cornwall, had been a passionate love match.
Rosamond reflected that her own marriage was a passionate one, but love was something else entirely. Richard of Gloucester had joined Edward in repudiating Simon de Montfort, but she realized with a little shock that his son Gilbert, the new Earl of Gloucester, would be firmly in Earl Simon's camp. Was this the hand of God, striking Richard down for his betrayal? Rosamond shuddered. Better to call it fate, yet how very strange fate was.
She heard a firm step behind her and turned accusing eyes, but it was not Rodger, it was Lord Edward who had come into the chapel to offer his own prayers for Richard of Gloucester. She watched as he
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prayed, the candles burnishing his bowed golden head and beard. She wondered if he feared the hand of God for his own betrayal. Then she realized that Edward Plantagenet feared nothing. He was the rightful heir to the throne of England. His was the power, and his would be the glory! Rosamond had to admit that he would make a magnificent king.
There was a commotion outside the chapel, and both Rosamond and Edward recognized the voices. Rodger was having an altercation with Alyce de Clare. "I am the Countess of Gloucester, and I will go to him!"
Edward arose from his knees and strode to the door. Rosamond followed more slowly, but Alyce's voice carried to her clearly. "Edward, it was Gilbert's fault... he killed his father! It was terrible! They were
having a vicious fight. Gilbert was drinking and screaming Richard's
face turned purple with rage, and he grabbed his heart and fell to the floor. Then Gilbert turned his fury upon me—" Suddenly, Alyce burst into tears, and Edward put his powerful arms around her and drew her close.
"Hush, my dear, I know how upset you must be."
"Oh, Edward, he was always very kind to me, and I was so fond of him. It breaks my heart that he is gone! I cannot bear to stay at Westminster. I shall go to Tbnbridge Castle tomorrow, but may I stay here tonight?"
"Of course you may stay here, my dear; you must not be alone tonight. Rodger will have chambers prepared for you."
Alyce threw both Rod and Rosamond a self-satisfied look.
When Rodger returned to their apartment, Rosamond was awaiting him. "If Eleanora learns that Alyce de Clare is here with Edward, she will run mad. Alyce told her that she was Edward's mistress, and Eleanora has closed her doors to him, and is ready to close her heart to him too. Rodger, I ... I did my best to smooth things over—I told Eleanora that Alyce was your mistress, not Edward's. It was not too great a lie—most people think you are her lover."
"Is that what you think, Rosamond?"
Her eyes met his for a long moment, then a half-smile curved her lips. "No, my lord, I think you have better taste in women." She knew her response pleased him by the green flame that lit his eyes.
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"I put Alyce on the top floor, in the queen's chambers."
"But that is directly above Edward's rooms, and you know what she is. Alyce will make sure Edward spends the night with her and then she will find a way to flaunt the fact to Eleanora!"
Rod cursed beneath his breath. "Surely you don't wish me to spend the night with Alyce to keep her from being with Edward?"
Rosamond raised a brow. "What an odd solution. Rather, you could spend the next few hours with Edward, to keep him from being alone with Alyce, but if you prefer otherwise—"
Rod had her in his arms in a flash. He brushed the honey-gold hair back from her brow with a tender hand. "You know with whom I wish to spend the night, Rosamond." He knew Richard of Gloucester's death had affected her deeply, and he didn't want her to have her trampling dream. "I'll join Edward for a while, but he may not be pleased. Princes like their privacy, especially this prince, and it's really none of our business with whom he sleeps, Rosamond."
As his wife had predicted, Rod found Alyce de Clare with Edward when he went upstairs. "You know you should not be here alone with Lord Edward," he chastised. "It is far better that you meet at Tonbridge Castle."
Alyce flashed Rodger a look of defiant outrage. "Do not let him speak to me like that, Edward; he is not my keeper!"
"If I were, Alyce, you wouldn't be able to sit down for a week."
"Oh, Edward, do you not hear him?" she cried.
"Yes, I hear him and I agree with him," Edward said shortly.
The arrival of Harry of Almaine prevented a shouting match. The young royal had a wild, distraught look about him, and both Edward and Rod stepped to his side. "Is it true?" Harry asked with disbelief, running a distracted hand throug
h his brown curls.
Edward poured him a cup of brandywine. "Drink this, Harry."
"Tell me what happened to my brother!" He drained the cup.
Rodger spoke up. "He suffered some sort of attack, shortly after Gilbert arrived at Westminster. We have been led to believe it was his heart. But from all accounts he didn't suffer, Harry; it was over in moments."
"Oh my God, Gilbert saw his father die?" Harry was aghast.
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"He was violently arguing with his father!" Alyce interrupted. This time she did not go as far as to say that Gilbert had caused Richard to die, because Harry was Gilbert's closest friend.
"I must go to Westminster," Harry said, looking greatly upset. "Edward, I shall leave my men in your command for the next few days."
Edward nodded. "Tell your father that we will come tomorrow to pay our respects."
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Rosamond sat before the fire with Chirk upon her knee. "You foolish girl, why did you let Bebe get you with pup?" she murmured, gently stroking the little bitch's swollen belly She could not think about Chirk's condition without contemplating her own. Birth and death ...life is naught more than a cycle of being born and dying! It seemed that Richard's death was one more in a never-ending line. Everyone related to her, save her cousin Harry, was now dead and gone. Suddenly she felt apprehension for Harry, and she quickly crossed herself to banish the feeling. Rosamond knew she must stop dwelling on these dark thoughts. / must separate birth from death, or the pups may be doomed . . . my baby will be doomed!
She did not hear a soft tap on the door, but Nan did and opened it to find Princess Eleanora. Nan curtsied and invited her in.
"Rosamond, I am so very sorry about your cousin Richard," she said, her soft brown eyes brimming with tears of compassion.
Rosamond was glad to see Eleanora; the princess would distract her from her morbid thoughts.
"It makes me realize how short life can be, and that we should not waste precious time being angry with those we love, over imagined hurts." Eleanora hesitated, then continued shyly. "I think I should go to Edward—we have been apart far too long."
"No!" Rosamond's thoughts darted about like mercury, searching for an answer. She could not let Eleanora find Edward consoling Alyce de Clare, or their relationship would be damaged beyond repair. "Edward should come to you, Eleanora! He should do the wooing. Because he is a prince, women throw themselves at him. You must be different; you are a princess and a lady. If you act a little aloof, he will lose his heart to you all the faster."
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"Rosamond, you are so wise about men."
Dear Lord, if only that were true, Rosamond thought. / know so little about my own husband, I cannot even tell him I carry his child! "Go back to your own apartment and I will go up, pretending to seek out Rodger, who is with Edward at the moment. I will suggest to your husband that if he comes to you, you might be in a mood to forgive him." She saw that Eleanora's eyes lit up at her suggestion.
Owen stood guard outside the prince's chambers, but he admitted Rosamond into the anteroom. When she knocked on the inner door, it was opened by her own husband, who frowned at her intrusion. She gathered her courage and brushed past him to join Edward and Alyce de Clare, who were conversing intimately.
Rosamond took a deep breath and plunged in. "Forgive me, Lord Edward, but I must speak with you concerning your wife."
"Wives think they own their 'usbands, but they do not." Alyce gave Rosamond a pitying look.
"Is Eleanora all right?" Edward asked quickly.
"That is up to you, my lord."
"I will bid you good night, Alyce. Rodger, please escort the countess to the chambers you have prepared for her," Edward said in a firm tone that showed he would brook no refusal.
Alyce's fists clenched and her lips thinned, yet she had more sense than to argue with Edward, who was all-powerful. But she vowed to pay back the Marshal bitch for this untimely interruption. She moved across the room and tucked her arm into Rodger's in a most familiar fashion. "Darling Rod, you always manage to take care of all my needs, chéri, and I shall do the same for you, no?"
Rosamond turned her back upon her husband as he ushered Alyce from the royal apartment.
"He isn't her lover, Rosamond," Edward said quietly.
"No, my lord, you are. Rodger didn't tell me," she added quickly. "I heard you together one night at Kenilworth."
Edward's Plantagenet-blue eyes glittered. "Who else knows?"
"Eleanora knows, for Alyce took great delight in telling her!"
"Splendor of God, no wonder she shuts her door to me! Why would that black-haired bitch do such a thing?"
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"Jealousy, of course. She is envious of Eleanora's beauty and innocence. Alyce flaunts you like a trophy because she fears her hold is slipping now that your virginal bride resides at Windsor."
"I knew that Eleanora had suspicions, but I had no idea she had been told outright!"
"I have assured Eleanora that it is a lie. I told her that Alyce is Rodger's mistress, not yours. Most people believe they are lovers."
"Does Eleanora believe it?"
"It is up to you to make her believe it. She knows that when you were married as children, it was for political reasons. She does not believe that you love her; you will have to convince her otherwise, Edward. Go to her now before it is too late!"
Once Rosamond left him, Edward paced the chamber thinking over what she had said. He was a decisive man who never dithered over the choices he made, and went immediately to the adjoining door that led to Eleanora's chambers. He knocked politely and waited to be admitted, though patience was not one of his virtues. He was extremely pleased that Eleanora opened the door herself. It was as if she had been waiting for him.
"Come in, Edward," she said, trying to hide her breathlessness.
"Eleanora ... Nora, I won't ask why you closed your door to me, I will only tell you how happy I am that you have finally opened it." He took possession of her small hand and raised it gallantly to his lips. "I don't like us living separately. I don't want locked doors between us," sweetheart."
Eleanora blushed at the endearment, and Edward saw how lovely it made her look. "You are beautiful tonight, my Nora."
"Thank you, it is the peach-colored gown."
"It is not the gown, my sweet, it is your glorious hair and your exquisite face that are beautiful." Gently he tried to draw her into his arms, and felt her slight resistance.
"My women will see us," she said breathlessly.
Edward laughed. "They will have to get used to it."
"I will have to get used to it; we must get to know each other."
"Intimately," he agreed, drawing her into a possessive embrace in spite of her resistance. He bent his head to capture her lips and found 227
her mouth so softly inviting, it made him reel. "Nora, I want you to spend the night with me ... it is time our marriage was consummated."
"Edward, I... I don't feel married."
"My darling, that is because we haven't shared a bed."
"We were married for political reasons, not for love," she said wistfully.
"Nora, I do love you. When I came to Windsor and discovered you here, I fell in love the moment I laid eyes on you. You have my heart... all of my heart." More than anything in the world, Edward wanted to please his beloved and make her happy. "When you were ten, we were wed for political reasons, but now that you are sixteen I want you for very different reasons." Suddenly an idea occurred to him, and decisively Edward knew he would act on it. "Let's get married again . . . tonight... let me call the priest!"
"Oh, Edward, that is so romantic."
"You make me feel romantic; Nora, my love, will you marry me?"
"Yes, Edward, yes, yes!"
Lord Edward dispatched Owen for the priest, and since they were already legally married, he decided that witnesses were unnecessary. The royal couple exchanged vows in Edward's chambers with a
myriad of lighted candles upon the mantel of the fireplace, as if it were an altar. When the words had been said, Edward unfastened the golden rose badge from his doublet, which was his emblem, and pinned it to Eleanora's gown. "This rose comes with my heart," he pledged solemnly.
"I will cherish it always, my husband," Eleanora whispered.
The priest, who had hastily donned his cassock over his nightrobe, departed along with Owen, who returned to the anteroom to stand guard against those who might intrude.
Edward took his bride's hand. "Make a wish, and we'll blow out the candles together." When the last one nickered out, he drew her into his bedchamber, which was lit by the fire and one large square candle on an iron stand. Still in possession of her hand, he sat down on the high bed, opened his long, muscled thighs, and gently drew her between them. He cupped her face with reverence and touched her lips with his. He kissed her a hundred times, sweet kisses, soft kisses, tender kisses, long,
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melting kisses, and short, quick, teasing kisses that made the corners of her mouth rise, then he kissed those too.
His knowing fingers reached behind her to unfasten her gown, then slowly he inched it down to bare her shoulders. His lips touched her throat, then caressed her collarbone and her soft shoulders. Edward smiled as he lowered her gown to reveal her extremely modest undergarments. With gentle hands, he removed the gown and then her shift and petticoats. Eleanora hid her face against his chest, but he placed his fingers beneath her chin and made her meet his eyes, so that she could see him worship her.
The soft, round globes of her breasts were perfection. They were full and lush with dark aureoles, and filled his huge palms. When he kissed them, her swift, indrawn breath told him that it thrilled her. Edward's fingertips traced her rib cage, then circled her navel, as he marveled at the femininity of her lovely curved body. He wondered how he had ever found Alyce de Clare's thinness attractive, and knew with a certainty he never would again.
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