Once Upon A Time (Historical Romance)

by Constance O'Banyon

  Although Jilliana's heart was thundering against her breast and her hands trembled, she faced the king with clear eyes.

  "I am indeed who I claim to be." She nodded at Sir Humphrey and he handed her an object wrapped in a velvet cloth. "Know you the Great Seal of Talshamar, Henry Plantagenet?"

  "I do," Henry answered, his eyes narrowing.

  She held the seal out for his inspection, but drew it back when he would have touched it.

  "Then know that the seal is in my possession and that it signifies I am the true queen."

  He nodded. "It looks to be the seal." He turned to Cardinal Failsham, knowing he would not put forward the claim of an impostor.

  "Is this woman the true queen of Talshamar?"

  "She is, Your Majesty. I have followed her progress throughout the years and know her to be the true heir to the Talshamarian throne."

  King Henry nodded. "I accept your word, along with the evidence of the Great Seal." His eyes were piercing as he looked at Jilliana. "You have kept yourself hidden from us, when we wanted only to help you, Queen Jilliana."

  Jilliana met his even gaze. "I have not been hiding, Henry. For these past few years I have been residing in one of your own castles. You are familiar with the castle of Salisbury?"

  Henry's fist came down hard on the arm of his throne. "Eleanor! By the true God, she did this to me!"

  Jilliana strived to hide her smile, wishing Eleanor could witness Henry's rage. "Did you not know that I was the ward of your lady wife?"

  It was apparent that Henry was having a difficult time bringing his anger under control, but he would not allow everyone to see that Eleanor had bested him.

  Slowly his red face whitened and he managed a smile. "Had you come to us sooner, we would have offered you our son John as husband."

  Jilliana lowered her voice, so only those standing near could hear. "Why should I put my trust in the man who caused the death of my mother, and why would I want to marry your son, whom I dislike intensely?"

  Henry's breath hissed through his teeth and his face stained red with anger.

  "You dare say this to me?"

  She moved to stand beside Prince Ruyen and clasped his resisting hand, praying he would not reject her gesture. She felt his hand tighten on hers in a painful grip.

  Ruyen knew of Talshamar, and like everyone else, he had heard of the missing queen. If this was she, why had she come to stand beside him when it would surely mean her death? He did not understand or trust this woman, but he would not expose her just yet.

  Jilliana raised her voice so everyone could hear. "I am ready to die beside the man I love and the father of my unborn child. Think you that the people of my country, and indeed the civilized world, will applaud our deaths?" She paused, ready to play Henry as Eleanor had instructed her. "Perhaps France being the exception. Philip could very well rejoice at my death."

  King Henry roared to his courtiers: "Everyone out. Now!" Then he waited impatiently while the guards cleared the room.

  "Now, what say you, young prince?" Henry demanded of Ruyen. "Does Queen Jilliana carry your seed?"

  She drew Ruyen's startled gaze. He paused, looking deeply into eyes the color of a summer sky.

  "I had not known about the baby," he said truthfully, deciding to trust this woman, who seemed to have no trouble manipulating Henry.

  "But you have lain with her?" Henry pressed accusingly. "Surely you admit that."

  "Being a gentleman," Ruyen said dryly, his eyes lowered to the woman, "I could hardly admit to that. I may lose my life, but I will never defame a lady's reputation."

  Jilliana did not have to feign embarrassment because her cheeks flushed scarlet. She could not look at the prince, but hurriedly spoke before her courage failed her.

  "I ... love him, does that not answer your questions?"

  Henry scowled as he felt Talshamar and Falcon Bruine both slip from his grasp.

  "It seems instead of being queen of England, you prefer to cast your lot with a rebellious prince who would rather die than yield."

  "I am not your chattel to do with as you desire. And until I reach Talshamar, I am under the protection of Rome." She raised her chin, remembering that Queen Eleanor had cautioned her not to show weakness. "I would rather die with the man I love, than live in a world without him."

  Suddenly King Henry startled them all when boisterous laughter shook his ample frame.

  "Gad, you're too much woman for John. If I were twenty years younger, I might consider taking you as my own wife."

  Jilliana bit back her angry retort and said in a soft voice. "Twenty years ago, you already had a fine wife, Your Majesty. You still do."

  Henry's face became impassive as if he were remembering. "So I did and do. Eleanor is still the best of them all." He nodded at Ruyen. "If I release you and Princess Cassandra, will you give your solemn oath that you will no longer raise your sword against England?"

  Ruyen looked at his sister, who was at the moment bent over coughing and trying to catch her breath. If it only concerned him, he would gladly meet death, but how could he allow his innocent sister to suffer for what he had done. Still, the words were not easily uttered.

  With a defiant look, he answered. "I do so swear, as long as England does not take up arms against me."

  Henry glared, knowing that the young hothead would not yield further. He spoke to his lord chamberlain. "Let the word go forth to all counties and shires that the king of England is generous. This day I free a known enemy so he may return to his country and no longer take up war against us."

  Jilliana was weak with relief. She had not failed Queen Eleanor. Now that the Rondache family had been saved from the executioner, she would be free to go home to Talshamar. Her dream did not last long, however, for King Henry chilled her with his next words.

  "There is one thing that I insist upon before I release you, Prince Ruyen." Henry smiled blandly. He was aware that Jilliana had not spoken true about her relationship with the hotheaded prince. The two of them did not seem like lovers—they were more like strangers. He would wager that they had never laid eyes on one another until today. Eleanor had contrived the whole spectacle. God's blood, but that woman was like no other!

  He leaned back, pondering his next move in their game of wits. He would make them play by his rules. This way the jest would be on Eleanor and not on him.

  "I will see the two of you married at once. There need be no posting of bans," he said, stroking his beard. "Yes, you will wed without delay, for there must never be any question of the legitimacy of royal offspring—must there?"

  "I— But. . . but," Jilliana stammered.

  King Henry held up his hand. "Nay, do not thank me. It will be my greatest delight to make all the arrangements. I will have you each go to separate quarters so you might make ready for the nuptials. The wedding will take place this very day."

  Jilliana glanced up at Prince Ruyen and saw his stormy features. Angrily, his eyes bore into hers, making her draw back in fear.

  "I agree," Ruyen said at last, realizing she must be attempting to pass off someone else's bastard as his, "that there should be no question about the parentage of a royal heir, but I do not think it will be necessary for us to marry."

  Jilliana felt relief until Henry spoke.

  "I will have you each escorted to your own quarters and allow you time to agree to my plan." He smiled. "I am at my best when playing Cupid."

  7

  When the others were led away, and Cardinal Failsham attempted to accompany them, Henry called out to him.

  "You will remain, Your Eminence." He stared with open hostility at the pope's emissary, waiting for them to be alone before starting his tirade. When the guard closed the door, Henry roared at the cardinal.

  "Pope Lucius has known all along the whereabouts of Queen Jilliana," he said accusingly. "Even knowing that I was searching for her, he kept her from me. Why is this, Cardinal? After all the favors I have done for him and the Church, sur
ely he owes me some consideration."

  "If you will excuse me for saying so, Your Majesty, His Holiness owes his allegiance to a higher power than you. He was bound to keep Queen Phelisiana's confidence and to see that her daughter would someday mount the throne of Talshamar as is her divine right."

  "Can there be no mistake? Is this girl truly the queen?" Henry asked.

  "There can be no mistake. I christened her as a babe, and I placed the crown of Talshamar upon her head."

  Henry gnashed his teeth in frustration. "Is it true that she has lain with Prince Ruyen?"

  "Of this I have no knowledge. It has been some years since I have seen Queen Jilliana, until the night I presided over her coronation."

  Henry's anger was boundless. "Where did this coronation take place?"

  "I am not familiar with England, so I cannot say the exact location."

  "Preposterous! You dance around the truth, Cardinal. How can I believe what you say?"

  "By my profession, I am bound by the truth."

  "Who besides yourself can confirm that this young woman is the true queen of Talshamar?"

  "There were one hundred Talshamarians who witnessed the crowning. They were all nobles who would swear that she was their true queen. They would have no false queen sit on the throne of Talshamar, and neither would the Holy Father."

  Henry knew when he was defeated. "So be it. But I know I have been duped. Neither of them will leave here until I see them wed. You will perform the ceremony, yourself, so you can report back to His Holiness, Pope Lucius, that I have helped produce a legitimate heir for Talshamar."

  Cardinal Failsham also knew when he had been defeated. "The Holy Father's instructions to me were that I was to see Queen Jilliana crowned. He said nothing about her marriage."

  "In this I decide."

  "It will be my honor to officiate at the wedding," the cardinal said stiffly.

  Henry's eyes became cunning. "Will Pope Lucius approve of the marriage, do you think?"

  The cardinal looked away. "Only His Holiness can answer that."

  Henry grinned and then laughed out loud. "I care little if it pleases His Holiness, but I am delighted about what this means to Philip. He'll no longer be the legal heir of Talshamar, and that will stick in his gullet."

  "That is so, Your Majesty."

  Henry's mood became sober. "I am not quite the fool Eleanor and her puppets believe me to be. You will go directly to Prince Ruyen and inform him that should he refuse the hand of Queen Jilliana, his life and that of his sister shall be forfeit. Then go to Queen Jilliana and tell her the same." Henry waved his hand in dismissal. "Go now, my guards will escort you."

  "As you wish, Your Majesty," Cardinal Failsham said, bowing and backing toward the door.

  Prince Ruyen and Princess Cassandra had been escorted to a small room, the door locked behind them. Ruyen helped his sister into a straight-backed chair and covered her with a lap robe he found in the window seat.

  "Ruyen, who was that woman who claimed to know you? What trick does Henry play on us to condemn us to death and then snatch us back at the last moment?"

  "I know no more than you, Cassandra. Is this the helping hand of Richard, or the destructive hand of Henry?" Ruyen angrily paced the floor, fury etched on his face. "I curse the day I ever set foot on English soil."

  He propped his booted foot on a window seat and stared into the courtyard below, his mind alert to any opportunity of escape. There were heavy bars on the windows, and he deduced that they were somewhere above the kitchen because servants were unloading cheese from a cart. There would be no escape that way.

  Ruyen turned back to his sister. "If there is a child, it is not mine. Perhaps the brat is some by-blow of Henry's and he thinks to obtain by stealth and trickery what he could not by conquest. Does he really believe that I will consent to marry a woman who is most likely one of his whores?"

  "But what would Henry have to gain by such a marriage, Ruyen?"

  "Falcon Bruine and Talshamar. If I marry her, accepting her as the queen of Talshamar, then the rest of the world will believe that is who she is. This would give Henry—who controls her—Talshamar and eventually, through the child, the Isle of Falcon Bruine."

  Cassandra suddenly looked faint, and he noticed that her breathing was labored.

  "You must not be concerned about anything, Cassandra. I want only for you to rest and regain your health."

  "She was quite beautiful, was she not?"

  "I hardly noticed."

  "What will you do?"

  "I know not. But I will forfeit my life before I marry Henry's impostor."

  A hacking cough racked his sister's frail body, and when she could catch her breath, she spoke. "I am still willing to die with you. We will not allow Henry Plantagenet to control our destiny."

  For a long moment, Ruyen stared at his young sister. She had been born ten years after him, and he had given her little thought until they had been imprisoned together. He had discovered that she was brave and steadfast, and he was ashamed when he saw love and trust shining in her eyes. He dropped down beside her and took her limp hand in his.

  "Perhaps I spoke too hastily. I will decide nothing until I discern Henry's intentions." Ruyen knew that he would do anything Henry demanded to save his sister's life. He watched her eyes close and stayed by her side until she fell asleep.

  Shortly, a key rattling in the door caught Ruyen's attention. He watched as Cardinal Failsham motioned the two guards to remain in the corridor while he closed the door.

  Ruyen rose and joined the cardinal, who stood by the window. He noticed that the man seemed agitated.

  "Your Highness, we have grave concerns."

  Ruyen looked at him ironically. "At what point in the day did you make that assessment, Your Eminence? And what would make you concerned for me and my sister?"

  Cardinal Failsham lowered himself onto the padded window seat. "Your troubles became mine when they became linked with Queen Jilliana's."

  Ruyen looked skeptical. "I have never had reason to distrust a man of the Church until now. Why should you try to pass that woman off as a queen?"

  Cardinal Failsham's eyes became piercing. "I can assure you that she is the true daughter of the martyred Queen Phelisiana. What you heard today in the chamber is true. Queen Eleanor has kept her hidden until now so she would be safe from the schemes of England and France."

  "Why did she choose this day to come forth and why did she speak up for me?"

  "We have long wondered how we would bring the queen out of hiding. There are those who wanted to see both you and her safe, thus your lives became intertwined. I fear they will become even more so."

  Ruyen was still angry. "Ah, the marriage. And what does Queen Jilliana gain from this union?"

  "What do you know of her?"

  "Less than nothing."

  "Allow me quickly to tell you what I can. She was taken from Talshamar the night her mother died. She is yet in danger, but you can save her."

  "Why should I?"

  "Because she humiliated herself today in order to save you and the Princess Cassandra. You would now be dead if she had not spun her tale so convincingly."

  Suddenly Ruyen looked very weary. "There is no need to say more, Your Eminence. What can I do to help Queen Jilliana?"

  "You can marry her," the cardinal said flatly.

  "I am betrothed to another, whom I love. I have no wish to marry anyone but her."

  Cardinal Failsham's eyes dulled. "For this reason alone, would you turn away from Queen Jilliana and leave her at the mercy of England and France?"

  "What is the Church's interest in this?"

  "The pope would see Talshamar under its rightful rule because of the promise he made to his predecessor, Pope Alexander. It seems our previous Holy Father was the cousin of Queen Phelisiana, a most devout Christian ruler."

  "Surely there is someone more willing than I to become Queen Jilliana's husband."

  "Think, Your Hi
ghness. Talshamar is one of the richest kingdoms in Christendom. It has fertile farmland and large vineyards, as well as being a seat of learning and the arts. It is a prize that has been coveted by many. It has been offered to you, while denied to others."

  "A prize I neither asked for, nor covet."

  The cardinal looked concerned, as if he were trying to think of an argument to sway the prince. Suddenly he knew how to reach him—he would appeal to his sense of obligation.

  "I believe that love is not often the reasoning for royal marriages."

  "Love played no part in my mother and father's marriage," Ruyen admitted. "I had hoped to be the exception."

  "I would never have expected you to place love for a woman above the good of your country, Your Highness." The cardinal knew that he had hit a nerve, and he waited patiently as Ruyen paced back and forth in front of him.

  "When would this marriage occur?" Ruyen finally demanded.

  "Today, I should think."

  "And what would be expected of me?"

  The cardinal looked uneasy for a moment. "Queen Jilliana will not be free from danger until she produces an heir."

  "Are you saying that once she has a child, I will be free of her?"

  Cardinal Failsham lowered his eyes. "The Church does not sanction divorce . . . but an annulment can be obtained in special circumstances. I have taken the precaution of discovering that you and Her Majesty have a distant connection through your grandmothers. This could be enough to acquire an annulment."

  "Am I to believe that if I impregnate the queen I would be granted my freedom to marry where I choose. Is that what you are saying?"

  The cardinal looked noncommittal. "I am sure I could convince His Holiness to agree to an annulment... if you comply with our needs. Queen Jilliana gave you your life, and you will give her a child. I would say that is a fair interchange, is it not?"

  "Why should I trust her to let me go when the time comes?"

  "I believe she has as little liking for this union as have you. And what choice have either of you? King Henry would love nothing better than to seize Falcon Bruine and Talshamar for his own. The longer you remain within his grasp, the more likely it is that that could occur."