by Tamara Leigh
“I thank you, Your Majesty,” said the woman of good height, curvaceous form, and dark tresses. “I do not wish to sound impertinent, but if you are agreeable, I would prefer to be called that by which I am better known—Lady Beata.”
It still did not sit well with Durand, but it was better than the other name.
The queen’s quiet drew his regard to her, and he saw she had narrowed her lids at the lady. Just when it seemed Eleanor’s silence might grow into one of grave disapproval, she said, “I believe there is another name by which you are even better known. One that speaks more to the devilry you scatter about my hall.”
Durand shifted his regard to the lady, but her gaze was fixed on Eleanor—not defiantly, although a show of deference would not be amiss.
“So there is,” she said. “But, alas, that name has been woefully altered this past year.”
The queen’s face softened perceptively. “My belated condolences.”
“I thank you, Your Majesty.”
Irritated by the riddle batted between the two women, Durand ground his teeth.
The queen gave a curt nod. “Lady Beata it is—as your lord husband called you, hmm?”
A widow, then.
“So he did, Your Majesty.”
“We shall talk further, Lady Beata, but now I must relieve you of Sir Durand’s company.”
“Of course.” The woman glanced at him and dipped her chin.
As Durand fell into step alongside the queen, she said, “You, my gallant monk, are not in this moment, are you?”
He did not like her to call him that, but he hid his aversion more easily than when she did so in the presence of others. “I do feel as if elsewhere, Your Majesty—as though you and the lady purposely seek to mire me in confusion.”
She did not speak again until he saw her into a chair before the fire. Peering up at him where he stood with his back to the hearth, near enough their conversation would not carry, she said, “Tell me, what do you think of Lady Beatrix?”
A pity she did not use the woman’s preferred name outside of her company, Durand reflected. “I know too little of the woman to think anything of her.”
“Be it so, you know of her.”
“Certes, I do not, Your Majesty. Until you spoke her name, I had none by which to call her.”
Eleanor’s eyebrows rose.
He inclined his head. “Her man, Sir Amos, refused to divulge her identity when we aborted Count Verielle’s attack. Neither did the lady speak it, for not a word passed her lips in my hearing until this eve.”
Laughter parted Eleanor’s lips. “Not a word out of that one?” She shook her head. “Another curiosity to ponder alongside her flight and the count’s reason for attempting to abduct her.”
“May I inquire as to Sir Amos’s account of their journey?”
“He told that, as the lady is now widowed, he has been charged with escorting her home to England so she might care for her sire in his dotage. As for Count Verielle’s men giving chase, Sir Amos suggested they may have been acting of their own accord in hopes of attaining the lady’s purse.” She smiled thinly. “There is much more to it, I think you would agree.”
“I would, Your Majesty.”
Eleanor’s brow grew lined. “One such as Verielle cannot fancy himself in love, though ’tis true many a man is enamored with the lady—”
“Truly?” Durand was not in the habit of interrupting her, but this surprised him. Fascinated was one thing, enamored quite another.
“You are astonished.” Eleanor gifted him a brilliant smile. “Ah, but I have yet to remedy your ignorance of the lady.”
Reminded of her belief he must know of her, he waited.
“Though I wager much of France has heard of her, most know Lady Beatrix as The Vestal Wife—now The Vestal Widow.”
Durand stared. He had heard of Conrad Fauvel’s bride who was said to be forty years younger than her husband and who, it was rumored, served the old man in the capacity of a daughter rather than a bedmate. And yet this daughter, having no need to attract a husband, had been indulged, in some ways as if she were a son—ever at the count’s side regardless of the topic under discussion and allowed to offer her thoughts and opinions on matters best left to men. Thus, the girl had grown into a woman whom other women said was far too comfortable in the company of men. And she had certainly demonstrated that this evening.
“As told,” Eleanor said, “you know of her.”
“I do.”
“And are you among those who approve or disapprove?”
“I have no cause to feel one way or the other about the lady.”
The long gaze with which she held him was unsettling, but then she shrugged. “If the count did send his men to capture her, what do you think he intended?”
Durand knew it was possible Verielle’s interest was fleshly, but such talk was something with which he was not comfortable. “I cannot say, Your Majesty.”
“Of course you can. You just do not wish to.”
Hoping for an end to his audience with her, he smiled tightly.
She gave a soft snort. “Oh, be of use, Sir Durand.”
As he waited her out, he steeled himself for what was to come.
“As you know,” she said, “a man does not have to be in love to desire a woman.”
And there it was. Though his center coiled tight, still he held.
She dropped her head against the chair back and raised her gaze toward the ceiling. “But if not lust, what? Vengeance? Did she wrong the count in some way? Possible. Although her far too easy behavior attracts many a man, it repels others, especially those who believe a woman’s worth is limited to keeping a household, filling his bed, and birthing children.” After a long silence, she mused, “Were she an heiress, the abduction attempt would make sense—that Count Verielle sought to force her to marriage to gain her fortune.”
Durand knew Eleanor could relate to that. Following annulment of her marriage to King Louis nine years past, she had once more become the most eligible woman in all of France. Thus, during her return to her vast lands in Poitou, she had been forced to outrun the Count of Blois who had sought to make her his wife. Knowing she would need a protector, she had taken the initiative to secure a husband of her own choosing and wed Henry Plantagenet who would later make good his claim to the English throne.
“Alas, the lady is not an heiress,” Eleanor murmured, then lowered her chin, looked about the hall, and narrowed her lids.
Durand followed her gaze to the one whose name hung far better on another. The woman walked alongside her man, Sir Amos, whose head was bent near hers as if to catch whispered words. Moments later, the two stepped into an alcove where torchlight ventured only far enough to reveal it was occupied.
“At least, as far as we know, she is not an heiress,” the queen added.
Durand looked back around, and the gleam in her eyes tempted him to pity The Vestal Wife—now Widow—who was likely unprepared for the depth of Eleanor’s interest.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed the excerpt of the sixth book in the AGE OF FAITH series. Look for Sir Durand’s tale in 2017.
For new releases and special promotions, subscribe to Tamara Leigh’s mailing list: www.tamaraleigh.com
TAMARA LEIGH NOVELS
CLEAN READ HISTORICAL ROMANCE
~ THE FEUD: A MEDIEVAL ROMANCE SERIES ~
Baron Of Godsmere: Book One Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
Baron Of Emberly: Book Two Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
Baron of Blackwood: Book Three Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
~ LADY: A MEDIEVAL ROMANCE SERIES ~
Lady At Arms: Book One Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
Lady Of Eve: Book Two Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
~ BEYOND TIME: A MEDIEVAL TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE SERIES ~
Dreamspell: Book One Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
Lady Ever After: Book Two Amazon (eBook)
~ STAND-ALONE MEDIEVAL ROMANC
E NOVELS ~
Lady Of Fire Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
Lady Of Conquest Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
Lady Undaunted Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
INSPIRATIONAL HISTORICAL ROMANCE
~ AGE OF FAITH: A MEDIEVAL ROMANCE SERIES ~
The Unveiling: Book One Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
The Yielding: Book Two Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
The Redeeming: Book Three Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
The Kindling: Book Four Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
The Longing: Book Five Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
(Untitled—Sir Durand’s tale): Book Six Releasing Spring 2017
INSPIRATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
~ HEAD OVER HEELS: STAND-ALONE ROMANCE NOVELS ~
Stealing Adda (ebook) Amazon (eBook/print/audio)
Perfecting Kate (ebook) Amazon (eBook/print)
Splitting Harriet (ebook) Amazon (eBook/print)
Faking Grace (ebook) Amazon (eBook/print)
~ SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT: A CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE SERIES ~
Leaving Carolina: Book One (ebook) Amazon (eBook/print)
Nowhere, Carolina: Book Two (ebook) Amazon (eBook/print)
Restless in Carolina: Book Three (ebook) Amazon (eBook/print)
OUT-OF-PRINT GENERAL MARKET TITLES
Warrior Bride 1994 Bantam Books (Lady At Arms rewrite)
*Virgin Bride 1994 Bantam Books (Lady Of Eve rewrite)
Pagan Bride 1995 Bantam Books (Lady Of Fire rewrite)
Saxon Bride 1995 Bantam Books (Lady Of Conquest rewrite)
Misbegotten 1996 HarperCollins (Lady Undaunted rewrite)
Unforgotten 1997 HarperCollins (Lady Ever After rewrite)
Blackheart 2001 Dorchester Leisure
*Virgin Bride is the sequel to Warrior Bride
Pagan Pride and Saxon Bride are stand-alone novels
www.tamaraleigh.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tamara Leigh holds a Master’s Degree in Speech and Language Pathology. In 1993, she signed a 4-book contract with Bantam Books. Her first medieval romance, Warrior Bride, was released in 1994. Continuing to write for the general market, three more novels were published with HarperCollins and Dorchester and earned awards and spots on national bestseller lists.
In 2006, Tamara’s first inspirational contemporary romance, Stealing Adda, was released. In 2008, Perfecting Kate was optioned for a movie and Splitting Harriet won an ACFW Book of the Year award. The following year, Faking Grace was nominated for a RITA award. In 2011, Tamara wrapped up her “Southern Discomfort” series with the release of Restless in Carolina.
When not in the middle of being a wife and mother, Tamara buries her nose in a good book—and her writer’s pen in ink. In 2012, she returned to the historical romance genre with Dreamspell, a medieval time travel romance. Shortly thereafter, she once more invited readers to join her in the middle ages with the 5-book Age of Faith series beginning with The Unveiling. Tamara’s #1 Bestsellers—Lady at Arms, Lady Of Eve, Lady Of Fire, and Lady Of Conquest—are among the first of her medieval romances to be rewritten as clean reads. Baron Of Blackwood, the third book in the #1 bestselling series, The Feud, is now available.
Tamara lives near Nashville with her husband, a Doberman who bares its teeth not only to threaten the UPS man but to smile, a German Shepherd who has never met a squeaky toy she can’t destroy, and a feisty Morkie who keeps her company during long writing stints.
Connect with Tamara at her website www.tamaraleigh.com, her blog The Kitchen Novelist, her email [email protected], Facebook, and Twitter.
For new releases and special promotions, subscribe to Tamara Leigh’s mailing list: www.tamaraleigh.com
