The horses halted under the shelter above our heads and I prepared to see my new home and meet my new kin. I doubted they welcomed a Yorkist amongst them but Giles ruled the house, and as his wife I would soon rule them.
The staff bowed in deference to their master and in turn to me, all except for a woman who stood to one side with a look of hatred upon her twisted yet beautiful features. Her belly caught my notice, as big and round as a cooking pot, it strained against the thin fabric of her clothing. Giles ignored her but she stepped forward, agile for a pregnant woman, and slapped his face hard.
“My child will be born a bastard now, because of you and your traitorous wife.” I received a look of contempt that forced me back half a step. She whirled on her feet and rushed into the dimness of the inner castle.
Giles shook his head and turned to the keeper of the castle. “I see her mood has not improved much. Have her confined until the babe is born, she’s not long due and ‘tis not proper for her to be seen.”
A chill ran up my spine. Giles kept a mistress and she carried his child. If he thought for one moment I would allow such a woman to live under my roof he was much mistaken. A red mark glowed brightly on his cheek but he carried on greeting his staff with the Langley household in our wake. He made arrangements with the castle-keeper to settle everyone and then, taking me by the arm directed me to a spiral staircase at the far end of the entrance hall and guided me to the top. Evening closed in and we were tired and hungry. The staff had readied their master’s chamber in preparation of his arrival. Bread, cheese, honey and wine awaited our pleasure, set on a silver tray.
“If you don’t mind I’d prefer to seek my own chamber tonight,” I stood apart from him, cool and calm.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
“Why not? As your wife I’m entitled to rooms of my own.”
“In good time you will have them.” He lifted a cup of watered wine and drank deeply.
I seethed at the inconvenience but guessed at the reason. Dare I complain to him after that woman took the liberty of slapping him in public? I wanted to know what she meant to him but good reason left me as the food restored my spirit and I pushed my husband too far.
“I suppose your whore languishes in my rooms preparing to calve the next Beaufort bastard.”
“Blanche, you may be of highborn blood but remember you have few friends and many enemies in England. You’d do well to cultivate my favor, for Lancaster rules England, not York.”
“Do not think I don’t remember every day that you and your like have ruined our country. Edward and Richard were fine men, guiding England on a far better path than the latest pretender.”
Giles banged his goblet on the table. “Richard turned on Edward, as did his brother George and their Neville cousins. England was doomed under their rule.” His temper flared but the image of a pretty, dark-haired woman with a round belly fired my anger.
“At least they were not misbegotten fools who paraded their wenches in public.”
“Now we come to it. The real reason for your mood.”
“I will not have her in this house one more night. Do you hear me?”
Giles laughed, uproariously amused at my command. No law upheld a woman’s quarrel with her husband. He may do exactly as he wished, especially with a defenseless wife without a father or a brother to protect her. I was a chattel of Giles Beaufort and I resented his authority.
“Do I hear you?” His eyes glittered and I stepped back as he stepped forward. “I may not ever give you private rooms. I prefer to sleep knowing you are safely in my bed and not cavorting with the like of Father Simon.”
I played a mean trick. “My courses have come. I’ll not share a bed with you for a week.” My lie may easily be disproved but Giles paused and ran his gaze the length of me.
“I hoped for better news than this.” I trembled at his cold words but lashed out, encouraged by his disappointment.
“Mayhap God does not approve of our union. Or your dalliance.” I regretted my words. God may have given us a blessing but bitterness consumed me and in my powerless position I grasped the chance to hurt my husband.
He paused on his way to the door. “God approves and the king will not be defied. I’ll send for the woman, Gerda, to see to your needs.”
The door closed, leaving me alone and tired. I did not wait for Gerda but slid into bed exhausted and slept well into the night.
****
I woke before dawn and saw the faint flicker of the fireplace in the outer room. I listened for Gerda’s snore but heard nothing. Throwing on a woolen blanket before seeking the heat of the fire I crept forward staring into the darkness. A bulky shape covered the couch and before I retreated it spoke.
“Come warm yourself. I leave at daybreak.”
“My lord, what are doing on the couch?”
“Trying to sleep without disturbing you.”
“Where is Gerda?”
“I sent her away, she snorts like a pig.” He did not exaggerate. I was used to her noise and found it comforting in the dark when I slept alone. “If word travels to London that I fail to bed my wife the king will make inquiries.”
“You have spies in the house?”
He shifted to allow room on the couch for me. “Only a fool would believe otherwise.” Sparks flew out from the fire and for a fleeting moment they danced brightly before landing on the cold grate to die away. Giles turned his face from mine and I marveled at his fine features, increased by the firelight. The sharp, clean edge of his jaw and cheek seemed carved from stone.
“The noise woke you?”
“What noise?”
And then it started. The high wailing cries of a newborn baby filled the empty halls of the castle. I froze, reluctant to speak lest I begin another tirade.
“The child came in the night.”
I wished to run away from him at that moment. His joy could only be my horror. His relief was my distress.
“My sister has achieved her purpose.”
“Your sister?” My head spun.
“Anne, my half-sister, defied our father before his death and consorted with the man she chose for a husband. My father wanted her for someone else but Anne is bullheaded, as you will find out soon enough.”
“Why did she slap you and call me names?”
Giles shrugged. “She blames me for her son’s bastard birth. I took Robert Dorset to Lincoln when I received word of our betrothal. Robert is not permitted to marry Anne until I agree to it. As yet he has not returned. He brings the rest of your goods from Langley.”
“Will you allow them to marry?”
“I cannot send her to another man. I would not wish her temper on an unsuspecting fool.” He took my hand. “We have a nephew, and Robert asks us to be godparents for the babe.” Giles grinned. “Firstly, he will marry my sister and then we arrange the baptism.”
With no experience of infants it occurred to me that an opportunity presented itself to learn by watching Anne’s babe. “Robert is your friend and Anne is your sister. We must agree to their request.”
Giles nodded in satisfaction. “I will leave now, and notify the priest to be ready on Sunday.” His warm arms slid around me as his mouth found mine and I wished I had not lied as a surge of desire heated my blood.
****
A crumpled note found its way into my hand. A nameless servant retreated quickly after setting it on my couch. Giles and the men had left to make rounds on the Somerset lands. I read the note.
Flowers gather in the cold winter.
Prepare; the day changes swiftly into spring.
I shivered at the prospect of winter in a cold, unforgiving castle. A white rose must be ready for spring. The note curled and blackened in the fireplace as Gerda appeared by my side, her voice a low murmur. “A priest is here for you.”
As usual the timing of the clergy irritated me. I had no use for them trading on my position as a York to gain advantage and now they sought me ou
t as a lady of Somerset.
The priest unsettled me. Fine featured and younger than my husband, he watched my approach from the doorway of the great hall, his eyes bold and his smile charming.
“Father?”
“Dominic,” he replied in haste. A servant passed us in the entryway.
“And pray tell what brings you today?” I led him into one of the private rooms near the great hall used for such occasions.
“A matter of the utmost urgency.”
I hesitated. “You are over young to be a man of the cloth, Father Dominic.”
His voice dropped to a whisper. “I am Edmund de la Pole, my brother is the earl of Lincoln. He needs men from your father’s estate to accompany him on a journey.”
I had little choice; the earl of Lincoln ruled my house. “He has every right to them. I hold none back from his service. Go to the village of Langley and spread the word.”
“Lady, if he succeeds in his plan you will be rid of your husband and join our family.”
“Your brother is married.”
The young man chuckled. “Yes, but I am not, and as my brother’s heir I need a wife.”
The boy could hardly be seventeen years old. My current husband bordered on the ripe age of twenty. “Succeed in what?”
He leaned in close to my ear. “Plans to overthrow Henry, and soon.”
“How is that possible?”
“I cannot disclose the details but be ready, my Lady.”
The surprise and shock of this visit along with young Pole’s startling looks spun my head. “I am wife to Somerset.”
“The earl has petitioned the Holy See. Your marriage must be annulled. A bastard is not a fit match for a highborn lady of Lincoln. Henry Tudor twists the law to benefit his court and we cannot stand by and watch him ruin the kingdom.”
“Your brother plans to fight the king?”
“Henry will not hand over the crown easily but we will force him.”
I shivered. Giles would defend his king to the death and I did not wish his demise. In that moment I fretted over his safety. Thoughts of a petition to annul my marriage distressed me.
“Be ready in the springtime. We winter in Ireland while our agents raise support.” He took my hand a pressed it between his warm fingers. “You will make a good wife to me, Lady of Langley.”
“Were you in Langley village last month, Father Dominic?”
Edmund Pole smirked. “Not I, but perhaps another of my family. We have devised a means of safe communication and travel using the faithful clergy.”
John Pole’s plans to bring down the king struck me as having little chance of success. “You may tell the earl that I pass the responsibility of my father’s men into his hand. My husband keeps me here indefinitely. I receive no visitors and no letters.”
“The earl will free you from this dreary prison. Next summer you will live at court with the rightful king and his queen.”
I remembered Pole’s wife, Lady Margaret FitzAlan, a young woman with an ambitious streak and an envious eye cast toward the throne.
“You must not stay here long. My husband’s business does not take him far.”
I had no stomach for a clash of wills or swords if my husband caught this young upstart. Giles may not recognize him but Murdo, ever in my husband’s company, missed nothing.
“Go to the kitchens and take food and ale. Hurry away from here.” As Giles’ wife I should sound the alarm but as a York woman I would put no kinsman in peril without good reason. I prayed no one uncovered my charity to this boy. It may be taken as treason.
Edmund stared at me in a peculiar way. Giles wore the same look when he contemplated bedding me in the middle of the day, as he had done on occasion.
“Good day to you, Father Dominic.” My sharp voice brought out the boy’s good sense and he bowed swiftly before retreating to the kitchens.
****
My new sister-in-law visited my rooms and sat comfortably on the couch holding her precious mite. Her laugh proved contagious and my vow to dislike her melted away when she offered me a chance to hold the babe. I gurgled like a fool with a new toy, but the rush of sweet tenderness for the tiny bundle gave me a secret joy.
“My brother is in a better mood since he returned from the north,” Anne cooed at the baby as she prattled.
“I understand he was angry with you and Dorset?”
“He has known I’ve loved Robert for years. I believe he fretted over his marriage to you. They said you were an old woman, but here you are in Somerset, the very picture of beauty.” She giggled. “He’s different now.”
“Different?”
“I see the way he looks at you and know he is pleased with the king’s command.”
“Pleased with my land and goods, I expect.”
“That too. Our foolish father, though you must never mention it to Giles, wasted much of the family wealth, lavishly entertaining, drinking and gambling. The castle is sound and the lands are fertile but money is scarce.” Anne giggled again. “You must convince Giles and stop him from sending me to Robert’s family. I wish to stay in your company rather than pray and sew all day with my new mother.”
The idea of her company pleased me. “I will ask your brother to keep you here.” Robert Dorset rode under Giles’ banner and if Anne managed to stay at Somerset castle she gained time with her husband.
“To please you, he will agree.”
It warmed me to believe her. “You share the same father?”
“We are his bastards by different women but we grew up together. Giles is older by a few months. He pulled my hair on many occasions and I’ve bitten him twice but now we understand one another. Our father proved a difficult man when the ale flowed freely, which was often enough.” Anne’s forthright speech comforted me. “Giles is not like him, but I’m afraid I inherited my father’s temper.”
I witnessed her anger on my first day at Somerset and hoped to be spared in the future.
We watched the baby doze in her arms and after a moment the door opened and both Giles and Robert sauntered into the room. Robert went straight to Anne and lifted his son into his arms. Giles paused to look at the child. “He takes after you, Robert.”
Anne pouted, but I suspected she enjoyed the comparison. “Little Henry Robert is finally asleep.” She raised an eyebrow at Giles. “I wish to speak with my husband if we may have your leave, my lord.”
“Far be it from me to stop a man from speaking with his wife.” He winked at Robert who grinned back in mischief.
The door closed and Giles drew the bolt across. “I’ve missed you, Blanche.” He loosened his doublet and exposed the shirt underneath; I caught sight of his chest hair curling over the edge.
“In your bed?”
“That too. I cannot sleep on the couch much longer, surely.”
I had kept the pretense up for a week and I knew he’d be angry as soon as he discovered the lie.
“You need not stay away.” Heat seared my cheeks. He intended to bed me and I thrilled at the knowledge. His shirt landed on the floor at my feet and the sight of his hard torso drew my curious eyes. “I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Do you?” He moved closer, his gaze traveling over my casual gown and loose hair. “What does my lady of Somerset want from me?”
“Your sister mentioned leaving the castle and retiring to Dorset’s home.”
Giles nodded, “Mayhap, Anne suggested she stay?”
I shrugged. “She’s not overjoyed to leave but will go if necessary.”
“Why keep her here?”
“A lack of proper company is reason enough.”
“Anne has never been proper.” Giles took a seat and reached for a lock of my hair to curl around his finger. “But if you wish I will think upon it.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. The air between us filled with tension but he held back and I used the moment to my advantage.
“I also ask your pardon, my lord. When I thought Anne was… b
efore I knew her to be your sister, I lied to you.”
“I know.” His gray eyes locked onto mine.
“You do?”
“Think on it, Blanche. A castle-keeper and his staff know every need of their master and his lady. You required nothing of them, no linens, no extra washing.”
It made perfect sense and revealed to me the need to be cautious over every detail.
“You know then of my secret?”
“Secret?” The momentary lapse in his determined manner showed he did not, and a wary look settled on his fine face.
“We are married almost two months and have been together most every night.” I took his hand into mine. “I think we have made a child.”
His lips parted, his brow furrowed. “But…”
“It has been two months since.”
“You think we have made a child yet you cannot be certain. Is this another trick?”
“You have every reason to doubt me, but I believe it is true. I need your sister’s help, for I have no knowledge of such things. Caring for a baby is a strange and wonderful prospect that I welcome, yet fear.”
Giles Beaufort stared at me for a moment, perhaps to discern the truth of my revelation. “You will rest undisturbed until we know for sure.”
“Rest undisturbed! I will go mad with boredom if I stay in these rooms any longer. I carry a child but I’m not sick with it.” The urge to bed him overwhelmed me. “Please, do not punish me.”
“It’s best if you do nothing to harm the babe.”
I stood up, with a mind to annoy Giles Beaufort and prove that he did not rule me but he more than matched my speed and took me in his arms before I managed to reach the door.
“Blanche,” he murmured in a persuasive tone.
The heat and strength emanating from his body melted my resistance. My arms flew around his neck and for a long time I clung to him, tears ran down my face and my body shook as I cried in his embrace. He lifted me to our bed and drew back the linens. I held tight to him, not wanting him to leave. He stroked my hair and calmed me with soft words and light kisses.
“You’re my wife, Blanche, not a prisoner. This is your home and it will be our child’s home. I brought you here to keep you safe, not to make you unhappy.” He wiped my tears. “Anne will stay to calm your fears and keep you company if you wish it. And I will sleep elsewhere.”
A Rose for Lancaster (The Tudor Rose Novella series) Page 4
