A Bit of Heaven on Earth (23 page)

She descended the steps as the royal sovereign dismounted. He tossed his reins to a retainer and stepped toward her. As always, first sight of the king caused her heart to flutter in nervous anticipation. The first time he’d called at Kentwood, her stomach roiled for days before the appointed visit. Aldred had laughed heartily at her misery, telling her to relax.

“He’s only a man, my dearest, and of out of sorts, much as a bad-tempered child.”

True, Edward’s famous temper came and went as fast as lightning flashed in the sky. When he was in a good mood, he was most impressive. Tall, regal, with a smile just this side of wicked, England’s king was always a man to be reckoned with.

Elizabeth curtseyed low as he approached, tamping down her nerves. Too much lay on the line for her to act as a simpering girl. She must impress Edward, entertain him, and cajole him into the best of humors if she was to work up the courage to make her unorthodox request.

“Up, up, my lady,” he commanded. He took her hand and appraised her thoroughly. She wondered if he’d comment upon her swollen cheek. “Fit to receive a king, you are, Lady Elizabeth. What a splendid gown. But why have you muzzled that glorious hair of yours?”

Edward frowned, always the first sign his temper could shift.

“I am getting on in years, sire. I thought it more appropriate to wear it up as a woman of my age should.”

He snorted. “I bloody well won’t have much beauty to look upon in France, my lady. Seeing your glorious mane of hair was but one of my reasons for even coming Kentwood way.”

She smoothly replied, “Then I will make haste to please your majesty.” She removed the caul from her head, pins scattering everywhere, and shook out her hair with her fingers. It cascaded down her back.

Edward smiled, mollified for the moment. “Much better, Lady Elizabeth. Now if you will only tell me you have some of those pear tarts for me, all will be forgiven.”

She returned his smile. “Pear and plum, sire. I thought it wise for you to have some of each.” She breathed an inner sigh of relief, knowing the tarts to be in the ovens as they spoke. Having entertained the king before, the Kentwood kitchens knew his likes and dislikes. She prayed they’d be ready in time to satisfy his hunger pangs for them.

He linked his arm through hers. “Now that’s the Kentwood spirit.” He led her over to the litter and motioned for servants to draw the curtains back.

“I would like to introduce you to someone, my lady.”

Elizabeth watched as a velvet-slippered foot emerged, followed by a gown of peacock blue. A young woman of about a score and two stepped from the litter. She, too, wore her hair loose about her shoulders, a silver circlet its only adornment. The woman raised hesitant eyes to hers.

“May I present the Lady Anne, widow of Lord Addleby? ‘Tis Lady Elizabeth, widow of Lord Aldred that you now see.”

Lady Anne dropped a curtsy to Elizabeth, who returned the favor. “’Tis so kind of you to receive me, Lady Elizabeth,” she said softly.

Elizabeth admired her new guest’s perfect, alabaster skin and eyes that were as green as Elizabeth’s own, as well as her bashful smile.

But what was she doing here at Kentwood?

“The king said you are a widow, as am I. I am sorry for your loss. ‘Tis it a recent one?”

Lady Anne shook her head. “No, I lost Lord Addleby nigh on two years ago.” A frown crossed her face, and Elizabeth decided to pry no further.

“Then shall we go in, your highness?” She looked around. “I do not see many of your men present. I thought there was quite a mass headed toward Kentwood.”

Edward waved a hand in the air. “These are the necessary servants and a few of my commanders. The rest of the men will camp outside Kentwood’s walls. You are under no obligation to feed them, my lady. They may fend for themselves.”

She knew exactly what that meant. Though she’d had no notice of Edward’s visit, he would expect her to feed his entire retinue, and well. If not, he would be in a surly mood, and the army encamped outside Kentwood’s walls would wreak havoc upon her tenants.

“Nay, sire. We have more than enough to accommodate all your men, even a thousand more, should they show up.”

His eyes gleamed at her remarks. She breathed a sigh of relief. Already, the kitchens were busy preparing the mid-day meal in addition to the fruit tarts, and it would truly be a feast fit for a king. The men working in the Kentwood fields would have to wait their turn, but she would send word to them of what to expect if they exercised patience.

“Then let us adjourn inside. The sun already grows hot.” Edward looked around and spotted Robert.

“Lord Robert? ‘Tis you?”

Robert scurried over and bowed. “Greetings, your majesty. I received your message and came in all due haste.”

Edward nodded. “And what of Lord Gavin? I received word that he resides at Kentwood these days.” He looked around again and snapped his fingers.

Elizabeth motioned for Gavin to join them. He strode over and knelt before Edward.

“Oh, by the Virgin, rise off your feet, boy. Come with us.” Edward nodded to Robert. “See Lady Anne in.”

As the king took Elizabeth’s arm and started up the steps, she resisted the urge to glance over her shoulder at Gavin. She wondered if Edward would speak to Gavin about the letter Aldred wrote in his behalf.

“I shall nap for two hours’ time,” Edward announced to her as they made their way inside the castle. “I fear I slept poorly last night. Then we shall dine and mayhap hunt the remainder of the afternoon. Kentwood always had ample deer and elk if I remember correctly.”

“Let me escort you to your room, your majesty,” she replied, grateful for the additional time the king’s nap would give her servants.

He frowned. “No, let Lord Gavin see me up. I wish to speak to him on an important matter.”

Elizabeth moved away and curtseyed. Gavin stepped up and took her place. She mouthed “solar” to him, and Gavin ushered the king away.

She turned back to her unexpected guest. “Come, Lady Anne. Robert will keep you company for me. I fear I have a few things to supervise before we can settle down for our mid-day meal.”

Anne’s laughter tinkled softly. “Oh, my lady, you handle him so beautifully.” Her eyes met Elizabeth’s. “He simply frightens me to death. But you, you look directly at him and speak with such self-assurance.”

Robert laughed. “Elizabeth is famous for being self-assured. If a dragon roared into the Great Hall now, she would stomp her foot and order it away as an uninvited guest.”

Anne looked to Robert, her eyes wide. “And what if this dragon did not wish to go?”

He grinned. “Then Elizabeth would pull a sword from the closest man’s sheath and whack it into tiny pieces.” He glanced over at her. “Of course, she’d complain about the mess it made before she had Cook turn it into some delicious stew.”

She blushed. Robert seemed the Robert of old, not the stranger who’d taken his place in recent days. She prayed his good mood did not hinge on his belief that Edward arrived at Kentwood to give Elizabeth to him in marriage. She had enough to worry about at the moment.

Instead, she pushed her fears away. “Robert will keep you entertained, Lady Anne. Simply ignore most of what he says and indulge him with a few meaningless compliments. He loves to tell war stories of his time in France. If you become too bored, do not fear. I shall be close by to rescue you.”

Anne smiled graciously. “I feel that I am in capable hands, Lady Elizabeth.” She looked up at Robert and blushed.

Elizabeth walked away. Nelia joined her as she exited the Great Hall.

“Everything under control?” she asked.

The servant nodded. “He has surprised us before, the old bugger. We will handle things.”

“Nelia!” Elizabeth reprimanded. “He’s our king.”

She snorted. “King or no, he will not catch Kentwood unprepared.” The servant stalked off, her head high with pride.

Elizabeth continued up the stairs and down the hall toward the solar. She wasn’t about to let Edward speak to Gavin and not know what was being said. A little eavesdropping was sometimes a necessary measure that every woman had to take.

CHAPTER 26

As they entered the solar, Gavin noticed immediately that food and wine stood upon a table. He admired Elizabeth for thinking ahead in every area. He had no doubt that the meal served to the king would consist of the choicest delicacies. Although she’d had no notice of the king’s impending arrival, the mistress of Kentwood always thought fast on her feet.

Edward breezed in as if he owned the room and spent every day within its walls. He fell into a chair next to the window, one of Aldred’s little luxuries. The royal gazed out the glass, lost in thought a moment.

“Pour me some wine,” he finally ordered. “And bring me that bowl of fruit.”

He did as requested and retreated a few steps away.

“No, no, no. Come and sit across from me, Gavin. We shall talk.”

He moved closer and waited for Edward to initiate the conversation. The monarch dawdled, first inspecting one piece of fruit at a time before finally selecting an apple to munch upon. He sipped his wine slowly and would stop and swirl it in the glass before taking another drink.

Gavin thought time stood still. He was anxious to hear Edward’s words, but the king seemed in no mood to be rushed. Gavin, never the most patient of men, locked his jaw tightly to keep from blurting out for Edward to get on with things.

Finally, the king lost interest in his food and drink and pushed them both aside. He gazed over at Gavin.

“So what is it like, those French prisons? Are they as atrocious as ours?”

Gavin flinched inwardly. Memories of pain after harsh punishments, bitter loneliness, and overwhelming sadness flooded him. He steeled himself against the raging emotions that warred within him and took a calming breath before he answered.

“The first place I was held was but a small room with a few pieces of simple furniture, sire. No entertainment of any kind except a chess set in which to pass the long days, waiting for word from home.”

Edward’s eyes gleamed at him. “But you had Lord Robert with you then, did you not?”

He nodded. “Yes. I might have lost my reason had I not had Robert to talk with.”

“But then he was ransomed.”

Gavin’s hands fisted. He forced himself to released his fingers and remain calm. “Yes, sire.”

“And you were not.”

He wondered just how much Edward knew. It was said the king liked to toy with his subjects. Gavin began to feel like one of Edward’s playthings.

“No. My father, Lord Berwyn, did not authorize release of the monies requested.” Gavin’s chest swelled tightly. He found it hard to breathe. He’d tried to forget about Berwyn and his cruel actions, but he realized now he never would.

“So the bastards moved you to another place?”

“Yes,” he responded woodenly. “’Twas a true prison. A large cell. Many, many prisoners. I cannot begin to describe to you the filth present there.”

Edward chuckled. “We all know the French to be a dirty lot, do we not, Gavin?”

He felt his king tried to lighten the mood some, so he only nodded, his eyes downcast.

“I know the reason why Berwyn disowned you.”

Edward’s voice was now quiet. Gavin raised his eyes and saw the sympathetic look the monarch wore.

“He wrote to me as soon as he learned of Gillian’s
indiscretion
. He wanted it made known that you were no son of his.” Edward leaned forward in his seat. “I am sorry for that, Gavin. One of you is worth tenfold of Berwyn. To think you will not inherit Ashgrove is criminal.”

“I do not deserve it, my king, nor would I seek a claim to it,” he replied fiercely. “My eyes are turned toward other goals now.”

“Yes, yes,” Edward murmured. “Aldred wrote me of such things.”

“He did?” Gavin tried to contain the excitement in his voice. “I was not certain he had done so. We discussed the matter shortly before he died. I did not know if he had time to write the letter before his passing.”

“Oh, yes. He did. Aldred always wrote to me of a great many things.” Edward’s eyes shined with some hidden knowledge. He was not certain what the king was up to, but he could only play along in his game.

“Did you like the Lady Anne?” Edward asked suddenly. “She is a rare prize. Almost as rare as Lady Elizabeth.”

Gavin thought no women held a candle to his Elizabeth, but he would not insult his king with a churlish observation.

“She is very beautiful indeed, sire.”

“She is widowed now. Would you care to wed her?”

Edward’s words took him aback. He did not want to offend the king, but he could not see himself with any other woman but Elizabeth. Yet how could he avoid the mess now before him?

“Sire, she is indeed lovely, but I have no home to offer her. My place is now that of a commoner, on the front lines of battle. The Black Prince himself will vouch for my steadfastness in war. I would only wish to fight for England or serve you in your royal guard. I have no wish for a wife.”

“None? None whatsoever?” Edward scratched his chin thoughtfully. “And I thought I had a free estate in the west that I could settle upon you.”

Suddenly, Elizabeth burst through the room from behind a dressing panel. Gavin saw her flushed face and realized she had overheard Edward’s offer to him. He didn’t venture to guess how she’d gotten there in the first place.

“Forgive me for barging in, sire,” she said, out of breath. “I could not help but overhear your words to Lord Gavin.”

Gavin’s eyes quickly cut to see how Edward would react to such a statement. To eavesdrop on the king was unthinkable. Elizabeth might very well be signing her own death warrant with such an admission. Instead of anger, however, he caught a glimmer of amusement in the king’s eyes. Gavin glanced back at Elizabeth.

She gazed at Edward, her chin held high, as she waited for Edward to grant her permission to speak. The king nodded, and Elizabeth turned and looked at Gavin briefly before she began.

“Lord Gavin would make a fine owner of this estate you mention, your majesty. He picks up on the smallest of details and has made many intelligent suggestions that have helped me in running Kentwood since Aldred’s passing.”