Joanna (29 page)

“I was uneasy indeed seeing that there have been those who said the lady favored my company.”

Joanna did not have time to be shocked or appalled by this foolhardy counterattack because Geoffrey began to laugh aloud.

“But we both know that Lady Joanna has far too much sense for that,” he said provocatively, “so you have no need to be shy of me. I will not eat you for what others say.”

For one instant, Joanna feared that Braybrook would forget his knowledge of Geoffrey’s murderous abilities. He turned a most unhealthy color, which made Geoffrey laugh again.

“We both know, at least, that Lady Joanna denies she was in my company,” Braybrook spat, “and I would never contest a lady’s word.”

“You” Joanna began, but Geoffrey’s hand closed over her wrist so hard that her voice cut off on a gasp of pain.

“How wise you are,” Geoffrey said, sneering openly   now, and before Braybrook could react, he bowed, very deeplya further insult, considering what had passed between themand drew Joanna away.

‘‘That worm!” Joanna exclaimed. “That”

“Now, now,” Geoffrey chortled softly, “do not forget you are a lady, even though he is certainly no gentleman.”

There could be no doubt, even in so jealous a heart as Geoffrey’s, what Joanna felt for Braybrook. That knowledge, the public victory he had won over the man, and the reasonable explanation of the king’s invitation combined to put Geoffrey in a better mood than he had been in for a long time. The only cloud in his sky was the arrangement he had made with Prince Alexander. Hastily he confessed it to Joanna, who gave him more satisfaction by seeming disappointed at first and then saying with resignation, “Well, it will make things dull for me, but perhaps it is better. I can avoid coming to court altogether. Ela will be perfectly willing to continue ‘sick’ while you are away, and I will attend upon her.”

Although she made no mention of the king, Joanna was well pleased to have an excuse that would keep her out of his sight. She also had the satisfaction before she left of hearing a few snide comments about the set-down Geoffrey had given Braybrook, which gave her the opportunity to remark in the queen’s hearing that she could not understand men. They were silly beyond measure to think that their sweet words were of any value beyond a good reason for laughter. “My lands and my honor have worth,” she said proudly, “all else is dross.”

Shortly afterward Joanna took her leave. She had meant her words for Isabella, hoping to make clear that it was useless to try to tempt her. In that, she was completely unsuccessful. Once Isabella’s shallow mind had conceived an idea it was virtually impossible to unseat it. Worse yet, the words were maliciously reported to Braybrook and added considerable fuel to the fire that was already burning in him. Before long, several hangers-on had attached themselves to Joanna’s servants and several of her men-at-arms who were   off duty found that London was a very friendly place where you might be accosted on the street, plied with drink, and returned quite safely, even though nearly insensible, to your quarters.

The third and fourth of March passed quietly. The weather was unsettled, nasty damp and quite cold, so that Joanna was happy enough to sit by Lady Ela’s fire or her own, gossiping and embroidering. She did not feel any lack of stimulation because Salisbury brought Ela all the news, and Ela and Joanna discussed it thoroughly from a different point of view than his while he was away. Geoffrey too was enjoying himself, although not as cozily as Joanna. The king had been delighted to give permission to hunt and had made the young men free of his hawks, his hounds, and his horses as well. Wine and women they bought and brought from town. If they were cold and wet during the day, they had excellent sport and could look forward to being well-warmed at night.

During the night of the fourth, the clouds blew away so that the fifth of March dawned bright and mild. The young men had been hawking from the earliest dawn. At sunrise, the few clouds low on the horizon flamed pink and orange. Watching, ravished by the loveliness around him, Geoffrey was suddenly smitten by his conscience. He remembered how Joanna had said it would be dull for her and how resignedly, but without whining, she had put her pleasure aside. The bag of birds that morning was excellent and they breakfasted well on the fresh-roasted bodies, but the sunlight had driven the other game into cover early. Idleness renewed Geoffrey’s pangs of conscience. A twig cast into a stream they passed reminded him of his promise to take Joanna on the river.

For Henry de Braybrook, it was not the weather of the third and fourth alone that made the world look gray. His sensitized nerves saw mocking laughter in every pair of eyes and heard a sneer in every voice that addressed him. Worse, his father was surprisingly unsympathetic. Usually, the elder Braybrook was happy to have a cause for complaint   against Geoffrey, but this time he merely growled at his son to be patient and above all to do nothing that might drive Lord Geoffrey into antagonistic action. This effectively deprived Sir Henry even of the outlet of preparing barbed phrases with which to lacerate Geoffrey’s tender pride.

Only FitzWalter did not sneer. He spoke bitterly of Geoffrey and of Ian from whom, he complained, Geoffrey had learned his haughty manners. They needed humbling, both of them, FitzWalter hissed. Personally Ian was out of reach, but he and Geoffrey could both be brought down through the no less haughty bitch that would be wife to one and was daughter to the other. What was more, FitzWalter whispered, there was a path to this desirable goal that would, at one and the same time, provide safety and might make Salisbury turn on the kingwhich would leave the field of influence that much clearer for Braybrook’s father. Sir Henry, with a clear mental vision of the bloodless corpse of one man who had pushed Geoffrey too far, had been shaking his head. At the word “safety” however, he paused and listened more intently.

When FitzWalter was finished, Braybrook’s eyes were gleaming. “But if the king denies it” he hesitated.

“How will he deny it? Will any dare accuse him to his face? And if the cub does yowl his protest, it will serve our purpose even better. Think of John’s rage at being so accused when he is innocent. As for the king’s denials,” FitzWalter laughed coarsely, “everyone knows what the king is. Everyone will know also, because I will see that it is known, that he summoned the bitch from Roselynde secretlyand she came. You need not fear. No one will seek further for any explanation.”

“But the king will know,” Braybrook breathed, tempted but still fearful.

“Will know what? Unless he is openly accused, who would carry such a tale to his ears? And if he is accused, his rage will fall upon those who tell such lies about him. If we are fortunate, it will fall upon that loud-mouthed cock-o’-the-walk Geoffrey FitzWilliam. The stupid father will defend his befouled cub and further anger the king. Then your father will have a free path to the king’s ear. And the queen will give us all the aid in her power. You know that.”

Braybrook bit his lip. It did seem an almost perfect plan and it would benefit everyone except those two he hated. Tentatively he agreed and confessed that he had had a similar idea. He already had in mind the men he would hire. Moreover he was well aware of Joanna’s movements from the spies he had set upon her household. He was also aware of where the guardsmen were and what they did. The only way to seize the girl for the short time necessary was from the river. FitzWalter encouraged him; the plans were finalized. When the sun came out on the fifth of March, Braybrook felt that fate was favoring him and he summoned his hirelings and planned to move as soon as the tide was right.

The mild morning of the fifth of March changed Joanna’s plans for the day also. It drew her out into the rather neglected garden, where a brief survey set her to clicking her tongue against her teeth. There was no hope that such a small patch of land could provide food, but there was no reason why it should not provide pleasure. Joanna summoned the caretaker and spoke sharply and to the point. Perennial beds were to be weededat once. Beds for annuals were to be dugat once. And the little hut that had sheltered a boat and boatmen in her great-grandfather’s time was to be cleared and patchedat once.

The remainder of the morning passed pleasantly in wandering around the markets of Chepeside to buy seed. She then returned home to see how the work she had ordered was progressing and to set the hardy, slow-germinating seed herself. She became so involved in this task and so very dirty that she had a bath when she returned to the house and then a leisurely dinner.

In the early afternoon Joanna received a message from Geoffrey that put her into the best of humor. He would come, he said, at the end of slack water to take her down-river when the tide should turn. At once she took pity on the   men who had done very well in clearing and furbishing and dismissed them to lighter work. This also permitted her to examine what had been done and what was yet to be done without the distraction of excuses and arguments and suggestions while she waited for Geoffrey to arrive. This time when she entered the garden it was necessary to lock Brian out. The fresh-dug earth would be too much for his self-control. Joanna bid him stay and wandered to and fro, marking a branch here and there for pruning and bending to examine the woody stems of the perennials for signs of new shoots. The sound of a boat grating against the stone steps that went down to the river made her lift her head and smile radiantly.  
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Because it was controlled by the tide, passage upriver for those who intended to come down again was taken at a particular time. One calculated how long one’s business would take, rowed upriver with the tide, allowed that length of time, and then came downriver with the outgoing current. Therefore, Geoffrey ordered his father’s boatman to row up toward the end of slack water so that Joanna could have the pleasure of shooting the arches of London Bridge when there was some current, but not enough to make the passage dangerous. He had not left much time between the moment of their arrival and the turning of the tide because he knew Joanna would be ready. Her pleasure would be greatest if they moved off at once, before waiting could dull the edge of anticipation.

Braybrook’s boat had come upriver much earlier, on the full swing of the tide. Then it had pulled out of the current and moored to wait the turn. When his purpose was accomplished, Braybrook intended to be able to retreat in haste. He did not fear recognition; he and his men would be masked. In addition, the men were wearing the king’s livery. Hopefully, Joanna would be so terrified that she would not notice that Braybrook’s bulk did not match John’s. Even if she did, what could she say? Perhaps she would say nothing, thinking to conceal her shame. That would be best of all, for it would be manifest sooner or later when it came to bedding that she was no maid.

Several devices had been planned to draw Joanna out of the house alone, but a little while before Braybrook intended to act he found no trick would be necessary. Of herself, Joanna came from the house, closed the gate on that   monster of a dog, and began to look about her garden. The time was not perfect. The river would not be running down as strongly as Braybrook desired, but the opportunity was too good to miss. As soon as it was certain that Joanna did not intend to return immediately to the house, Braybrook gave his order and his men unmoored the craft and brought it down to the river steps of Joanna’s garden. Two men were ready to leap out and pursue the girl if she became nervous and retreated toward the house, but Braybrook swelled with anticipated victory when instead Joanna came eagerly forward.

A little way downriver, Geoffrey’s much smaller boat was making its way to the same goal. In fact, Geoffrey watched idly as the other craft moved into its new position. He did not think it particularly odd because it was often necessary for a boat to land a man in order to determine the correct place to dock. He would have needed to do the same, except that his father’s boatman was familiar with Alinor’s house from taking Salisbury to visit Ian when they were both at court. The boatman and his son did not see the maneuver of the other craft. They were both at the oars. The tide had just begun to turn and, although the current against them was not yet strong, it was necessary to put forth some effort to drive the boat upriver.

It was when Geoffrey heard a dog’s bellowing that seemed loud enough to raise ripples on the river that he felt the first stirring of uneasiness. This had no immediate connection with the boat he was watching. He merely wondered whether Joanna was going to be weak-minded enough to wish to take Brian with them. He hated to spoil her fun, but he could not permit it. The boat was too small for a beast that size, which might be panicked by the erratic movement. However much he protested, Brian would have to stay chained up at home.

The grating of a boat against the steps had brought Joanna eagerly down the garden. She was a little surprised because Geoffrey was earlier than she expected and, when she saw the size of the boat, with its six oars and a canopy covering a   sheltered area, she was a little disappointed too. She had wanted the real thrill of shooting the arches at the full running of the tide in a small craft, close to the water. A flash of impatience at the idea that Geoffrey might become an overanxious husband was firmly repressed. His care showed his affection, and it might be no fault of his. Perhaps Salisbury, too accustomed to Ela’s megrims, had insisted on the precautions of a sturdier boat and a slower current.

She did not intend to get aboard, merely to greet Geoffrey and tell him to wait while she took Brian back to the house and tied him up. Then Joanna thought she might induce Geoffrey to come in for a few minutes. If she could give him a cup of wine and keep him talking about the sport he had had for half an hour or so, she would at least be able to go downriver in a stronger current. Because her mind was busy with this little device, Joanna did not take in two significant facts. One was that Geoffrey did not come out of the boat to meet her; the other was that the men all seemed to be looking back into the boat, their faces turned away from herwhich was unnatural.