Читать книгу The King's Champion - Catherine March - Страница 12

They went by barge to the Palace of Westminster, and Ellie welcomed the cooling breeze that whispered off the River Thames, the waters dark and smooth and lapping gently as the sun waned on this late summer’s evening. The sky was burnished a vibrant coral-pink, a colour that matched the silk of her close-fitting gown, the sleeves and bodice edged with gold embroidery and seed pearls. She had dressed carefully, hoping to see Troye and that he would notice her appearance. The clinging folds of the gown draped her slender yet feminine hips and full bosom, the colour a perfect background for her auburn hair that hung loose and rippling to her hips, her head covered with a filmy organza veil held in place with a gold circlet.

She sat a little apart from the others as the barge rowed down the river, gliding with little more than a splash of water as the oars dipped into the river and the prow pushed its gradual way towards their destination. Her father had come to her earlier and made his peace, and she had accepted, yet in her heart she knew that all matters between them would never be the same. She watched him now, sitting with his casual grace beside her mother, his arm loosely about her waist and laughing at some jest Uncle Remy made. Aunt Beatrice leaned back in the circle of his arms, and she looked radiant in a gown of dark green velvet. Ellie envied them, these four, these two couples, and she felt the bitter pang of loneliness for the first time in her life. She felt that she no longer belonged within the family circle, and that knowledge disturbed her.

The embankment at Westminster was lit with pitch torches, flaring small pools of golden light as the passengers from many river barges and gondolas drew up and alighted.

‘Stay close,’ whispered Lady Joanna urgently as they climbed the stairs and traversed the deeply shadowed lawns edging the palace.

The great hall was brightly lit and already noisy with music and laughter and the hum of cheerful chatter. Ellie looked about, seeking her brother, who had promised to meet up with them later when his duties were done. Jousting in tournaments was for his amusement and training, as it was for many other knights, but not his living. He had just recently been placed in the cadet corp of the King’s personal bodyguard and his duties were to serve the knights who guarded the King from all harm. The King’s Own were men harvested from the most loyal families in the kingdom, fighting men who had proven their valour and skill upon the battlefield, amongst them Austin Stratford, Sylvester de Lacy and the King’s champion, Troye de Valois. She kept a look out for her brother, for where he was Troye would be too, both of them in service to the King.

Ellie was fascinated by the colourful gathering of people, brightly clothed in rich fabrics of velvet and silk, and the snippets of conversations that she overheard, laced with rumour and gossip and bawdy jokes, before her mother or aunt hastily moved her away. The crowd laughed and drank, dancing and feasting, with all the merriment and intensity of those who knew the King was footing the bill for this jollity.

Rupert sent a message with a pageboy to say that he would be off-duty at the tenth hour. Ellie danced with her father and her uncle, and once with a group of girls similar in age, but mostly her family kept her within the close confines of their protection at all times. Ellie chafed at the restriction, for she knew that Troye must be here somewhere and she longed to see him, to speak with him.

She could scarce concentrate on anything at all, as her gaze winged its way about the hall, to the King’s dais, hoping to catch a glimpse of Troye de Valois, yet it was so crowded and such a distance away she could not see him.

Rupert appeared then, holding one hand over her eyes and with the other depositing an object in her hands.

‘Guess,’ he commanded with a laugh.

Long familiar with his teasing games, Ellie exclaimed, ‘A white kitten with a black tail!’

‘Nay, goose.’

‘Um…’ Ellie pretended to be flummoxed and agonised over her choices ‘…a dove? A silk scarf? A handful of London air?’

Rupert released her with a heavy sigh, and Ellie opened the wooden box, prettily decorated with mother of pearl, and murmured her thanks at the sight of plump marchpane sweetmeats nestling within a bed of satin. Standing on tiptoe, she reached up and kissed her brother’s cheek, ‘Thank you, but you should not have wasted your coin.’

‘I didn’t.’ He grinned. ‘I, er, charmed them off a lady-in-waiting.’

She punched his arm in mock-admonishment, and then quickly set aside the box as he whirled her off into a prancing set. The evening picked up its pace and seemed to fly by, as her parents could little object to her dancing in a group when her own brother was part of it and looked on with a careful and watchful eye.

During the dances they swept past the King’s dais and there, at last, she found Troye. He stood behind the King, to his right, alongside four other trusted and experienced knights who would guard the King from all harm and lay down their lives for him if necessary. Troye watched the gathering but, hard as she tried, she could not seem to catch his eye.

The music for a particularly lively rotundellus had just come to a halt, the drums ceasing in their banging and the reedy notes of several recorders and a twanging rebec had stilled when a sudden shout from the yeoman guards ranged about the hall went up.

‘’Ware! Arms!’

Into the hall whirled five black-cloaked and hooded figures. A collective gasp bounced to the rafters from the gathering of guests and they jostled themselves out of the way, tripping and bumping one another, skirts rustling and heels tapping in their haste. Then the black apparitions flung off their cloaks and five acrobats were revealed, dressed all in white, with black ruff collars and their faces painted to match the black-and-white theme. Laughter and a sigh of relief echoed from the crowd, and the rasp of steel as swords half-drawn from their scabbards were now slotted home, the King’s bodyguard retreating from its protective phalanx about their liege.

‘It’s only a disguising!’ cried Aunt Beatrice, peeping out from behind her husband’s broad back, where he had thrust her at the first hint of trouble.

It was a common enough form of entertainment, to run into a hall disguised in dark cloaks, and then throw them off, make their performance of either singing or dancing, charades or acrobatics, and then run off again. Ellie emerged from behind her brother and watched with interest the tumbling, white-faced acrobats, and clapped along with everyone else before the disguisers picked up their cloaks and ran out of the hall.

The moment of tension had not blighted anyone’s enjoyment of the revelry. Indeed, to face the uncertain prospect of violence, and possibly death, had only served to whet their appetites for more pleasure. The noise levels rose to a roar, strong Gascon wine flowed freely from casket to goblet, and sumptuous offerings of food crammed on side tables were soon consumed.

‘Oh, look, it is a line dance! Do let’s join in, Rupert.’

On either side of the hall the guests formed a line, each couple on opposites sides. When it was their turn they skipped the dancing steps into the middle and then down the length of the hall, until halfway, where they were met by a couple from the other end of the line. In the middle the two couples danced together, and then swapped partners. It was one of Ellie’s favourite dances, being very lively, and gave her a chance to dance with new partners. And to pass in front of the dais. And perhaps to make Troye a little jealous as she danced with other men?

Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes glowed brightly as her feet tapped out the intricate steps, with a smile on her berry-red lips. She danced with a very dark man, who had a hook nose and shaggy brows and whose name she did not know, but he held her hand lightly and smiled at her, a gold earring glinting in one ear. She thought he looked like a pirate, and then they separated and she skipped away to join the end of the line.

The dance required stamina, and it was some long moments before she reached the head of the line again, in front of the King’s dais, where he sat back, looking on with a bored expression upon his face. She tried to see if Troye de Valois watched her, but his face was just a distant blur. She smiled across at Rupert and it was just about to be their turn to go down the middle when again came that warning cry.

‘’Ware! Arms!’

There was a brief titter this time, and the dancers scarce halted in their bobbing as five cloaked intruders ran into their midst. Ellie stayed where she was, their entrance blocking her path, and she looked on with a faint hint of expectation on her face, which quickly evaporated as the disguisers threw off their cloaks and drew swords from their scabbards, the scraping sound echoing a warning about the hall.

The royal bodyguard reacted immediately, the hiss of steel as they drew their own swords and surrounded King Edward spurring the guests into a collective scream. The floorboards suddenly shook as heels drummed in their haste to run from the impending conflict. There was no doubt this time that the King was under attack, yet Ellie stood rooted to the spot, aghast and mesmerised by the skirmish that erupted before her very eyes.

She had lived her entire life sheltered behind castle walls, protected and cosseted. She had heard tales of battle and only envisaged it as a playground for the exploits of valour and chivalry. Now she was stunned as silver blades arced through the air and cut through flesh and bone, blood spurting in a crimson fountain and spraying across the floors, the walls, and her gown. The masked attackers were no match for the knights, who had honed their skills for years in battles and tournaments for just such a moment.

Steel clanged on steel. There were guttural shouts and coarse oaths shouted as the King’s bodyguards fought off the five masked assassins. The hall had erupted into pandemonium. Hundreds of people shoved and grappled to squeeze their way through the already crowded doorways to flee from the danger. Ellie was knocked to the floor. She looked up to see Troye de Valois standing over her as he parried the less-than-skilful swordplay of one attacker. As she cowered she watched him bludgeon his opponent with swift strokes, knocking him to the ground and then forcing him to relinquish his weapon. With one quick thrust Troye stabbed the man in the heart and he gurgled an instant death.

The dead man lay only a few feet away from her and now Ellie began to scream, as blood spattered her and she recoiled. Rough hands seized her arm and dragged her off the floor.

‘Get out!’ shouted Troye harshly.

She scrambled to her knees, and then to her feet, crashing against the solid rockface that was Troye’s chest as he jerked her backwards with one hand and fought off an assailant with the other. Her heart pounded as sword blades flashed so close to her head that her veil lifted and shivered in the breeze of their wake. Following the urgent insistence of Troye’s hand gripping her arm, she tried to flee, but her heel slipped in a greasy pool of blood and she fell to her knees, her screams of horror rising to piercing intensity. Troye tugged her up again and pulled her along, throwing her with some force towards the crowd of people scrabbling for the exit.

‘For God’s sake, get out!’ he shouted at her, and then he turned away, leaping once more into the fray as he and his men quickly dealt with the remaining intruders.

‘Eleanor!’

She started at the sound of that familiar voice, and with a sob flung herself into the open arms of her Uncle Remy, burrowing into the massive, protective width of his broad chest. Being head and shoulders taller than most people, he managed to force his way through the crush, and soon had her out into the cool dark of the evening air. He hurried to where the rest of the family waited, half-carrying Eleanor as her knees suddenly buckled and refused to hold her upright. Her mother gave a desperate cry at the sight of her.

‘It’s all right,’ Remy hastened to reassure them, ‘it’s not her blood. No harm has come to her.’

Ellie sank into the warm embrace of her mother’s bosom, while her Aunt Beatrice used her veil to wipe the blood from her face, both women making soothing sounds as Ellie stared blankly with shock.

‘Let us depart,’ suggested Lord Henry.

There were swift murmurs of agreement, yet Rupert hung back, knowing full well where his duty lay. ‘I must return to the hall.’

Lord Henry stretched out a hand and clapped his son on the shoulder, ‘Fare thee well, Rupert. We will see you on the morrow.’ With a rueful glance thrown at his womenfolk, he concluded drily, ‘Our duty lies elsewhere. The fight is yours.’

Rupert nodded, and melted away into the dark shadows of Westminster without a backward glance as his family hurried across the lawns to the stairs leading down to the embankment and their waiting barge.

It was a silent journey, punctuated only by the clunk and splash of the oars as they rose and plunged through the oily black waters of the river, and by Eleanor’s hiccups as she sniffed, a violent shivering now taking hold of her as shock set in. She could scarce believe what had happened, and through it all she could only see the crimson of blood and the face of Troye de Valois. Never in her life had she seen such an expression upon a man’s face. Such grim determination, such brutal ruthlessness. Again she shuddered, as goosebumps flared across her skin. And yet her heart had been thrilled, for he was her hero. Her heart had spoken, saying aye, this is the one, the other half that would make the emptiness within her complete, and no counsel from her head would alter her heart’s desire.

With relief she alighted at Cheapside and with her family made haste to seek the comfort and safety of their own camp. Ensconced within the shadowy tent bearing the banner of Raven, Lady Joanna prepared hot spiced wine to ease their shock.

Uncle Remy lifted his goblet and said, ‘Here’s to Troye de Valois. Once again he has saved our Eleanor.’

The others murmured in agreement, even Lord Henry reluctantly, and, with a small frown, added his own toast of gratitude. Ellie took a few sips and felt the warmth spread through her body, and then with a whisper she excused herself and hurried to her own tent. Quickly she stripped off her bloodstained gown and flung it away. She washed in water that was cold but ready to hand; it was not until she was clean and dressed in her nightshift that she sank down upon the furs of her cot and covered her face with both hands.

It thrilled her to think that Troye de Valois had indeed saved her life. She could so easily have been cut down in the fray, her slender body sliced like a ribbon by the threshing swords. And yet gratitude was not the emotion that came foremost to her mind. Aye, her heart might well be smitten by the heroics, but in her mind she could see only the horror. Valour and chivalry were clean and bright and beautiful attributes, but there could be no honour in bloodlust. She ached to know whether Troye was all right, if he had survived the attack unharmed. It irked her bitterly to think that she could not go to him, tend his wounds if he had any, hold him and comfort him. But soon, one day, she would be able to do all of that. For it was obvious to her that they were destined to be together. So thinking, she lay down, hugged her pillow and smiled as she fell asleep.

In the morning Lord Henry wasted no time in taking his family to Cheapside, impatiently chivvying his wife and daughter as they dressed and broke their fast on bread and cheese. As they took out combs and ribbons impatiently he muttered that they were lovely enough to have no need to waste their time, and his, upon needless ‘titivating’. Mother and daughter exchanged a glance, Lady Joanna making comment upon the use of such a word, and yet taking pity on her husband as she realised his anxiety to meet up with Rupert and hear all the details of last night’s fray.

Remy, still a warrior at heart despite the comforts of marriage, was also eager to hear more news of the night before. Remy and Lord Henry discussed the whys and wherefores and whatnots of the attack upon the King as they rode to the tourney field, and Ellie listened with curious ears, eager to hear the name Troye de Valois. She felt a glow of pride that he received nothing but praise this morn, for a man who failed to earn the admiration and respect of her kin was, in her eyes, no man at all.

At the tournament they seated themselves in the canopied stands, as the crowds came drifting in while the sun rose higher in the blue sky. Chatter ebbed and flowed on the breeze, the smell of dust and horses, roasted pork and smoke from the cooking fires, drifting and swirling around the arena. It would be another very bright and hot day, and already ladies were seeking the shade of awnings and fanning themselves with parchment and sipping lemonade kept cool in barrels of Thames water.

Seated in their stand, Ellie watched as a pageboy came tripping up the steps and handed her father a rolled letter, tied with a red ribbon. Lord Henry nodded his thanks and turned away, to one side, while he opened it.

Eleanor looked about, eager to catch a glimpse of the jousting knights, seeking out a particular profile, dark eyes and broad shoulders, but Troye de Valois was not yet out on the field. Her curiosity about him was too powerful to resist and she asked her father questions that were vaguely disguised, in the hope of finding out more about him.

‘Do you think life is very hard for Rupert?’ she asked, as they sat close together on the benches, her mother chatting to her Aunt Beatrice as they appraised the fashions of the other ladies.

Her father looked up from the parchment letter he was perusing, with a frown, and glanced at Eleanor, ‘What do you mean?’

She shrugged. ‘Well, I wondered what life must be like for Rupert, now that he is serving in the King’s Own.’

Lord Henry carefully rolled up the letter and retied the scarlet ribbon. ‘Aye, life will be harder than the easy comforts of living at home. But that is what a knight expects, little comfort and no thanks. A bedroll upon the floor, or a muddy field, food not fit for hounds, and the soldier’s curse of long separations from his loved ones.’

‘Then why do it?’ asked Eleanor.

Her father smiled, and looked away into the distance. ‘That is a question that could have many answers, my little dove. For some men, being a warrior is all they know, for others they are escaping pain of some kind, and for a few, a very few, they seek the glory of valour.’

‘Once I would have been a knight,’ said Eleanor, ‘but now I am heartily glad that I am a lady.’

‘So am I.’ He chuckled and kissed the top of her head, ‘Now, fear not for Rupert, he can well take care of himself.’

She had the grace to blush, aware that she could not confess her concerns were not all for her brother. Roundly she chided herself for allowing her thoughts to dwell upon Troye de Valois, and briskly reminded herself that thoughts of Rupert should come first. After all, who was Troye de Valois? They had scarce spoken more than a few words to each other and, though he lived in her heart and her dreams, the truth was that he had not yet become a reality, a part of her life that she so longed him to be. But these facts neither daunted nor diminished her feelings. She felt a happy glow and smiled as she envisioned a rosy future, for she was young and beautiful; surely, by now, Troye must know that her hand was on offer for marriage? It was only a matter of time before he approached her father with a proposal.

Eagerly she watched as the jousting began. How great was her impatience as the lesser knights took their turns, their horses thundering down the length of the list and the crowds cheering as one or the other was knocked from the saddle by a thrusting lance. Towards mid-day, at last, Troye de Valois rode out, much to the delight of his adoring onlookers, for Eleanor was not the only one smitten.

She watched avidly as Troye dispatched his opponents in quick and ruthless succession, yet she was relieved that Rupert was not riding. He had lost his footing carrying the body of a would-be assassin down a stairwell the night before, and was now sitting on the sidelines, nursing a twisted ankle and feeling like a chump as his comrades teased him. The day’s competition ended all too soon and the crowds began to drift away, discussing the merits and faults of their favourite combatants and eagerly anticipating the crowning glory.

The jousting knights had the following day off to rest and prepare, in readiness for the final contest on Saturday. In the afternoon the King again opened his court at Westminster and as Eleanor entered the hall she felt the sting of goosebumps prickle on her skin. But the floorboards had been scrubbed clean, the guard had been doubled and there was a defiantly festive air to the gathering as the court gathered to eat and drink and make merry. The King was overheard to say that no paltry assassination attempt would have him cowering away in his chamber.

‘’Tis not our way, my lords, for the English to cower in fear!’

‘Nay, indeed, your Majesty!’

‘A toast…’ the King raised his goblet ‘…to the fighting spirit of Englishmen!’

His salute was echoed, but one of his closest chancellors murmured that it would not be wise to make too much of the matter, for the Scots might yet try again and it would do the King no good to become lax.

‘Bollocks to them!’ cried Edward, rising from his elaborate chair upon its royal dais. He waved at the musicians to play, shouted for more wine, exhorted his subjects to partake of the mountains of delicious food laid out on tables in an adjoining chamber, and called for the five guardsmen who had fought like lions to defend his life the night before.

From out of the crowd they came, five young men standing together, looking sheepish at all the attention, amongst them Austin Stratford and Troye de Valois. They were tall, broad-shouldered young men, with that lean and confident look in their eyes that proclaimed their profession as fighting men.

‘See ye these fine lads, such knights as no kingdom on God’s earth has the good fortune as I to have their allegiance. Tonight I reward them, for with their own lives they did mine protect and save. I have not a scratch upon me. Anything they want, they shall have. Come, Sir Austin, tell me what it is you most desire and it is yours.’

Sir Austin looked about with a bemused glance, and he half-turned to Troye de Valois with a silent plea for assistance. Troye merely shrugged, as much at a loss as Austin, for what, indeed, would any Englishman dare ask of his King? Taking pity on the floundering and blushing Austin, he turned to the King with a small bow and murmured, ‘We seek no reward, your Majesty, for we have merely done our duty.’

Someone called out a cheer of approval for Troye’s reply, and others still clapped their hands, until the entire hall applauded and cheered. And then, as the King exhorted the ladies present to dance with these fine fellows, Troye stepped forward and begged permission for a private word. The King eyed him shrewdly, reluctant to single out one amongst the five for any favouritism, however true it might be that Troye de Valois was indeed his favourite knight. He valued the noble attributes of honour and courage and strength, all of these clearly abundant in Troye. So it was that he refused Troye permission for a word in private, and yet granted him leave to speak, here and now.

Troye looked about as the guests jostled closer, eager to fuel their lust for gossip, and a flush stained his face beneath its summer tan. To one side he saw the beautiful face of young Ellie, her eyes wide and just as curious as all the others. How he wished he could have prevented her from hearing in public his news, for it had not escaped his notice that she had feelings for him, a childish crush, no doubt, but he had no desire to hurt one so young and innocent. His jaw clenched as he bowed deeply to his King and murmured in a tense voice, ‘’Tis a matter I would prefer to discuss in private, your Majesty.’

‘Indeed?’ The King stroked his beard and looked about. ‘Come now, Sir Troye. We must have no secrets here amongst brothers at arms, for secrets are weapons that our enemies could, and would, use against us.’ He turned and climbed the dais steps, seating himself upon his ornate chair and eyed Troye with a frown. ‘Could this matter you wish to discuss have anything to do with your absence from court last autumn and winter?’

For a wild moment Troye wondered if the King already knew, and his heart hammered painfully in his chest. With downcast eyes he replied, ‘Your Majesty is indeed wise.’

‘I am only guessing, Sir Troye, for every rumour in the kingdom reaches my ears eventually. But rumours remain just that, until the truth is admitted.’ Edward’s eyes were very hard, any warmth rapidly fading as his worst fears seemed about to be realised. ‘Spit it out, lad, for I am not a patient man.’

‘Your Majesty—’ Troye took a deep breath and seized both his fate and his courage as valiantly as he could ‘—Sire…I have married.’

A gasp escaped from the guests crowding closer, eager to hear the goings-on. From the corner of his eye he saw Ellie press one hand to her mouth and one to her heart. Her face paled visibly.

The King fiddled with the great signet ring on his right hand, his eyes never leaving Troye for a moment. ‘And marriage is a crime you feel a need to confess? I had thought it was more of a blessing, to be celebrated.’

‘Your Majesty, I beg your indulgence and your great mercy, for I have married the one woman I truly love and will always love, as you have loved your Eleanor. But, sire, forgive me, I beg you, my wife is a Jewess.’

‘What!’ roared the King, his shout echoing the collective cries of astonishment about the hall. ‘So you have married a woman of the Jewish faith? When I have expelled from our kingdom these—these heathens, these leeches and troublemakers!’

‘It is not so, sire,’ Troye protested. ‘They are good people, my wife is a kind and gentle soul—’

But the King would not listen. In his anger he signalled for the yeoman guards to come forwards and ordered them to take Troye to the Tower, where he was to be imprisoned while he gave further thought to the matter. They hustled Troye away, the crowd parting like the Red Sea as he passed between them, his jaw set and his gaze defiant.

Ellie could only stare, as the blood seemed to drain from her face, from her very heart, and disappear. The hall seemed to whirl and tip in a crazy slant, as the dizzy impact of shock hit her.

Troye was married.

He loved another.

These two sudden facts were hard for her to understand, and there was only confusion and astonishment for the moment; the pain and the tears would come later. She watched, like everyone else, as the guards marched him away, wondering what would happen to him, how long would he spend imprisoned in the grim confines of the fortress known as the Tower. Who was the woman that had claimed her Troye?

Whatever the answers to these questions, one fact remained—her dreams were shattered.