Читать книгу Royal Weddings...Through the Ages - Elizabeth Rolls, Ann Lethbridge - Страница 17

Liam fought to catch the women, but it was too late. His lungs burned as he swam underwater, his eyes unable to see them in the darkness. He swept his arms through the water, reaching for them. His fingers touched wood, but no flesh. He dived deeper, kicking hard through the water, and suddenly his hand gripped a length of silk.

He pulled hard, the water fighting against him to drag the woman down. And when at last he managed to bring her head above water, Adriana coughed, her body shaking. He saw that she was still holding the other woman’s hand, and when he pulled the maid above water, she was lifeless, her limbs unmoving.

His efforts to revive the maid met with no success, and Adriana broke down in tears.

‘You tried,’ he said, holding her tightly. ‘Her life was in God’s hands.’

‘I thought I could save her,’ Adriana whispered, her body trembling hard. ‘Before the water took her under.’

He let her cry, holding her against him. Her arms embraced him, and strangely, it brought him his own sense of calm. In her courage, he saw a piece of himself. She’d gone after the young maid with no fear, never minding that she’d nearly lost her own life in the effort.

Liam helped bring Adriana to the side of the ship. Berengaria gripped a large rope, but terror lingered in her eyes. ‘When the water fills the remainder of the lower chambers, the ship may split in half,’ he told her. ‘If that happens, be ready to let go of the rope or you might be pulled under. Hold on to any piece of the deck you can find.’ The princess’s face was white with fear, and Adriana took her place at Berengaria’s side, Queen Joan at the other.

‘MacEgan,’ came Adriana’s voice softly. He looked into her dark eyes, and she steadied herself. ‘You saved my life.’

‘I kept my promise,’ he answered, ‘to let nothing happen to you.’ But even so, the sea had claimed one life. He only prayed it would be the last.

Within minutes, Berengaria watched in horror as the ship split apart, the wood fragmenting beneath her feet. She held fast to the side of the boat, but she was plunged into the frigid water without warning. Her head went below the surface and she tasted salt.

She struggled, trying not to panic, when an arm caught her waist and forced her above the surface. She took a deep breath, and saw MacEgan holding her. He swam away from the wreckage, guiding her toward a large section of the ship. ‘Hold this,’ he ordered. Her fingers dug into the wooden surface, and she gripped it with all her strength. Then Adriana joined her, while Joan floated on a piece of wood further away.

She lost track of time, but Adriana never left her side. Her lady-in-waiting fought to swim with the current, bringing them closer to shore. From time to time, Liam adjusted their direction, swimming alongside them. Though he ensured that each of the women were safe, Berengaria didn’t miss the way he was watching Adriana. There was an intensity in his eyes, as though the young lady meant something to him.

Her heart faltered, for Richard had looked at her that way on the first day they’d met. Sometimes a single flicker of interest was all that was needed to give rise to the seedling of love.

Will I see him again? she wondered. She rested her head against the wood, her body exhausted from the immense force of the storm. Along the edge of the sea, the sky had grown lighter, the rose of dawn painting the edge of the grey water. And after endless hours, her feet touched the sand.

An unexpected laugh broke forth, and she beamed at her lady-in-waiting. ‘Adriana, we’re going to live.’ They struggled towards the shore, their skirts weighing them down, while Liam escorted them forward.

The storm had ceased, and pieces of blue sky broke through the clouds. The waves had grown calmer, though Berengaria still struggled to keep her balance in the waist-high water. Ahead, she saw the Count of Berduria, who had reached the sandy beach before any of them.

Within moments, men on horseback emerged along the shoreline, their armour gleaming in the sunlight. Liam drew close to the women. ‘Don’t trust them,’ he warned. ‘We don’t know anything about the Cypriots.’

Berengaria’s smile faded, and the chill of the water made her nerves grow uneasy. A few yards away, Queen Joan was walking out of the water towards the shore.

‘Do not tell them who you are,’ Liam warned, but the young woman made no indication that she’d heard him.

He started to move toward the queen, but Adriana caught his arm. ‘Be careful, MacEgan.’

His grey eyes studied hers, and he covered her hand with his. ‘Wait here.’

He made his way towards Joan, and Berengaria eyed Adriana. ‘He means something to you, doesn’t he?’

Adriana didn’t answer, nor did she pull her gaze away from MacEgan. ‘I only met him a day ago. And yet it feels like far longer.’

‘He is handsome,’ Berengaria admitted, ‘but not as handsome as Richard.’ Her voice held more melancholy than she’d intended. Inwardly, she worried that she would not see the king again. She might die a maiden, before ever becoming a bride.

‘Were it not for him, I would have drowned,’ Adriana whispered.

Berengaria took her lady’s hand in hers, and they walked together towards the shoreline. Although MacEgan was trying to bring Queen Joan closer to them, she ignored him and kept walking away.

The Count of Berduria had reached the men and was speaking to them. Although they remained mounted, Adriana tensed.

‘Something’s wrong,’ she predicted. Her hand went to her leg, where Berengaria knew her lady-in-waiting kept a knife. ‘MacEgan was right. Stay close to me.’

She didn’t understand what bothered Adriana so, and when she asked, the woman replied, ‘If you saw a shipwreck, wouldn’t you try to help the survivors? These men are only watching.’

With a glance behind her, Berengaria saw that three other ships had also been blown off course and were anchored less than a mile from the shore. ‘Should we try to reach those ships?’

‘Not yet.’

Both of them watched as the count spoke to the men. His tone held arrogance, but Berengaria thought she heard him speaking Greek to the men. Queen Joan had already reached the shore and was preparing to join the count. The woman marched forward, her bearing filled with pride. The count pointed to her, and then to Berengaria and Adriana.

‘Don’t tell them,’ Adriana whispered, as if pleading for the man to remain silent.

But it was too late. To her horror, one of the armed men unsheathed his sword and plunged it into the count’s chest. The nobleman sank to his knees, falling against the sand while his lifeblood spilled out.

Saints deliver us. Berengaria covered her mouth, shocked by what she’d just seen. Queen Joan grasped her skirts and fled back to the water. Liam called out for her to come toward them, and he reached them a moment later.

Berengaria couldn’t stop from shaking, and from the gleam in the soldiers’ eyes, she didn’t know if she would become a prisoner or die the moment she emerged from the water.

‘The count told them who you are,’ he said grimly. ‘Our best hope is that they take you hostage.’

But Berengaria knew that MacEgan’s life was in greater danger than her own. Already these men had killed the count, so it was clear they had no use for the men. ‘You need to swim hard towards the other three ships anchored off the coast,’ she ordered. ‘If you reach one of them, you can sail back and alert Richard.’

‘I can’t leave you here alone.’

The horsemen started to ride forward, and their time was running out. ‘You must,’ Berengaria insisted. ‘If what you say is true, then they won’t kill us because they’ll want to use our lives to bargain with Richard. If you stay, your fate will be the same as the count’s.’

His face hardened, but she saw her words were breaking through to him. ‘Go, MacEgan. I am commanding you, as your future queen.’

An unnamed expression crossed his face, and she remembered that he was Irish, not English. Correcting herself, she added, ‘Please. Go to Richard.’

Before he could move, the soldiers charged forward with their horses. Armed men surrounded them, with spears and swords raised as a visible threat. Berengaria held her breath, not knowing what to do now. The soldiers reached for MacEgan, but he made no effort to fight.

In the Norman tongue, he commanded, ‘Obey their orders.’ His eyes met Adriana’s, and she saw the softer assurance within them. ‘I’ll return to you. I swear it.’

MacEgan moved so fast, Berengaria barely had time to get out of the way. It took only seconds for him to drag a soldier down from his horse, smashing his fist into the man’s face. When a second man tried to stab him with a spear, MacEgan grasped the weapon, twisting it free of the soldier’s hands. Now armed, he seized the first soldier’s horse and rode the animal hard along the shoreline, forcing the others to follow. Three men remained behind with her and Adriana, one of them seizing Queen Joan.

Berengaria held her breath as MacEgan reached the deeper water. He stood on the horse’s back and dived into the waves, disappearing from view. Adriana clung to her, hot tears breaking free.

‘Don’t be afraid,’ Berengaria whispered to her lady-in-waiting. ‘I believe him. He’ll find a way to send a rescue.’

But when they didn’t see him resurface above the waves, she feared the worst.

The Isle of Rhodes, April 22, 1191

‘Where are they, Sir Bernard?’ King Richard demanded.

The knight’s face paled. ‘We—we don’t know, Your Majesty. There are twenty-five ships missing, and unfortunately, Princess Berengaria’s was among them.’ He lowered his head in regret. ‘We believe the storm may have blown them off course.’

‘There were two hundred and nineteen ships, Bernard.’ Richard fought to keep his temper under control. ‘And you mean to tell me that not one of them saw where Berengaria’s ship disappeared?’

‘I’m sorry, Your Majesty. But we’ll send out ships to search for your bride—’

‘Out,’ Richard ordered, pointing towards the door. The knight fled, like the coward he was. Right now, Richard’s temper was about to break loose. Crete and Rhodes were meant to be rendezvous points, where they would stop for a few days en route to Acre. But his betrothed wife wasn’t on either island.

She might be dead, her body resting at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. He expelled a breath, imagining Berengaria’s dark hair, her lovely eyes and form. He’d been looking forward to marrying her, understanding what sort of woman lay behind the unbridled honesty. He hardly knew her at all, but her spirit intrigued him.

Outside, the sky was clear, the sun bright and warm. The deep azure water nestled against white sand, an idyllic place to walk with a lover. He traced the emerald ring that lay upon his smallest finger. She’d given it to him in Sicily, a token that had aroused strong memories of the night he’d first taken it from her. Seeing it now only fuelled his anger. He would find her, no matter how long it took. She belonged to him.

He gestured for a servant to summon one of the ships’ captains. If no one could find the women or the ships containing the treasures for his Crusade, he would stop on every island en route to Syria.

But when the captain arrived, he bowed and pleaded, ‘Your Majesty, we have news of the princess.’

Moments later, the Irish prince, Liam MacEgan, emerged from among the men. The man looked as though he hadn’t slept in days, and bloodstains marred his face.

‘They are at Cyprus, Your Majesty.’ MacEgan drew closer, lowering his voice so that only Richard could hear. ‘Soldiers took the women captive.’

‘Come.’ Richard wanted no other men to hear what MacEgan had to reveal. He brought the man within his chamber and ordered, ‘Tell me what you know.’

‘The Cypriots murdered the Count of Berduria,’ the Irishman explained. ‘Afterwards, Princess Berengaria bade me to seek help, so I swam to one of the ships nearby, and we sailed west. We found your galleys here.’

Richard’s gaze narrowed. ‘You left the women unguarded.’

MacEgan met his gaze with no fear. ‘Your bride gave me a direct order to seek help. Would you have me disobey her?’

‘If her life is harmed in any way, I’ll take yours.’ Richard used his height to his advantage, staring down at the Irish prince.

MacEgan didn’t back down, but chose his words carefully. ‘The women will be safe enough. The princess’s lady-in-waiting is as good as any trained guard. I’ve seen it myself.’

Though Richard didn’t like it, he didn’t doubt that Isaac Ducas Comnenus, the Emperor of Cyprus, would want to use Berengaria to further his own purpose. The man was allied with Saladin, and it was rumoured that they had drunk each other’s blood, as an oath of loyalty.

The idea of his betrothed wife falling into the hands of the emperor was unthinkable. Richard stared hard at MacEgan.

‘Tell no one that Berengaria and the queen were taken captive,’ Richard warned. If anyone learned that his betrothed wife was in the custody of the enemy, they would believe that she’d been violated, whether or not it was true. He wanted nothing to threaten their marriage alliance.

‘Let them believe that Berengaria and the queen remained on board one of the other ships. Tell them that the emperor invited them to disembark, but they refused.’

MacEgan nodded, understanding the implications. ‘No one will know.’

‘I will send you with a group of men to attack the coast of Cyprus. Find the women, and bring them back to me alive.’

Richard returned to his place by the window, dismissing MacEgan. His gaze fixated upon the sea. If Isaac Comnenus had threatened Berengaria in any way… God help the man. For Richard would tear him apart.

Limassol, Cyprus, May 1191

Nearly three weeks had passed, and there was no sign of Liam MacEgan or the king. Adriana had seen the princess’s hope fading from her eyes, as they realised that they would remain prisoners of the emperor. Although Isaac Comnenus had not bound them in chains, they were locked in a chamber guarded inside and out. There was no privacy at all, and though she tried to shield the princess from the humiliation, there was little Adriana could do. The guards cast lots for the right to guard the interior of the chamber where they hoped to catch a glimpse of them.

Queen Joan never stopped complaining. From the moment they’d been taken captive, she’d made outrageous demands, for which the emperor had mocked her. When she’d insisted upon softer beds, he’d sent her a length of silk, removing the only mattress in the room. That night, they’d huddled together on a wooden floor, with nothing but the silk.

Joan had refused to humble herself, and they’d endured weeks of stale food and uncomfortable living conditions. But it was the princess who concerned Adriana the most. Berengaria had grown so thin over the weeks, her face pale while she stared for hours on end at the sea outside their barred window.

‘We’re not going to be rescued, are we?’ she whispered. ‘The crusaders who came on those ships… they’re dead, aren’t they?’

The remaining two ships had arrived only hours after their imprisonment, but the emperor had seized control of them, taking the king’s treasure and murdering the men. From their window, they’d seen the bodies of the crusaders, displayed like bloody prizes of war.

Adriana tried to reassure the princess. ‘The emperor knows Richard will come. He wouldn’t bother with guarding the shore otherwise.’ She crossed the small room and pointed to the hills where the Cypriots were bringing down carts filled with wood and stone. Over the next few hours, the men set out large stones, chests, doors of wood and all manner of building materials to fortify the beach.

One of their guards stepped in front of the window, barring their view. Though he could not speak their language, his message was clear. Adriana hesitated before moving back, sending him a slight smile as she withdrew.

The distraction was enough, and she stole his curved knife, hiding it behind her back. If the Cypriots were preparing for battle, it meant that an invasion was imminent.

The door to their chamber swung open, and a young maiden appeared, trailed by two of her ladies. She gave a sharp order to the guards, and they obeyed the command, leaving the room. In heavily accented French, she said, ‘I have been ordered to bring the princess and the queen to my father.’ Adriana remained against the wall for a moment, slipping the guard’s curved blade beneath the girdle at her waist, just behind her back. Neither Joan nor Berengaria moved forward, but while the guard was focused upon the noblewomen, Adriana donned the princess’s cloak to hide the knife.

‘Why does he want to see us?’ Berengaria asked, her voice calm. But Adriana knew that the soft voice hid the young woman’s fears. All of them knew that they had been kept alive only to be used as hostages… or worse.

The young girl shook her head. ‘I do not know.’ She wrinkled her nose when they drew closer and added, ‘I will arrange for you to bathe and refresh yourselves before you are presented to him.’

Berengaria cast a worried look back at her, but Adriana nodded. The girl’s offer was made in good faith. To the princess, she said, ‘If they intended to kill us, they would not bother with the way we look now.’

‘That’s what I am afraid of,’ Berengaria said.

She closed her eyes, and Adriana went to her side. ‘He probably wants to prove to Richard that we are well, despite the captivity.’

Berengaria reached for her hand and Adriana took it. As they followed the girl down the winding stairs, she took them into a walled garden. The warmth of the sun and the lush fragrance of jasmine flowers lifted her spirits, though she was more reassured by the weapon she’d hidden.

As the girl brought them up another set of stone stairs, Adriana drew Berengaria to a stop and pointed towards the sea. There, she spied the sails of nearly a hundred ships.

‘They’ve found us,’ Berengaria breathed with thankfulness.

Adriana wondered if Liam MacEgan had alerted the king. Or whether he was still alive. She remembered the light kiss he’d stolen for luck, and the memory darkened her heart with regret. The handsome Irishman had been like no other man she’d met. Brave and strong, he was one she’d wanted to know better.

When the young girl took them within her own chambers, she arranged for them to bathe in privacy and offered them clothing in the Cyprian style. Though Berengaria refused to wear the foreign garments, Adriana agreed to try them. The soft diaphanous fabric was like nothing she’d ever felt against her skin. She wore a cream-coloured anteri tunic and soft salvar trousers. Though it was strange, not to be wearing skirts, she liked the clothing.

‘You must feel like a concubine,’ Berengaria teased. ‘I can’t imagine wearing clothes like that.’

Queen Joan stiffened, smoothing her own silk gown. ‘I prefer not to look like a savage.’

The princess’s mood dimmed at Joan’s words. Adriana adjusted a fold of her clothing and admitted, ‘It’s more comfortable than what we were wearing earlier.’ But she had other reasons for wearing the new clothes. If she needed to defend the princess against an attack, the lighter trousers gave her more freedom of movement.

The girl led them from her chamber to a large, open pavilion. The sun had grown hotter, and though Adriana tried to see if any of the ships had come closer, the walls were too high to view them.

The emperor awaited them upon a throne inlaid with gold, while servants waved palm branches over his head to provide cooler air.

With the help of a servant who translated, the emperor announced, ‘The invaders have come for you. My men have seized the treasures that were within your ships, and your king must decide which he wants returned to him. His gold… or his bride.’

Berengaria’s face changed, and there was anger within it that Adriana had never seen. The princess stood tall, and whispered in the Norman language, ‘Adriana, when they take us back, I want you to make your escape. Tell the king what has happened to us. Make certain he knows where we are.’

‘I’m not leaving your side,’ she insisted. She couldn’t rely on Joan to protect Berengaria, not when the queen might say something to offend the emperor.

‘They’ll use us for bargaining. But I worry about your life.’ The princess reached out and squeezed her hand. ‘Forgive me, but you have no value to them. They may use you as an example.’

Though Adriana didn’t like it at all, she understood what the princess meant. No doubt Isaac Comnenus would display the queen and princess, using them as leverage to get what he wanted from Richard.

‘I don’t want you to die,’ Berengaria insisted. ‘I’m afraid for you, if you stay.’

Adriana bowed her head in acquiescence, but inwardly she knew if anyone discovered her, she would be killed. Either way, her life was in danger.

Isaac looked displeased with their private conversation, and he ordered his men to separate them. Adriana was dragged away from the princess, who gave her a nod of permission.

As the guard brought her back towards the courtyard, Adriana studied their surroundings, wondering how she could possibly break free. Her gaze settled upon some of the women who had veiled their faces.

And then she knew exactly what to do.

* * *

Just before dawn, Liam MacEgan rowed alongside the other men, bringing the smaller boats closer to the shore. The beach was covered with obstructions meant to prevent them from using war horses. It wouldn’t stop Richard, however. Already, several of the smaller boats were within distance that the horses could swim to the shore. Liam’s task was to bring the soldiers close enough to clear a path.

The archers launched a shower of arrows upon the Cypriots, and from the chaos, it was clear that they’d taken them by surprise. When they reached shallow water, Liam unsheathed his sword and charged forward with the others. His blood raced with fear and the thrill of fighting. He’d been trained by his father and uncles since he was old enough to hold a sword, and as he faced his enemy, it soon became clear that these men were not warriors.

Farmers and merchants, they’d been ordered by their emperor to defend the land… but without weapons, they were dying by the hundreds. Liam stopped attacking and moved into a defensive posture. Only if they made the first move would they taste his sword.

As they moved past the enemy, they climbed uphill toward the city. The grey morning light was starting to illuminate the ancient Roman ruins dotting the landscape. Nearer to the centre lay the fortress where Liam suspected the princess and queen were held captive. Adriana would be among them.

The image of her face remained strong within his mind, with her beautiful dark eyes and slim form. She had more courage than any other woman he’d met, for she was a survivor. He’d hated leaving them here, but without Richard knowing their whereabouts, there could be no rescue.

When they reached the fortress, it appeared to be constructed around the ruins of an old basilica. Liam ordered his men to fall back, and they retreated behind one of the stone buildings. He needed to study the defences, to determine the best approach. Aye, they could likely make it through the front gate, but without knowing how many guardsmen were waiting, it could endanger his men unnecessarily.

He lifted his gaze to the upper segment of the fortress, for he suspected the princess and queen were being held in a fortified location. He hadn’t told any of the men about the prisoners, only that they were to seek information about the emperor’s defences. Just when he had decided to lead his men along the outer walls, he heard the sound of a confrontation nearby with men shouting orders.

He gestured for two of the men to follow him while the others retreated along the left side of the fortress. Liam ran lightly, his hand resting upon his sword. Ahead, he spied a veiled woman running through the streets. Two guards pursued her, and it was clear that their speed was overtaking hers. He was torn between helping the woman and remaining focused upon their mission. But when the woman saw them, instead of fleeing, she ran straight towards them.

She didn’t make it. One of the guards grasped her by the veil and jerked her backwards. When the man unsheathed a curved blade, Liam didn’t stop to think, but charged forward, a roar tearing from his mouth. The guard’s attention shifted just long enough for Liam to drive his own sword into the man’s gut.

Shocked eyes met his, but the blade fell from his enemy’s hand and he let go of the woman. When the other guard caught up, he took one look at his fallen companion and fled.

A curse slipped from Liam’s mouth. Their chances of infiltrating the fortress would be gone as soon as the man alerted the others. He sheathed his weapon, and held out his hand to the woman. He couldn’t have been more surprised when she suddenly threw herself into his arms.

Berengaria’s heart beat so fast, she could hardly catch her breath. The emperor had ordered her and Queen Joan bound with silken ropes, and neither of them had slept last night while they awaited Richard’s arrival. From the hundreds of ships that lined the coast, Berengaria had no doubt that the men would come soon.

The question was, what would the emperor do with them, once the king’s men arrived? Though she wanted to believe that Richard cared enough about her to bargain for her life, she didn’t know.

It seemed like almost a dream when she’d seen him last in Sicily. But his kiss lingered with her still. She stared out into the blinding sun, twisting her fingers around the chain of the jewelled cross that hung hidden beneath her gown.

Hours passed, and she ignored the food and drink that were offered to her. From deep within, she reached for courage. If Adriana were there, her lady-in-waiting would offer words of encouragement, insisting that they would be rescued. And though she knew that her friend had managed to escape, using the blade she’d stolen from their guard, she was afraid of what would happen if they caught her. They wouldn’t hesitate to take her life, in return for the men Adriana had wounded. Berengaria closed her eyes, hoping to God that the young woman was still alive.

The noise of battle rose within the air like the rumbling of thunder, and Berengaria’s heart raced as crusaders surrounded the fortress. She lost count of the dozens of armoured men who poured through the gates and tried not to stare at the death and destruction that was happening all around her.

At last, she spied Richard. He was mounted on horseback, fully armed, and his chain mail glinted with gold and silver. Tall and strong, he rode forward, his sword cutting down the men who dared to oppose him. She understood now why they named him Lionheart, for not once did he flinch in battle. When he finally spied her, she couldn’t stop the smile that broke forth. The look in his eyes was filled with relief, and she wanted nothing more than to race forward and fall into his arms.

But something reflected against her eyes, forcing her to look up. It was then that she saw the dozens of archers with their bows drawn… aimed directly at her and Joan.