“Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony.”
Brianna and Lincoln solemnly pledged their vows and plighted their troth, one to the other. She lowered her lashes modestly as the bridegroom took her left hand in his and slipped a wide gold band onto her third finger.
“With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee honor, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.”
Brianna’s lashes flew up. The voice did not belong to Lincoln Robert; it belonged to Wolf Mortimer. “You!” she cried.
“Who else?” he demanded.
She stared up into his dark, dangerous face with disbelief and desperately tried to pull her hand from his. His grip was so powerful she could not free herself.
He turned and pulled her after him and Brianna had no choice but to follow where he led. He took her across the bridge that led to the other island where the fairy-tale castle stood. He swept her up into his arms and carried her inside. He strode across the Great Hall toward a magnificent staircase and set her feet to the floor.
Breathless, she fled up the stone steps, desperate to escape. But as she ran, her bridal garments began to fall away and she felt panic because she feared that by the time she reached the top, she would be naked. She saw a golden door and knew that beyond it lay the bathing room. She flung open the door, then slammed it closed and leaned her forehead against it, weak with relief that she was safe.
When she caught her breath, she turned and gazed in wonder at the beautiful black marble bathing pool. The warm, perfumed water lured her to its edge and she bent down to touch one of the delicate pink water lilies that floated on the surface. She saw her reflection in the pool and realized she was naked. She watched in fascination as the water began to ripple from something gliding beneath the surface.
Brianna smiled her secret smile, no longer afraid. She knew exactly who was causing the water to undulate. She saw the dark head surface and watched as he flung his long, wet hair back over his shoulder. “You!”
“Who else?” he demanded with a wicked leer and held out his hand. “Come to me, Brianna Mortimer.”
In the morning when she awoke, the ephemeral dream immediately began to scatter and fade, though she tried to cling to the remnants as they floated beyond her reach. She remembered only that her dream had been deeply pleasurable and she was left with a luxuriant feeling of well-being. Brianna stretched languidly and realized that she was bare. “That’s strange. I’m certain I put on my nightgown last night. I’ve never slept nude in my life.”
She threw back the covers and remembered that Isabelle wanted to make plans to visit Leeds Castle. “Leeds Castle.” The moment she murmured the words, her dream came back to her in vivid, shocking detail. She rubbed the back of her hand across her lips to wipe away his kisses. “Damn you to hellfire, Wolf Mortimer!”
Chapter 9
“I can smell the spicy fragrance of hops on the breeze.” Brianna rode abreast of the queen and the Countess of Pembroke. Isabelle’s other ladies, Maude, Marguerite, and Arbella, rode behind, and a number of royal servants and grooms followed in the rear. The military escort that King Edward had insisted upon rode at the head of the queen’s party as it departed from Wickham in Surrey where the travelers had spent the night.
“All of Kent smells like that at harvest time,” Isabelle declared. “Lady Otford was most hospitable, especially on such short notice and with the added burden of a dozen king’s guard.”
“She told me it was a great honor to have you at Wickham Hall.”
“Brianna, I think we should give Leeds Castle advance notice that we are on our way. Would you kindly ask the captain of the guard to send a messenger ahead to let the castellan know we will be arriving in a few hours?”
As Brianna spurred her horse forward, Marie remarked, “Your subjects should not need advance notice, Isabelle. Every castle in England should be eager to accommodate you, day or night.”
“I was taught manners at the French Court. It never hurts to be gracious, Marie.”
An hour later, the captain of the king’s guard approached the queen. “Your Grace, the messenger I sent to Leeds Castle has returned. He said the constable did not believe the queen had sent him. The insolent fellow said Lord Badlesmere is away and that he has strict orders to permit no one to enter the castle.”
“But Leeds does not belong to Lord Badlesmere. The king has returned ownership of the castle to me. Obviously, no one has informed the castellan. Send word that I shall be there in about an hour and the fellow will be able to see for himself that it is indeed Queen Isabelle and her ladies who wish to enter.”
The captain saluted the queen and ordered his guards to follow him at full speed.
“It is unthinkable that the Queen of England should be refused entry to her own castle,” Marie declared.
“I’m sure that whoever is in charge will not deny me courtesy and hospitality when they see that it really is their queen.”
“Perhaps you should have sent a groom wearing the queen’s livery. A military soldier bearing arms may have alarmed the castle guard. They could suspect an attack,” Brianna suggested.
Isabelle laughed. “They will clearly see their mistake when I arrive.” She urged her horse to speed up into a gallop and Brianna quickened Venus’s pace to keep abreast of the queen.
Two of Isabelle’s grooms and Simon Deveril rode forward. “Is aught amiss, Lady Brianna?”
“The Leeds Castle guard doesn’t believe it is the queen and her ladies. They’ve been ordered to let no one enter.”
“A harbinger should have been sent days ago to ensure that all was in readiness,” Deveril reproved.
“It was a last-minute decision. Queen Isabelle wanted to come before the cold October winds arrived.”
The lovely castle and the lake came into view just as the afternoon light was starting to fade. Isabelle and her retinue drew rein at the end of the causeway and the captain of the guard rode back to meet them. “Lady Badlesmere has been left in charge. She insists you seek lodging for the night elsewhere, Your Grace.”
“Kindly inform Lady Badlesmere that I will speak with her,” Isabelle directed. The guard saluted and returned to the castle. “Her husband is steward of the royal household,” she told Brianna. “As soon as she recognizes me, she will realize she has inadvertently offered grave insult to the Queen of England.”
Isabelle spurred down the causeway and the others followed. “My God, the king’s guards are forcing entry!”
Arrows from the castle walls flew past Isabelle, and found their marks in the two grooms at her side. Simon Deveril grabbed Brianna’s reins and forced Venus to retreat.
“Simon! Attend the queen! I’m away.” Brianna grabbed Marguerite Wake’s reins and dragged her horse around and the two rode hell-for-leather back down the causeway. Deveril clutched the reins of the queen’s palfrey and slapped the rump of Lady Pembroke’s mount in a grimly determined effort to protect both the queen and the Countess of Pembroke.
The captain, and the king’s guards who were still alive, made a quick retreat. Four of his men lay dead at the castle gate.
Up on the crenellated parapet of Leeds, Lady Badlesmere went pale. The moment she had given the order for the castle archers to loose their arrows, she saw Isabelle. “The queen!”
“Christus, madam, what have you done?” Edmund Mortimer demanded.
Maggie Badlesmere turned to her new son-in-law. “I didn’t believe it was the queen! You know we’ve been expecting a raid on the castle. Armed men were forcing entry!”
A grim-faced Edmund Mortimer declared, “To attack the Queen of England is unpardonable, madam. You have just committed an act of treason!”
“I was obeying my husband’s orders. Badlesmere joined forces with Thomas of Lancaster—you Mortimers also belong to this alliance against the king,” she accused.
“Nay, madam, the Marcher lords and the barons too wer
e careful to make plain we were opposed to the Despencers, not the king. Surely you know the penalty for treason?”
“You must go and find Badlesmere. He must return to Leeds Castle immediately and protect us from retaliation.”
“As soon as it is full dark, I will slip away and get word to Badlesmere what has happened here.” Edmund Mortimer feared that retribution could be both swift and harsh. His brother Wolf had warned him that he sensed trouble at Leeds Castle. Edmund desperately hoped that his father and the other Marcher barons had not yet left Oxford.
He went below and sought out his bride. “Elizabeth, as soon as dark falls, I must leave the castle and get word to your father about what has happened here. I’m taking you with me.”
“No, Edmund, don’t go! Danger waits outside these walls.”
“I must go. Royal guards were killed at your gate. Your father must bring his men to defend Leeds or it will be taken. Get ready—wear a dark cloak. I will take you to safety.”
Elizabeth burst into tears. “No, no! I must stay with my mother and my sisters. Leeds Castle is impregnable. Edmund, how can you ask me to imperil my life by leaving this stronghold?”
Edmund, frustrated beyond words, wanted to slap sense into her. Instead he drew her into his arms. “Don’t cry, Elizabeth. Once I alert your father, he will bring his Kent forces to protect you.” He added reluctantly, “If you feel safer here, I will go alone.”
Queen Isabelle and her ladies took refuge at the priory in the nearby town of Maidstone. The abbess and her nuns occasionally accommodated noble travelers on their way to Canterbury, but the two small bedchambers were woefully inadequate for the Queen of England and her ladies.
Brianna urged Maude, Marguerite, and Arbella to take one of the rooms. “Marie and I will attend the queen. Try to get some rest.”
Brianna poured Isabelle a goblet of sacramental wine brought up from the priory’s cellars. “Your Grace has suffered a nasty shock…We all have. The wine will soothe your nerves.”
“We were lucky to escape with our lives.” A tear ran down Isabelle’s cheek. “My groom, Laurence Bagshot, fell dead before my very eyes. I cannot understand why on earth we were attacked.”
“Your Grace, ’tis obvious they did not believe it was you.”
“Brianna, please call me Isabelle. Marie, do stop pacing.”
Marie was absolutely livid over what had happened. “The Badlesmere woman knew! She was in charge of the castle and insolently suggested the queen find accommodation elsewhere.”
Brianna searched for an answer. “I warrant she believed that Leeds Castle still belonged to the Badlesmeres—apparently no one informed her its ownership had been returned to the queen.”
“That is of little consequence,” Marie declared in outrage. “The laws of hospitality demand that the queen be made welcome in any castle in England. All unlucky enough to be in residence at Leeds Castle today will pay for this!”
Brianna thought of Edmund Mortimer and his bride, Elizabeth, who had been wed at Leeds such a short time ago. In light of the circumstances she decided to keep the knowledge to herself.
“The captain of the guard is undoubtedly riding to King Edward with the news that the queen has been attacked, but I intend to inform Pembroke,” Marie declared. “My husband is commander of the king’s forces. He will be the one to force Leeds Castle to surrender and he will arrest those within. I shall go down immediately and ask the abbess for pen and paper.”
When they were alone, Isabelle drained her goblet and poured herself more wine. She looked at Brianna and whispered, “What if Edward lied to me about the reversion of Leeds Castle?”
Brianna drew in a swift breath. Lady Badlesmere certainly defended the castle as if she owned it. When the king’s guard tried to force entry, she ordered the attack. “Isabelle, why would he lie about such a thing?”
“He knew I would come,” she whispered. “He dangled the bait before me, knowing I would not be able to resist the temptation.”
“But that would be deliberately putting your life in danger.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Isabelle murmured sadly.
When Marie returned, Isabelle said, “I don’t think you should send an alarming message to Pembroke tonight. Let us wait until morning. We cannot remain here another night, there are not enough beds and my poor servants have been left in the stables. We need to decide where to go, and what course of action is best in this matter.”
“It is too late. I’ve already dispatched the letter with one of your servants. Rest assured Pembroke will know what is best.”
“I’m so sorry I decided to visit Leeds Castle—it has stirred up a hornets’ nest. I wish we were all safely back at Windsor.”
“Isabelle, you mustn’t blame yourself in any way. You need a good night’s rest. Let me help you with your gown.” Brianna folded the queen’s garments and tucked her into bed. She and Marie shared the second bed in the small room.
In the middle of the night, Brianna heard Isabelle quietly sobbing and it tugged on her heartstrings. How infinitely sad it must be to know that your husband does not love you…I warrant it is even more devastating to know that she cannot trust him.
Before dawn lightened the sky, Brianna went down to the stables to speak with Simon Deveril. “How long will it take us to get back to Windsor?”
“That is out of the question, Lady Brianna. The safety of Queen Isabelle, as well as your own and the other ladies’, falls squarely on my shoulders. What was left of the military guard slunk away in the night.”
Brianna looked at the queen’s servants lying in the straw. “We need better accommodation.”
“I suggest Tonbridge Castle, just a few miles west of here. It is a strong fortalice and, since it belongs to the Archbishop of Canterbury, will be well provisioned and luxuriously furnished.”
“In keeping with his vow of poverty,” Brianna said solemnly.
“Churchmen these days don’t even pay lip service to celibacy, let alone poverty.” He jerked his thumb at the servants. “I’ll get this lot on their feet and start saddling the horses.”
As Isabelle and her retinue rode toward Tonbridge, it was obvious the word had already spread that the queen and her party had been attacked and some of her servants murdered. The people of Kent gathered along the roadways, showing their steadfast loyalty and offering their staunch protection to their beloved Queen Isabelle the Fair.
They arrived at Tonbridge Castle just before the midday meal. Brianna breathed a sigh of relief when she saw how well Queen Isabelle was received. Though Walter Reynolds, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was not in residence, his legion of well-trained servants had been taught how to treat royalty. She knew that if it were necessary that they remain for a long period of time, they would be made welcome.
“I cannot get over Tonbridge,” Brianna said in wonder. “The castle is guarded like a fortress. The bedchambers are so numerous and furbished so luxuriously, it smacks of decadence.”
“I quite agree, but I’m not about to complain.” Isabelle helped herself to a sweetmeat from a solid silver dish. “Every meal served has been like a banquet. By comparison, I realize just how meager and paltry my royal table was over the past year. ’Tis clear that Hugh Despencer did not impose his economies on the archbishop. It takes a deal of wealth to live in such splendor.”
At Portchester Castle, King Edward and his lover were also indulging their appetites, when the captain of the military guard assigned to Isabelle brought the king the dire news that the queen had been attacked at Leeds Castle.
“Attacked? What do you mean? Speak plainly, man.”
“Sire, Badlesmere was away and Lady Badlesmere insolently told the queen to seek shelter elsewhere for the night. I ordered my men to force the gate and the harridan ordered her archers to shoot us. They killed two of the queen’s royal grooms and four of my guards.” The captain fought a suspicion that Edward had known he and his men would be shot if they tried to en
ter Leeds Castle. “Queen Isabelle and her ladies were forced to flee for their lives and take sanctuary in a nearby priory.”
“This is outrageous! The Badlesmeres will rue the day they attacked my beloved wife. To use arms against the Queen of England is an act of treason and they will pay the price!” Edward crashed his fist on the table and knocked over his goblet. The dark red wine spread like blood. “When did this happen?”
“Forty-eight hours ago, Sire. I have ridden two nights and two days to bring you the news.”
“You did well, Captain.” Edward’s voice was filled with satisfaction. “Tell my steward that I order him to plenish you a room and a meal.”
The captain saluted and withdrew, convinced the king had sent him to provoke the owners of Leeds Castle into an act of treason.
When they were alone, Edward turned to Hugh with a smile of delight on his face. “The trap I set worked like a dream!”
“Now you have your just cause to take up arms against Badlesmere, Ned. But if you intend to net the bigger fish, you will need to gather an army greater than theirs.”
“I’ll hire mercenaries to supplement Pembroke’s forces.”
“That’s good, but it’s only a start. As word spreads about the insult to your beloved consort, the people will become incensed. Tomorrow, you must order a general muster of all men between the ages of sixteen and sixty. Then you must return to London, so you can take command.”
“You know how I detest kingly duties. I much prefer to remain here with you, my love.”
“We part now so that we can be together permanently, once you regain your royal authority over all your enemies and extract a just revenge for what they did to me.”
“I swear I will avenge you, Hugh, and vow to restore all the properties they took from you, and more besides. Just name it, and it shall be yours.”
Two days later, on Hugh Despencer’s shrewd advice, King Edward made his way slowly from Portchester to London. He stopped at every village and hamlet along the way, firing up the people’s anger at the way Queen Isabelle had been assaulted in Kent. With every mile he traveled, the king recruited more men-at-arms.