Betrothal (Time Enough To Love) Read online

  He kissed them and wound her arm through the crook of his as he led her away from the chapel toward Princess Joanna’s apartments. Although she was loath to admit it, his words, as well as his attentions, had soothed her ruffled feelings. She smiled inwardly to think that his regard for her ran so deep. A quick peek at him from lowered lids showed her his countenance bore a smile also. They seemed to have come far in but two days’ time.

  As they approached the door of the Princess’s chamber, he turned and took both her hands. “My lady, I have news that I would share with you.”

  He seemed both solemn and excited by whatever message he had brought. It had to be news indeed, for she had heard nothing, either last night or this morning, that would touch upon them. This mystery so bemused her that she almost failed to see him lean down, bringing his mouth mere inches from hers. She gasped, snatched her hands from his and ducked around him before he could draw closer.

  “Would you share something else besides news, Sir Geoffrey?”

  “That I would, little maid.” He spun around before she could back away. He darted his hand out to secure hers again and raised it to his mouth. “It seems, however, that I must be content with this.” He grazed her skin with his lips, skimming over the surface of her flesh with a floating touch that made her shiver. “And with my news. You know the king called for a joust, a Round Table, at Windsor next week to celebrate the princess’s betrothal?”

  Alyse nodded and frowned. The mere thought of jousting sent a quiver of dread down her spine. But his statement was hardly news; the court had been preparing for the tournaments for weeks.

  “It has been decreed by His Majesty that on the first day the festivities will begin with a procession of ladies and knights of King Arthur’s court, starting at the Tower of London and winding through the town out to the lists. There are to be twenty-five knights on the king’s side who will joust and fight in a pas d’armes. So there needs be twenty-five ladies as well, to escort them to the field.”

  She nodded again. “Princess Joanna rides in this procession.” Her part in the festivities had been determined last week. Did he have anything truly new to impart?

  “You have been chosen to be one of the ladies.”

  Alyse’s mouth dropped open and a thrill coursed through her. “But I am only Princess Joanna’s attendant, Sir Geoffrey. Usually such honors are reserved for the queen and Princess Isabella’s ladies, or the Duchesses and Countesses in the Royal Family. Why did they choose me?”

  “Because I am to be one of the knights, and I begged a boon of the king to allow you to be my lady.”

  She stared at him in shock, almost unbelieving, though she knew he would not lie about such a thing. To think she owed such an honor to the man she would soon call husband, that he had asked the king himself to grant the favor, made her heart beat an unsteady march in her chest. Alyse parted her lips to thank him when he swooped forward, secured her chin in his hand and kissed her.

  Strangely soft, yet very sweet, his touch sent a searing bolt straight to her stomach, setting it afire. After moments that seemed an eternity, his mouth slackened on hers as though he would release her. Then he flicked the tip of his tongue across the hard-pressed seam of her mouth, testing for another invitation.

  With a gasp she jumped back, drawing a chuckle from Geoffrey, who had the grace to glance around to make sure they had not been observed. “Be not discomfited, sweet. We are safe in our conversation.”

  “’Twas not in our conversation that I feared harm, my lord.” Lord, ’twas difficult to sound outraged when she could still feel his lips on hers.

  “Come, my lady, ’twas only courtly affection I did show you.” Geoffrey’s words might have been believable if not for the wicked grin that accompanied them. “And I have one more piece of news for you ere I go.”

  She took a step back, and Geoffrey laughed softly. “Nay, ’tis only that I would have you decide which knight of the Round Table you would accompany to the field. You may choose any save Arthur or Lancelot, for those are reserved for King Edward and the Prince of Wales.”

  He had struck her speechless again. To allow her to choose their roles… The enormity of the task soaked into her. They would be judged by the king and queen in part on how appropriately she chose. Choose wrong and the entire court would whisper scandal. She could not fail Geoffrey when he had entrusted her with this critical decision. “You do me great honor by your request, my lord,” she said finally, dipping him a curtsy. Such trust in her demanded nothing less than her utmost respect for him.

  He stood expectantly, his eyes sparkling as he awaited her decision. Names from the tales she had read with her Uncle Antoine as a young child whirled through her head. But the choice for such an honored position should not be rushed. After a pause, Alyse twisted her hands and lifted her eyes to him. “Need you an answer this instant, Sir Geoffrey?”

  He raised his eyebrows then shook his head. “I think not, my lady. I believe we will be placed in the procession according to my rank as knight, not by the rank of the Knights of the Round Table. Therefore, I need give the name only to secure our clothing for the procession. Tomorrow should suffice.”

  “Then if I may, I will give you my choice this evening at supper that I may weigh the possibilities during the afternoon. I would have my choice portray both a knight of your chivalrous bent and a lady worthy of such a champion.” He laughed, and her heart beat faster. Would he be so bold as to steal another kiss?

  “I will await your decision with anticipation.” He drawled the final word, leaning closer to her again.

  She caught her breath. Would he dare?

  His gaze held hers until his lips hovered mere inches away from her mouth and she began to tremble. “’Til evening then.”

  He drew back a step and her hopes sank—until he leaned toward her and his lips finished the short journey to hers. Though briefer than before, this kiss was just as sweet, just as firm, just as stupefying.

  She broke from him and placed a restraining hand on his chest, pushing him away. Her hand jumped from the heat that almost scorched her palm.

  He stepped away and met her eyes with a hungry glance. “With your leave, my lady, I must attend the king. Adieu, until eventide.” After a deep courtly bow, he strode quickly down the corridor. When he reached the corner, he gazed back at her, a small triumphant smile on his lips.

  Then he disappeared, and she turned to the princess’s door, bubbling with the many excitements stirred by Geoffrey Longford.

  * * * *

  Geoffrey rushed down the hallway and quietly slipped into the king’s audience chamber. Small knots of courtiers were scattered about the room, enthusiastically discussing the joust. He sighted Thomas, and unobtrusively made his way to his friend who stood listening attentively on the far side of the room.

  “News, Thomas?” he asked, standing behind him to better see King Edward and the nobles he was talking to with such animation.

  With a brief lift of his chin, Thomas gave a wan acknowledgement of Geoffrey’s presence and spoke low, over his shoulder. “You have missed naught. They are still deciding the order of the procession for Tuesday. You are fortunate you will be consigned to the end, else you might have been missed ere now.” Thomas glanced back at Geoffrey with a contemptuous look. “Another assignation with the little de Courcy? You really must find some other diversions, Geoffrey, lest your conversation become offensive in its monotony.”

  Geoffrey leaned back against the cool stone wall adjacent to one of the few windows in the chamber. He crossed his arms easily over his chest, hardly able to contain his amusement. “Jealous, Thomas?”

  His friend turned to him, incredulous. “Will you mock me to my face, sir?”

  “Only if I cannot do so behind your back.”

  “You did not take offense at that, Geoffrey. ’Twas said in jest only.”

  “True,” he acknowledged. “But you have since protested an aversion to my betrothed. Overmuch so, may
hap.” His manner was light but not his tone.

  Thomas sighed. “Be easy, Geoffrey. I make no designs on the fair Alyse. I would not serve you that way. I simply chafe at a good companion lost, ’tis all.”

  “Lost? How lost, Thomas? We are together much as we have always been. I grant I have busied myself with Lady Alyse these last few days, but when we are married life will settle down again.”

  “Aye, you may think that, but I hold no such illusions. Will you leave your young bride to go out drinking and carousing with Patrick, Robert and me? You are more taken with this woman than any other I have seen and you have not even bedded her yet.” Thomas’s lazy smile spoke of his amusement. “Although mayhap that experience will drive you back to the likes of us.” Geoffrey’s sudden scowl drew a laugh from his companion. “Again, I mean no offense to your betrothed. Only that when the mystery is gone, the passion may leave as well. I can attest to that myself.”

  He grunted in acknowledgement; Thomas seldom tarried in one bed overlong.

  “You must admit you seem overly protective of this maid.” Thomas’s words probed unmercifully, and he squirmed, the rough fieldstone scraping his tunic. “If I spoke of another man, I might even call him besotted.”

  Geoffrey opened his mouth to protest but closed it without a sound at his friend’s unflinching stare.

  He speaks truth. The girl has bewitched me, for my thoughts all stray toward her, no matter what the topic of conversation.

  He sighed. “Good Lord!”

  Thomas laughed and clapped his friend on the back. “’Tis not your fault, Geoffrey. The day of reckoning comes to us all.”

  “Then why has it not come to you?” Thomas held the status of dedicated bachelor, despite the need for an heir to his title.

  A shadow crossed his friend’s face and he turned away, dropping his hand from Geoffrey’s shoulder. “Oh, I have had my reckoning, if you will remember.”

  Geoffrey stared at his friend, stricken as the memory came back. “I beg your pardon. I had forgotten…”

  Thomas shook his head. “’Tis no matter. ’Twas long ago, but aye, a reckoning it was. So,” he reassumed his carefree manner and deftly changed the subject, “what knight will you portray at our Round Table? I have managed to secure Sir Tristan to Lady Carlyle’s Isolde.”

  Geoffrey arched an eyebrow. “Does that not, mayhap, strike a bit too close to the bone for comfort, Thomas?” Lady Carlyle was Thomas’s current amour although her husband seemed none the wiser at present.

  “’Tis unfortunate indeed that just yesterday Lord Carlyle was recalled to the Scottish border.” Thomas smiled wickedly at the thought. “Some minor uprising within his holding, I hear. ’Tis his place I take, although he was originally to be Sir Yvain and she to be the Lady of the Fountain. As I had already spoken for Sir Tristan, the lady made no protest at the change.” Thomas grinned, seeming self-satisfied at the turn of events. He looked inquiringly at Geoffrey. “And you and the delectable Alyse? Will you be Percival to her Elaine? Or mayhap Gawain and Orgeluse? I do hope you are Gawain, for Sir Tristan is one of the six knights superior to him.”

  A challenge suited him down to the ground. “Will we joust, you and I, Thomas, to settle that question once and for all? Or a Combat of the Field with broadswords? I will meet you however you like.”

  “A joust, I think. You have too much advantage with a sword, my friend.”

  “’Tis done. ’Twill be a good contest, I believe.” Anticipation of such a match with his friend brought satisfaction to his voice. “Yet I know not which knight I shall be at present. I have given the decision to Lady Alyse, and she will tell me her choice this evening.”

  Thomas stalked away then back, his lips a white line as he hissed, “I said besotted, did I not? Have you truly lost your senses? You are going to end up as Galahad, I will wager my horse on it. That starry-eyed chit will cast you as the Perfect Knight and herself as Orgueilleuse, scorn and all. ’Twill serve you right!”

  Geoffrey laughed, but an uneasy doubt sprang up despite his confidence in Alyse. “I am sure the lady will choose something more suitable, Thomas. She does not like to be made a spectacle of.”

  “She’ll have little choice in that respect, I think. The two of you together will draw quite some comment anyway. You were brazen enough to ask the king to allow her to accompany you. That alone has caused talk. Why, by all that is holy, did you let her choose your part?”

  “I wanted to please her, Thomas.” Geoffrey shifted uneasily from foot to foot. “Her demeanor toward me has warmed a bit these past two days, and I aimed to fuel that flame with the ride in the procession and the choice of knight and lady. It seemed a little thing at the time.” He glanced at his friend anxiously. “Think you she will choose unwisely?”

  “She has been little at court. How is she to know it would be unseemly for you as a lower knight to portray a figure of great consequence from the Round Table? Mark me, Geoffrey. If she chooses one of the more important knights, she will be seen as blatantly trying to raise your status.” Thomas glared at him in disgust. “Do you long for disgrace? You shall have it in that case. And be constantly on the lips of the whole court. You had best recant your offer and choose someone sensible yourself.” With a final disapproving glance at his friend, Thomas hastened toward the king, going forward to accept his assigned placement in the procession.

  Geoffrey stared after him, more than a little alarmed by his friend’s words. His gesture in allowing Alyse to choose their roles for the procession had simply been another attempt at chivalry, yet now that decision seemed reckless. Suddenly, he doubted her judgment, and his own in allotting her the task. He heartily wished he could recall his words, no matter the delight they had inspired in her. Should he go to her and retract his offer? Geoffrey groaned at the thought. He could not go back on his word. Could he at least seek her out to find the direction of her thoughts?

  Dread at the coming encounter stole through his heart as Geoffrey strode from the room, leaving the courtiers still avidly discussing the approaching festivities.

  Chapter 8

  When Geoffrey disappeared from sight, Alyse sighed, for once sorry to see him go. Her admiration for her betrothed had risen several notches since the end of Mass. If truth be told, it had been rising ever since their first stormy meeting. He had proved himself gallant last night at dinner and compassionate toward her this morning after church. Now, with this remarkable gesture regarding the procession, her fears for her coming marriage had greatly dissipated.

  She could scarce believe he had dared ask the king to allow her the great honor of riding beside him. Then to have granted her the choice of the knight and lady they were to portray…’twas an honor she would never have dreamed he would accord her, especially on such short acquaintance. Surely, the gesture spoke of his confidence in her discretion and wisdom, her ability to show him to the best advantage before the king and court. A trust she vowed to uphold.

  At once, the weight of the decision pressed down on her. She had to choose wisely, lest she and Geoffrey be ridiculed throughout the court. With a shake of her shoulders, she went to her duty with the princess, knowing she would think about Geoffrey Longford and the knights of the Round Table the whole long afternoon.

  “Lady Alyse, you are come late from chapel, I think.” The gentle voice of Princess Joanna greeted her as she slipped into the chamber. She had hoped the young princess would not notice her tardiness.

  She turned, noting Anne and Maurya already in their accustomed places on benches alongside the princess, and curtsied deeply to Joanna, seated at the end of the reception chamber. “I beg pardon, Your Highness. I meant no disrespect. Sir Geoffrey, my betrothed, had news to impart that kept me a little while.” The sudden memory of the kiss that had detained her further brought fire to her face.

  “Then come sit by me, Alyse, and tell us your news.” Joanna smiled and indicated the seat of honor at her right side. “Is it regarding your nuptials?”

/>   “No, Your Highness. There is no other news about my marriage.” Alyse smiled back. Joanna had asked hundreds of questions about her wedding in the past two days. The princess’s own marriage to Prince Pedro of Spain loomed large in the fourteen-year-old’s mind, so she had questioned Alyse daily about hers.

  “Then what great news has Sir Geoffrey given you? I can see you are glowing with excitement. Your cheeks are red.” The princess laughed, and Alyse dropped her gaze to her lap to hide her hot face.

  “Sir Geoffrey tells me I am to ride in the procession to the tournament this week.”

  A burst of chatter erupted at Alyse’s words. All the ladies-in-waiting knew the princess would ride with her father’s chancellor, Sir Robert Bouchier, and that they would be garbed as Sir Pellinor and Niniane, the Lady of the Lake. This news had fed their conversation for the past week. Now, however, all eyes turned to Alyse, the questions coming sharp and fast.

  “You are truly to ride in the procession, Alyse?”

  “Where will you be placed?”

  “What knight will Sir Geoffrey portray?”

  “Who will you be?”

  Despite the barrage of questions, Alyse remained undaunted. Her excitement carried her onward as she tried to answer everyone at once. “Sir Geoffrey told me he did beg the boon of my company from the king himself, and the king has granted it. So I will ride with him toward the end of the procession, he thinks.” Her pride at Geoffrey’s regard of her swelled as she spoke. For once being the center of attention pleased her. She sat straight and smiled as she answered the ladies’ excited queries.

  “Which knight will Sir Geoffrey be, Alyse?” Maurya repeated her question louder in order to be heard over the chatter. “Did he tell you?”

  Alyse had been delighted at breakfast to find that her friend now also attended Princess Joanna and would accompany them to Spain with her husband and brother.