Notorious Read Free Page A

ladies to retire and Brianna left also.
    She went upstairs to her mother’s chamber, eager to get answers to some of the things she’d heard today that puzzled her. She watched as her mother removed her emeralds and locked them safely in her jewel casket.
    â€œI always assumed I was born in this castle, as was Guy Thomas. Why was I born at Windrush?”
    Jory, caught off guard by her daughter’s question, gave her a half-truth. “Your father and I had a quarrel.” Her green eyes sparkled with amusement. “I withdrew to my own castle of Windrush to bring him to heel.”
    Brianna laughed merrily at the absurd suggestion that her father could ever be brought to heel, but she knew her mother was an enchantress, and wanted to be exactly like her.
    Jory picked up her brush. “Any more questions?”
    â€œYes.” Brianna’s admiring glance lingered on her mother’s beautiful silver-gilt hair. “What is a pederast?”
    Jory’s eyes widened. “Come and sit down and I’ll brush your hair. You were listening today when your father and I were talking to Roger.”
    Brianna sat down at the dressing table before the mirror. “Of course I was listening.”
    â€œIt refers to a man who loves males rather than females.”
    â€œKing Edward loves males? What about Queen Isabelle?”
    Jory sighed. “It’s a long story, infinitely sad and disturbing, but I suppose you are old enough to hear it.”
    Brianna watched in the mirror as her mother applied long soothing brushstrokes to her red-gold hair.
    â€œWhen Edward married Isabelle and brought her from France, she was only thirteen years old. They had separate households at Windsor until she was old enough for the marriage to be consummated, and I was chosen as one of her ladies. Young Isabelle was madly in love with Edward and thought him a golden god. He hardly noticed her. He had eyes for only his favorite, Piers Gaveston, who had been placed in the prince’s household when he was a boy. When King Edward learned of the immoral relationship between his son and Gaveston he banished him. But the moment the old king died, Edward brought Gaveston back to court.”
    â€œWhen I was a little girl, I remember that Edward and Gaveston were always together. No wonder Queen Isabelle detested him.”
    â€œWe all hated Gaveston. He manipulated Edward like a puppet on a string. He was greedy and grasping and had a sycophantic entourage of Gascon relatives and friends who bled the king dry. He paraded about in the Crown Jewels, and Edward even gave him the jewels that Isabelle received as wedding presents.”
    â€œEdward actually fell in love with Gaveston?” Brianna asked.
    â€œFor Edward it was more than love at first sight, it was complete surrender. He showered him with gifts and lands and titles, and Gaveston turned the king against the barons.”
    â€œWhen did Isabelle learn that Edward loved Gaveston?”
    â€œWhen she walked in on them and found them in bed together. Her naive innocence was stripped away in an instant. She was devastated and wrote to her father. The King of France contacted Thomas, Earl of Lancaster. Since Thomas was England’s high steward and the second greatest power in the land, King Philip charged him to become the queen’s champion and rid Edward of his lover.”
    â€œWhat happened?” Brianna hung on to every word.
    â€œParliament banished Gaveston, more than once, but each time Edward brought him back again. The last straw for me came after my dearest friend, Princess Joanna, died. The king immediately married his sister’s daughter, young Margaret, to his lover so that he would get all the lands and castles that her father, Gilbert de Clare, had left her.”
    â€œI can remember how upset you were. I thought it was because Joanna had died, but now I see that it was more.”
    â€œMargaret was like my own daughter.