The Captive Heart Read Free Page B

the way of our world, old woman.”
    Edmee and Fayme crossed themselves again.
    “Papa, do not frighten us,” Alix said.
    “I do not mean to frighten you,” Alexander Givet answered her. “It is the truth.”
    “What will happen to us?” Edmee quavered.
    The physician shrugged. “Who knows,” he said. “The queen has been leaving many of our retainers behind as we moved north. They were fortunate to be put with other noble families who will weather this storm. We are the last. Who knows what will happen to us, but I suspect nothing. We will take refuge in Scotland, and probably in the end return to Anjou. We three came with the queen when she was brought to England. It will not be so bad to go home again, eh?”
    The two women smiled tremulously and nodded.
    “She will not cast you two aside,” he assured them.
    “But maybe the king will be restored,” Alix said hopefully.
    Her father shook his head. “Perhaps” was all he said. Alexander Givet was a realist. Henry Plantagenet had, since his son’s birth, been subject to fits of madness. Some lasted as long as a year. Others but a few days or weeks. But he had never been a successful ruler, and now his condition made it impossible for him to rule at all. The rivalries at court had contributed to his downfall. That and his queen. The nobility did not like having a strong queen who was England’s actual ruler. It had been inevitable that the king would be dethroned eventually, but the Duke of York’s high-handed methods had rubbed Margaret of Anjou and her allies the wrong way. The past few years had been chaotic, and the chaos had but contributed to the king’s fragile mental state. Alexander Givet would not say it aloud, but he very much doubted if Henry VI would ever again sit upon his throne. A madman could not rule England, or any other land.
    Sir Udolf had taken the physician’s suggestion. While he and his guests sat eating, his servants were cleaning up two small rooms to house the little prince, his nursemaid, and Alix. The young boy was so exhausted by the day he had lived, he fell asleep at the high board. One of the baron’s servants carried the lad to his bed, old Edmee following in their wake. After thanking their host, the queen and Fayme departed. Alix remained behind to see her father settled for the night.
    “Nay, mignon , I am quite capable of putting myself to bed,” Alexander Givet assured his daughter. “The baron and I plan to drink a bit more wine and play some chess,” he chuckled, patting her small hand. “Go and rest yourself.”
    The king’s body servant, John, came into the hall on his way to the kitchens for his meal. He had been watching over the king while the others had eaten. “Mistress Alix,” he called to her. “The queen needs you to sing to the king.”
    “Go,” the physician said. “I am fine.”
    Placing a kiss upon his cheek Alix hurried from the hall.
    “She sings to the king?” Sir Udolf looked quizzically at Alexander Givet.
    “When the king is restless and the dolor comes upon him, my daughter sings to the king the songs that his mother used to sing to him. It calms him.”
    “She is a pretty girl,” the baron said, “and both faithful and true not just to her parent but to her lord and lady, as well I can see. You are truly blessed in your daughter.”
    “Your son,” the physician said. “He was not in the hall tonight.”
    “Hayle had many things to do for me, and he is devoted to Wulfborn,” the baron answered. “Ah, here is the chessboard all set up for us now. Will you play black or white, my good doctor?”
    “White,” Alexander Givet said. “Wulfborn?”
    “The name of our estate. This is Wulfborn Hall. Our distant ancestors were Vikings, or so the legend goes. Hayle looks very much like I would imagine a Viking warrior would look,” the baron said. “He is tall and blond.”
    The two men sat down to play at chess, talking, sipping at their cups. The hour grew late, and after