well spoken and well received by all who toiled in the kitchen preparing a feast from next to nothing to celebrate the coming of King Henry's man. John's warning had been well timed, for Cathryn entered the kitchen just moments later.
Watching her as she checked the progress of the oatmeal pudding bubbling in the cauldron or debated with John the precise amount of precious clove needed to spice the pork, they drew comfort from her composure. She was the keel to their boat, keeping them from floundering in panic and fear. But until today, their boat had been rudderless. William le Brouillard would change all that. Watching her, Alys could scarce believe that in hours she would be wed, so calm was she. Watching her, Eldon knew with growing confidence that the Lord of Greneforde would protect the land and the people from attack. The image began to solidify for each of them that having a lord again would mean hunters to provide meat and men to scan the horizon from the curtain walk; their world, upended for so many years, would be set right again. Cathryn's visit had achieved its purpose.
And then, from the walk, Albert's cry bounded off the walls to echo through the courtyard, an echo that seemed to reverberate in Cathryn's very soul.
"He comes!"
All eyes turned to her, all preparations halted; the sweat running down the column of Christine's neck, the blood dripping from Lan's knife, the rolling boil of the cauldron, the rapid blinking of Eldon's light blue eyes were all magnified and crystallized for her in that moment. It was an eternal moment, a moment when time ceased. It was the moment between freedom and bondage, maidenhood and marriage. Nay, she inwardly scolded, it was the moment between vulnerability in a hostile world and safety, hunger and a full belly. That was what she must remember, what she must believe. With her next words, eternity ended.
"He comes," Cathryn repeated and then she smiled softly, "and I shall go to meet him."
With measured tread, she turned and left the kitchen, standing for just a moment on the threshold. The sounds of frantic activity resumed with the force of unexpected thunder and she smiled. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the gray wind that swirled within the enclosure, enjoying the cool wetness of the air in her nostrils. Truly, she was enjoying every moment as if it were her last. Today she would marry. Her bridegroom even now approached, and she would wed by order of the king. The thought careened in her head like a stone in a barrel until she nodded firmly, setting her scattered thoughts to rest. With strictly enforced peace holding her terror captive, Cathryn marched across the courtyard.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Marie, huddled against the stone of the great tower, her eyes unseeing circles of summer sky in an ashen face. Stepping into her line of vision, Cathryn made a quick motion with her hand and Marie was gone, gone to hide in the shadowed corners of the great tower. For a moment, a small moment, Cathryn wished for someone to give her permission to hide away from the coming encounter, and then that rebellious wish was cast down with a firm nod.
"Open the gate," she called calmly to Albert. "The lord of Greneforde is come."
Cathryn stifled the overwhelming sense of vulnerability that assailed her upon seeing that open gap in the wall. She could hear a horse approaching. Squaring her shoulders, she waited, alone in the wide courtyard of Greneforde, for William le Brouillard.
Chapter 3
The gate in the tower that rose in solid splendor over the river Brent opened as William approached. It strengthened his impression that he was home. In the future, he would have a solemn talk with the keeper of the gate, for it was foolhardy in the extreme to open Greneforde wide to an unidentified knight and his retinue, though his men were far behind him. Even Rowland, who rode with him, had been left behind as he had urged his horse to greater and
Watching her as she checked the progress of the oatmeal pudding bubbling in the cauldron or debated with John the precise amount of precious clove needed to spice the pork, they drew comfort from her composure. She was the keel to their boat, keeping them from floundering in panic and fear. But until today, their boat had been rudderless. William le Brouillard would change all that. Watching her, Alys could scarce believe that in hours she would be wed, so calm was she. Watching her, Eldon knew with growing confidence that the Lord of Greneforde would protect the land and the people from attack. The image began to solidify for each of them that having a lord again would mean hunters to provide meat and men to scan the horizon from the curtain walk; their world, upended for so many years, would be set right again. Cathryn's visit had achieved its purpose.
And then, from the walk, Albert's cry bounded off the walls to echo through the courtyard, an echo that seemed to reverberate in Cathryn's very soul.
"He comes!"
All eyes turned to her, all preparations halted; the sweat running down the column of Christine's neck, the blood dripping from Lan's knife, the rolling boil of the cauldron, the rapid blinking of Eldon's light blue eyes were all magnified and crystallized for her in that moment. It was an eternal moment, a moment when time ceased. It was the moment between freedom and bondage, maidenhood and marriage. Nay, she inwardly scolded, it was the moment between vulnerability in a hostile world and safety, hunger and a full belly. That was what she must remember, what she must believe. With her next words, eternity ended.
"He comes," Cathryn repeated and then she smiled softly, "and I shall go to meet him."
With measured tread, she turned and left the kitchen, standing for just a moment on the threshold. The sounds of frantic activity resumed with the force of unexpected thunder and she smiled. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the gray wind that swirled within the enclosure, enjoying the cool wetness of the air in her nostrils. Truly, she was enjoying every moment as if it were her last. Today she would marry. Her bridegroom even now approached, and she would wed by order of the king. The thought careened in her head like a stone in a barrel until she nodded firmly, setting her scattered thoughts to rest. With strictly enforced peace holding her terror captive, Cathryn marched across the courtyard.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Marie, huddled against the stone of the great tower, her eyes unseeing circles of summer sky in an ashen face. Stepping into her line of vision, Cathryn made a quick motion with her hand and Marie was gone, gone to hide in the shadowed corners of the great tower. For a moment, a small moment, Cathryn wished for someone to give her permission to hide away from the coming encounter, and then that rebellious wish was cast down with a firm nod.
"Open the gate," she called calmly to Albert. "The lord of Greneforde is come."
Cathryn stifled the overwhelming sense of vulnerability that assailed her upon seeing that open gap in the wall. She could hear a horse approaching. Squaring her shoulders, she waited, alone in the wide courtyard of Greneforde, for William le Brouillard.
Chapter 3
The gate in the tower that rose in solid splendor over the river Brent opened as William approached. It strengthened his impression that he was home. In the future, he would have a solemn talk with the keeper of the gate, for it was foolhardy in the extreme to open Greneforde wide to an unidentified knight and his retinue, though his men were far behind him. Even Rowland, who rode with him, had been left behind as he had urged his horse to greater and
Similar Books
Heart of Danger
Lisa Marie Rice
Long Voyage Back
Luke Rhinehart
Bear Claw Bodyguard
Jessica Andersen
Just Like Magic
Elizabeth Townsend
Silver Dawn (Wishes #4.5)
G. J. Walker-Smith
Hazel
A. N. Wilson
Wolves and the River of Stone
Eric Asher
Dark Isle (Celtic Legacy Book 2)
Shannon Mayer
Attainment (The Temptation Series)
K.M. Golland