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The earl was garbed in an elegant costume of wine-colored velvet. His silk shirt was ruffled at both the neck and the sleeves. His stockings were striped wine and gold. His doublet was sewn with gold beads and pearls. Atop his dark head he wore a flat bonnet with ostrich tips. A heavy gold chain was about his neck.

The progress was settling into the encampment. Protocol demanded that the Earl and Countess of March wait to be summoned into the royal presence. The Duke of Norfolk arrived to greet them, looking weary and travel-stained. It was a hard progress for a man of seventy. They had not seen him since they had left court over a year ago.

"Will you be seated, my lord? Some wine, perhaps?" Nyssa was the model of a perfect hostess. Only her husband noticed her cold tone.

The duke settled himself heavily into a chair and grunted his thanks as the goblet was offered him. He drank deeply. "You carry good wine with you," he noted. "How are my great-grandchildren?"

"Thriving, Grandfather," the earl said. He thought the old man looked a trifle worn.

"They would be better if their parents did not have to trek over half the English countryside following a royal progress because of the whim of a chit of a queen," Nyssa said sharply.

"Have you not yet beaten the high spirits out of her?" the duke said, not bothering to answer Nyssa directly, and thereby infuriating her even more. "At least she's a good breeder. Would God that your cousin Catherine proved as fecund."

Nyssa opened her mouth to respond, but Varian sharply reprimanded her. "Nyssa!Be silent, sweeting." He turned to his grandfather. "We heard that she had miscarried in late spring."

"Perhaps," the duke said gloomily. "She is very secretive about it. She has not the wit of a flea, and loves nothing but constant pleasure, but the king adores her.So far. She can do no wrong in his eyes."

He looked directly at Nyssa, and to her surprise, addressed her. "I am glad you are here, madame. The queen is restless, and she is bored. That is not good. I know not why she feels this way. She has everything her heart desires, yet she complains she has not her best friend. You seem to have that distinction, although I cannot comprehend why. Try to calm her, madame. Turn her to a more reasonable behavior."

"Cat cannot be turned if she chooses not to be," Nyssa said quietly. "How little you really know her, my lord; and that, I think, may prove dangerous for you both."

"The future of the family depends upon your success," the Duke of Norfolk told Nyssa.

"Nonsense!" she snorted. "Besides, we are not Howards, my lord. Varian and I are de Winters. We do not seek power and riches. We were content at Winterhaven with our children. If you fall from grace, my lord, it will not affect us."

He looked at her admiringly. "By God I could wish that you were a Howard, madame. You look like a wild rose, but you are hard as iron." He turned to his grandson. "Are you happy with her? You should be. She is strong, and loyal to you. She loves you."

"I love her," the earl replied. "I have from the first moment I laid eyes on her at Hampton Court. Nyssa is not of a mind to forgive you for the way in which we married, but we both owe you a debt of gratitude, Grandfather, for without realizing it, or even caring one way or the other, you brought us together. For that we will attempt to help you, will we not, sweeting?" His green eyes bore into hers.

We are one, she thought, triumphant. If she asked him to take her home now, he would.He loved her!"We will remain, my lord," she said quietly, "and I will try to be a good influence upon the queen." Her look was imperious. She was granting him a favor.

The Duke of Norfolk grinned wolfishly at both of them. If I were younger, he thought, she is just the kind of woman I would want for myself. Clever and proud. He could but imagine, with envy, the pleasure she gave his grandson in bed. She would be all fire and ice. A wild rose with sharp, sharp thorns.

"The queen would see you," he told Nyssa. "I will take you to her; and you, Varian, can make your presence known to the king. He is in an excellent mood today. The hunting was good for a change."

They followed him through the encampment directly into its heart, where the magnificent cloth-of-gold and silver-striped pavilions that housed the royal couple were set up. Beneath a scarlet and gold awning cooks were busily preparing a feast for the evening meal.

"The queen is there." The duke pointed to a slightly smaller pavilion. "She is expecting you, madame."

Nyssa curtsied to her husband's grandfather, but there was nothing subservient in the movement. Her eyes met those of her husband, and she could see his mouth twitching with laughter. "My lords," she said, and then moved on past them into the queen's pavilion.

Lady Rochford hurried forward. "Hurry!" she said to Nyssa. "She is so anxious to see you, my lady."

The Countess of March followed Lady Rochford into the queen's privy. Catherine Howard, gowned in the king's favorite rose velvet, arose from her seat, and running forward, threw her arms about her friend, to the shock of her ladies.

"Nyssa!Ohh, I am so glad you are finally here. We are going to have such fun now!"

One look at Cat told Nyssa that something was very wrong. Could no one else see it? Her friend was like a lute string that was too tight and ready to break. Nyssa curtsied low, and when she arose, she smiled at Cat, saying, "You must tell me all about being a queen, madame, and I shall tell you all about my wonderful babies."

CHAPTER 12

THEqueen felt freer on progress than she had anywhere else since her marriage a year ago. Suddenly she was surrounded by a group of attractive young people whose sole goal in life was pleasure. Her best friend in all the world had arrived to keep her company and share her secrets. They would hunt all day along the route, and dance the night away. Henry was a fine companion in the mornings, but after his dinner, he usually wanted to sleep. She need only spend half the time pleasing him. The other half was her own time, and she would spend it as she pleased.

Nyssa hated the royal progress. It was the worst time of her life. Am I getting old? she wondered. Why can I not lose myself in the mindless pleasures that Cat does? Would it have been different if Varian and I were not wed; if we did not have children? But she knew that that was not so. There were many young married couples in the court, and they all seemed to be having a wonderful time. All Nyssa could think of, however, was that there was soap and perfume, jams and conserves to be made. Meat and fish had to be salted for the winter. How was this going to get done if she was not there to supervise? Oh, young Mistress Browning was capable, but Nyssa wanted to be home, overseeing her own household, not trekking all over England in the company of the court.

"Why can I not enjoy myself?" she asked her husband.

"For the same reason I cannot," he told her. "You and I are country people at heart. We are not courtiers who can while away their days in frivolous pursuits. I know Master Smale can oversee the harvest and the shearing, but I would prefer to be there myself."