Page 34

“The Queen arrives,” he said, clearing his throat, and turning her head, Gunnilde saw Her Majesty emerging from her private rooms, accompanied by two ladies this morning. One predictably was Magnatrude Bartree but the other was Countess Vawdrey, wife to the King’s chief adviser.

“’Tis Eden’s sister-in-law, Fenella!” Gunnilde hissed excitedly.

“Yes,” James agreed.

“She only seems to attend the formal functions by and large. I do not think I have seen her attending the Queen before.”

James frowned. “Was she not at the feast that followed our wedding?”

“I believe she was, but I did not get the chance to speak with her,” Gunnilde said wistfully. “She and Lord Vawdrey were sat with the King.”

The Queen and Magnatrude Bartree had mounted the dais by this point, but to Gunnilde’s surprise, Countess Vawdrey appeared to be making her way in their direction.

Gunnilde glanced about to see if there was anyone else in the vicinity she might know.

Turning back, she found herself the recipient of a very warm smile.

“Good morning to you both, Sir James and Lady Wycliffe,” Fenella Vawdrey hailed them, and bows and curtseys were exchanged all round.

“I am so sorry not to have sought you out before. I have been most remiss in my attentions, I do hope you can forgive me.” She looked so sweetly earnest that Gunnilde practically fell over herself to assure her that she had not been neglectful in any way.

“Oh, but I have indeed,” she responded at once.

“Eden wrote to me most particularly asking that I take an interest in you at court, Gunnilde, but you see, I was quite ill in September. Oh, nothing serious, I assure you, but such an unpleasant cough and I was not fit to be seen. And then of course, Nathan came down with it and then Stephen, my twin boys you know,” she explained, looking from Gunnilde to James and then back again.

“I could not bear to leave them when they are still so little.”

“Oh, I quite understand!” Gunnilde hurried to assure her. “Your mothering instinct does you credit, I am sure.”

“Well, my husband maintains I am the best wife and mother in all of Karadok,” she replied with a laugh.

“But in truth the boys are not so very young now, ’tis only that I hate to leave them for too long, despite their excellent nurse.

They both have a full head of teeth and black Vawdrey hair,” she said proudly.

“And both are walking on two feet and even running if given the opportunity.”

“Already?” Gunnilde was all admiration. “Eden has told me what fine boys they are.”

“You must come and meet them,” Fenella insisted. “Indeed, you must come and dine with us one evening soon.”

“We would love to,” Gunnilde assured her at once.

Fenella’s face clouded over. “The only trouble of it is, fitting everything in. I am sure you have heard that we are all traveling to Vawdrey Keep for the Solstice and won’t be in town after the eleventh.”

“You must have a hundred and one things to organize before you travel to Sitchmarsh,” Gunnilde sympathized. “Instead, why do I not invite you and Lord Vawdrey to attend a banquet I am holding in two weeks’ time? It is to be held here in the palace on the night of the tenth.”

Fenella brightened. “That is so kind of you, Gunnilde,” she enthused.

“And when we return from Sitchmarsh, I will make sure to invite you to our townhouse for supper.” She beamed.

“And you will allow me to make it up to you that I was not here to ease your passage into court life, won’t you, Gunnilde?

” She looked faintly anxious as she said this.

“Indeed, you clearly did not need my help, for only look at you!”

Her eyes traveled over Gunnilde’s ensemble with admiration.

“You are quite the fine court lady. I vow I have never been half so fashionable.” She eyed Gunnilde’s slit sleeves and hair arrangement with interest. “I had heard, of course, of the horned hairstyles but truth to tell I could not even picture them in my mind’s eye.

I am very happy to finally know what all the fuss is about!

Really, it looks most becoming. It is no wonder the Queen enjoys your company.

She told me how you caught her eye from the outset. ”

This was not really true, but Gunnilde was far too taken with this flattering revision of her court debut to deny it. “The Queen is too kind,” she murmured modestly, casting down her eyes.

“Yes, when the mood takes her,” Fenella agreed, glancing back at the dais. “Speaking of which, I had better return to her side before I give Mistress Bartree the chance to oust me from her affections altogether.” She pulled a droll face, then took her leave of them.

“Is she not lovely?” Gunnilde sighed, watching the countess cross the room.

“She seems a very pleasant woman.”

She frowned at this tepid response. “You surely would not describe her as ‘tall and sad.’”

“No,” James agreed. Gunnilde looked at him expectantly. “She is short and plump and merry,” he elaborated after a moment’s contemplation.

“And vastly elegant and distinguished,” she prompted.

“She seems quite refreshingly down to earth to me.”

“I meant her manner of dress.”

“Well...” His gaze returned to Fenella Vawdrey.

“She is certainly wearing a lot of velvet and jewels, if that is what you mean.” Gunnilde sighed.

“What I meant was,” he said, clearly trying to redeem himself, “she is not trying to start any new fashions. I have seen that style of dress anytime these past two years.”

“Yes, but when you have the best of everything you do not need to worry about standing out from the crowd,” she replied absently, her gaze sweeping the room to see if anyone was impressed by her tête-à-tête with Countess Vawdrey.

When she looked back at James, he was frowning. “I mean to buy you a new ring, Gunnilde,” he said surprisingly. “You can give that other back to Mistress Bartree.”

“Really? I suppose I ought,” she said, lifting her hand and twisting the gold band to look at the letters inscribed around it.

“Should you like an inscription of your own?” he asked abruptly.

“Do you know, I believe I would,” she answered, pleased by the thought.

“What should it be?”

“The most flowery and complimentary thing you can think of,” she answered at once.

“How about ‘To Gunnilde, who is neither tall nor sad’ ?” he suggested.

“It falls somewhat short of the mark,” she laughed. “Perhaps I should be content with our initials.”

“No.” He frowned. “I will ponder the matter. I am sure something suitable will occur to me.”

She smiled at him. “I look forward to it.”

At this point, Sir Edmund Pomfritt and Lord Symmington presented their bows.

Sir Edmund subjected her hair arrangement to a good many hard stares, while Lord Symmington gave her the merest of dismissive glances before asking James if he intended to attend the poetry reading that afternoon in the small chamber.

James glanced at her and opened his mouth when Gunnilde interjected quickly, “Yes, of course we will be there. I am so fond of poetry, as my husband knows.”

Both gentlemen looked surprised but claimed they would look for them there before moving away.

“Why did you say that?” James asked, stepping in close. He kept his voice low. “When you told me you did not care for it at all!”

“Well, if you are to be open to revising your opinion of ballads, then so must I be, to poetry.”

His eyebrows shot up. “I see. Well, do not blame me if you find it dull fare.”

“I will not find it dull if you explain it to me. Only you must try and do it subtly, so that others present do not know that I am a fraud.”

His mouth twitched. “A fraudulent poetry lover?” A reluctant smile curved his lips.

“Precisely.”

“Well, then you must do the same for me, when we are in the tavern, and they are roaring ballads to the ceiling over my unhappy head.”

She laughed. “They will never find out from me,” she promised.

“It can be part of our pact,” he suggested.

“Our pact?”

“Our marriage pact. I will support you in this, and you me, with that.”

“Always,” she agreed gravely, “that and jesters.”

He could not hold back his own laugh at that. “Perhaps I should have that inscribed on your ring.”

Gunnilde had been about to reply when a cleared throat interrupted them.

James took a guilty step back. It was Lord and Lady Gilchrist, who turned out to be a cousin of James’s.

They seemed nice enough, though both were clearly agog to see him with his new wife at close quarters.

His swollen eye also seemed to give them pause though they were far too tactful to mention it.

“We were so sorry to miss the wedding celebrations,” Lady Gilchrist said with gentle reproach. “But perhaps it was a last-minute affair, and you could not extend invitations to all the family.”

“Alas, the Queen took over the arrangements,” Gunnilde interrupted, saving James from any awkwardness. “She swept all before her and neither James nor myself had much by way of family representation present.”

“Ah,” Lord Gilchrist commented. “It was like that, was it? You cannot take offense now, Catherine. Not when they had so little say in the matter.”

“There was never any question of taking offence, Godfrey,” his wife assured him, a faint edge to her voice. “I was merely surprised that, well, we have perhaps said enough on that matter, and can lay it to rest,” she said graciously. “Have you had news from my aunt of late, James?”

James’s expression sobered. “My mother wrote to me about two weeks ago,” he said grimly.

“And there is no improvement in that quarter?” she asked and tutted sympathetically. “She has a lot to contend with, indeed.”

“Well, well,” Lord Gilchrist said. “We must not bring down James’s spirits like this!

You’ve dashed the laughter from his lips!

He has a wife now to lift him up and support him, is that not so?

This is a cause for celebration, not to cast him down in a ditch!

” Gunnilde beamed on him. Lord Gilchrist, she decided, was rather nice.

His wife tutted. “Weddings are usually a cause for celebration it is true, but such tidings will doubtless cause much consternation at Wycliffe Hall. Why,” she said, turning back to James, “when last your mother wrote to me, she mentioned quite a different prospective bride!”

To Gunnilde’s surprise, James passed an arm about her waist. “Perhaps she did,” he responded coolly. “But for my part I must profess myself well pleased with the one I’ve got.”

Lady Gilchrist looked as astonished as Gunnilde felt. Glancing up at James, she found him regarding his cousin once with a challenging air.

“Oh, so it’s like that, is it?” Lord Gilchrist said, rocking back on his heels.

“Well, good for you, Wycliffe. Sometimes it’s good to let a young person have his head in such matters.

Everything can’t be about duty, I’ve said so many a time, is that not so, Catherine?

It isn’t good to have the weight of responsibility always bearing down upon you.

There’s got to be a little room for pleasure, now and again. ”

“Godfrey!” his wife uttered faintly.

Lord Gilchrist puffed out his cheeks. “There now, I’ve said my piece,” he said, “and surrender the floor.” He winked at Gunnilde and led his aghast wife away.

“Your cousin looks fit to collapse,” she commented.

“My mother’s family are all like that,” he replied dryly. “Easily shocked.”

Gunnilde bit back the words that trembled on her lips. She had once thought James the same. Perhaps she had misjudged him. His hand still rested at her waist. It made her feel slightly breathless.

“I hope she does not write to your mother claiming you threw Constance over on the merest whim,” she whispered. “I think Lord Gilchrist believes you cast duty to the winds in marrying me.”

“There are doubtless rumors circulating,” James replied, sounding unconcerned. “It is unlikely many of them will be relayed to our faces.”

“You know what we ought to have done, James!” she said with sudden inspiration.

“We should have invited them to our banquet!” She whipped around, dislodging James’s hand, but the Gilchrists were already too far away to hurry after.

Gunnilde tutted. “It did not occur to me at the time but doubtless that would smooth Lady Gilchrist’s ruffled feathers. ”

James shrugged. He did not look particularly taken with the idea. “If you have not already sent out your invites, then you can simply add them to your list.”

“No, of course I have not sent them out, for I wanted to consult with you first. You will surely have some friends and acquaintances you wish to invite along,” she said encouragingly.

“Tell me, what do you think to taking the Squires’ Revels for our theme?

The Revels are held on the twelfth and our party is the tenth, so we will practically be celebrating on the eve. ”

James shrugged. “I thought your aim in throwing the party was to lord your new status over your former friends,” he said dryly.

Gunnilde flushed. “’Tis not just for that purpose!

” she stressed. “I also want to formally introduce my brother and his friends to court and... Well, it will be the first event we host together as a married couple, will it not? You must certainly invite Master Gregory and his family, and anyone else you see fit.”

“Very well,” James answered. “I will consider the matter.”

Gunnilde looked relieved. “I should not wish to bear sole responsibility for the occasion being a success,” she admitted frankly.

“The likelihood of the Conways or anyone else turning up on such short notice is extremely slim. At least now we have Earl and Countess Vawdrey as well as the Queen. That means we have prestigious guests enough in attendance.”

She glanced across at James, but he was frowning again. He did not seem keen to play the host, and she supposed she could not blame him. “I suppose we ought to be making our way to the poetry reading,” she prompted him.