The Reckoning - 3 (56 page)

Llewelyn is of a sudden willing to trust a servant of the English Crown?"
"That is very easy to answer. You see, Llewelyn well knows that my loyalties are pledged to Wales, only to Wales."
Davydd's eyes narrowed. "You think mine are not?"
Goronwy gave him an intent look. "If they are," he said, "then I am indeed sorry for you, Davydd/' and to Davydd's fury, he sounded quite sincere.
ELLEN was surrounded by friends. Her de Quincy cousins, who bore the blood of
Joanna and Llewelyn Fawr: Hawise, wed to Baldwin Wake, and Joanna, who'd been widowed at Evesham. John d'Eyvill and his wife, Matilda. Nicholas Segrave.
These men had been loyal unto death to her father; Nicholas Segrave was one of the few who'd survived the carnage of Evesham, and Baldwin Wake and John d'Eyville had been with Bran during his last doomed campaign. For them, there was a special poignancy in this reunion with their dead lord's daughter, a brief escape from Edward's England to what might have been, and they laughed and jested and remembered, even if they dared not share those Memories aloud.
There'd been a break in the dancing, and Ellen gave a theatrical moan when the musicians moved back onto the dance floor. She'd allays loved dancing, but a bride was expected to dance with any man ^ho asked her, and she'd already spun through so many carols that

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night that she felt like a child's whirling top. They commiserated play_ hilly with her plight, and John d'Eyvill suggested that the men Urj, arms, refuse to let any of her would-be partners up onto the dais.
Ellen laughed, shook her head. "That is a most chivalrous offer but I mean to do something even more scandalous. For the rest of the night, I shall dance only with my husband. So I'd best seek him out ere the music begins again."
^ Rising, she experienced a moment of light-headedness, not her first warning that she was fast approaching the limits of her wine intake Normally she was a moderate drinker, but they'd begun the festivities with hippocras, followed by a hearty red wine, then claret, and for the past hour, an adoring-eyed young page had shadowed her every move, keeping her cup brimming with vernage, her favorite white wine. Holding the cup carefully now, she lifted her skirts so she could descend the shallow steps of the dais. But she was concentrating so intently upon her long, trailing train that she did not even notice the man in her path, not until it was too late.
She stumbled, but managed to regain her balance and even to direct her spilled wine away from him; only a few drops splattered onto his surcote sleeve, the rest splashing into the floor rushes. "I am indeed sorry," she began, but her smile froze as she realized that the man she'd almost drenched was Davydd.
"I have never met a woman so set upon wasting good wine. Are you always like this, or is it only around me that you get the urge to water the floor rushes?"
She supposed she had to give him credit for daring to remind her of the way she'd discomfited him at Windsor, but then, he'd never lacked for gall. "If you will excuse me . . .?"
But he did not move aside. "There is no need to run away," he said, "for have you not noticed that I'm on my best behavior? I've not gotten into a single brawl today, I've gallantly refrained from claiming the traditional dance with the bride, much less a bridal kiss. And," he added, with a smile that mixed both mischief and malice, "I have not reminded Edward about your quaint
English custom, the one that supposedly gives a lord the right to spend the first night with his vassal's bride."
He was intrigued to see how green her eyes suddenly shone; just like, he thought, a cat on the prowl.
"You remind me," she said, "of my brothers. You see, in their youth, they, too, took a perverse pleasure in saying things they hoped would astound or dismay. But they outgrew it."
"This is just conjecture, of course, but I am beginning to suspec* you do not like me very much, Lady Ellen."
She smiled. "I do not like you at all, and you well know it. Moreover, T doubt that I'm one of your favorite people, either. So I cannot help wondering why you took the trouble to seek me out." She paused xpectantly. "Well? Do not tell me that you, of all men, are at a loss for an answer?"
"Oh, I have any number of answers. I was just deciding which one you'd be most likely to believe."
"Why not be truly daring and try the truth?"
"We Welsh have a saying, 'cynghor y gobenydd/ which translates as, 'the advice of the pillow.' It occurred to me that your pillow talk might be more dangerous than most, since my brother is obviously smitten. So I thought I'd best find out if hostilities are about to begin. Being a de Montfort, I assume that you would at least issue a declaration of war first?"
Ellen was surprised, for she'd never expected that he really would be honest with her. "You may set your mind at rest, my lord Davydd. I'll not try to turn
Llewelyn against you," she said, thinking that he'd already done that all on his own.

Davydd seemed to read her thoughts, saying, "You'll leave that up to me, then?
Fair enough, I Oh, Christ Jesus, Hugh, not again! Believe me, your lady is no maiden in distress. In fact, I'd back her against the dragon any day." He smiled, bowed mockingly, and was gone before either Ellen or Hugh could respond.
"Thank you, Hugh." Ellen raised up, kissed him on the cheek. "But Davydd was right for once; I was not in need of rescue." Shaking her head, she said wonderingly, "How can two brothers be so different, like chalk and cheese?"
"In truth, my lady, Lord Davydd is not as much the black sheep as he would have people think." Hugh saw her eyes widen, and said hastily, before her indignation could take fire, "I have not forgotten how he plotted against Lord
Llewelyn's life, and indeed, that is a betrayal only God could forgive. But he can be kind, too, at times, for whatever reasons. He did intercede, after all, for Lord Bran at the battle of Northampton. And I never got the chance to tell you this, but he came to my aid when I was dragged before the King at Lincoln.
If not for him, Lady Ellen, I'd have been banished to a Bristol gaol."
Ellen was still puzzling over that a few moments later as she resumed her search for Llewelyn. But he found her first. "What did Davydd want?" he asked.
"He did not vex you, did he?"
"No, he assured me he was on his best behavior, and I think he may even have meant it. I have a confession, though, Llewelyn. I do n°t understand your brother at all!"
"You think I do?" He gave a bemused laugh. "Who else in

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Christendom would name his firstborn son after the man he'd tried t murder?"
Ellen reached for his hand. "When Davydd ambushed me," su said, "I was coining to ask you if you'd like to dance with me, and oi\lv with me, for the rest of the evening?"
"Actually," he said, "I had a more intimate activity in mind. I think it is time, cariad, that we begin our private celebrating."
"Now? Oh, Llewelyn, you want me to leave the dancing?" But Ellen could not carry if off; even as she pretended to pout, she began to giggle "After waiting nigh on three years to celebrate with you, I do not think you have to talk me into it. But love, you know you cannot be the one to suggest it is time for the bedding revelries. I've never understood why people think it is so much fun to torment the poor bridegroom, but if you even hint that you're eager to be alone with me, we'll be lucky to get to bed by dawn. And if I
suggest it, imagine the scandal! After all, I am an innocent maiden, and not supposed to think about what I've been thinking about all evening."
He grinned. "You're showing great promise as a wife, lass. But you need not worry, for I have a battle plan. I will need your help, though. I want you to look at me with heartfelt yearning, and the more attention we attract, the better. Can you do that?"
She nodded, but after one attempt at soulful passion, she started to giggle again. "I'm sorry, Llewelyn, I just cannot do it!"
By now he was laughing, too. "I can tell the wine has been flowing freely tonight! Let's try it again . . ." Turning her hand over, he pressed a kiss into her palm. "Do you remember that song you fancied? 'Come, mistress, mine, joy with thee, come, fairest, come, love, to me,' " he quoted softly, and by the time he was done, she looked utterly bewitched, and so bewitching herself that he lowered his mouth to hers. She came into his arms as if she belonged there, her lips parting under his as he prolonged the embrace, thinking he could get as tipsy on her perfume as she'd gotten on her wedding wine. But it was a private kiss in a public setting, ended by raucous cheering.
Llewelyn's allies now did their part, though, as promised, Blanche and Edmund declaring loudly that it was clearly time to get these poor, lovesick souls bedded down for the night, and others at once took up the cry.
Ellen had been to many weddings, had known full well what to expect. But it was still somewhat startling to find herself suddenly encircled by laughing, clapping spectators, many of them drunk, some of them strangers, all clamoring in unison, "To the marriage bed!" She was grateful when Llewelyn slid his arm around her waist, and whef he whispered against her ear, "Do you think there is something to b6

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said for elopements?" she laughed, but she still kept close to his side s the wedding party trooped from the hall.
As Llewelyn and Ellen knelt by the bed, the Bishop of Worcester offered the traditional blessing, prayed that their marriage would be fruitful and that they would find favor in the eyes of the Lord. He then sprinkled holy water about, and gave a brief homily in which he reminded them that the Church expected its sons and daughters to refrain from consummating a marriage until they had allotted a proper time for prayer and meditation, trying to ignore the snickers and nudges from the audience as he did so. He made a speedy departure then, more from disapproval than discretion, but the end result was the same; freed of any lingering constraints, the wedding guests, all who'd been able to squeeze into the bedchamber, now crowded around the bridal pair.
Llewelyn surprised Ellen then, for when someone asked who was going to undress the bride, he cut off the predictable spate of offers by saying that he might be persuaded to give her a hand, and that did not seem like his sort of humor to her, not in public. He was naturally hooted down, and only then did she see what he'd had in mind. "A man cannot be blamed for trying," he said, "but it is probably best that she gets to choose those who'll attend her."
"Yes, I shall choose straightaway," Ellen said hastily, before anyone could object, for many of these women were total strangers to her, and some she knew but did not like. This was an intimate ritual, making a bride ready for her husband. It ought to be done amidst friends, and now, thanks to Llewelyn, it would be, for there were a few dissenting murmurs, but no outright opposition.
People expected a certain amount of modesty in a virgin bride, and were usually willing to indulge it.
"I would be honored by the presence of the Queen," Ellen said, and as Eleanora smiled and nodded, she shot Llewelyn a triumphant "Who says I am not a diplomat?" look. 'The Countess of Lancaster. Dame Juliana. My kinswomen, Hawise Wake and Joanna de Bohun. Matilda d'Eyvill." For a moment, her eyes met
Elizabeth's eager ones, and she hesitated, but not long enough for anyone to notice, before saying, "My cousin Elizabeth." She had an inspiration then, added Maude Clifford's name to the list, and was rewarded by a look of incredulous delight. "And last, but for certes not least, my new niece, the
Lady Caitlin."
It was left to Blanche to clear the chamber, which she accomplished with her usual verve. Servants had already lit a fire in the hearth, ringed tt

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saffron hose, Blanche advising her that in future nights, she might warn to leave the stockings for Llewelyn to remove, as men seemed to tak? particular pleasure in garters and silken wisps and the like. Sitting Ellen down by the fire then, clad only in her chemise, they began to brush her hair, to polish it with lemon-scented silk, while counseling her that men were, without exception, stirred by long, loose hair, doubtless because it was only seen like that in bed; so if she should be in the mood for lovemaking, she need only let her hair down and her husband would as likely as not, suddenly discover that he was in the mood, too, without even being aware that he'd been prompted. Laughing, Ellen declared this was indeed an education for her, and far more interesting than any lesson learned in books.
It was proving to be an education for Caitlin, too. She'd been enormously honored to be included, for she'd not had much contact with her own sex; she'd never known her mother, and there was no mistress of her uncle's household, only concubines who came and went and rarely paid her any mind. It was a revelation now to discover that women could be as fascinated by carnal matters as men, but as she carefully folded each of Ellen's bridal garments in turn, her bewilderment was increasing.
"May I ask you something, Lady Ellen?" she blurted out at last. "The Bishop said you ought not to lay together this night. But you and my uncle ... it does not sound as if you mean to abstain?"
As the laughter subsided, Ellen said hastily, "Ah, no, Caitlin, we were not laughing at you, truly we were not. It is rather complicated, lass, for the
Church sees lust as a grave sin. We are taught that its pleasures are suspect, that chastity is the ideal state, and Christians ought to lay together only to beget children. That is why the Church places so many restrictions upon the carnal act, declaring it sinful during Lent or Advent or on Sundays or holy days, whilst a woman is pregnant, or when she has her flux."
"And why," Blanche chimed in, "the Church warns that husbands and wives must always guard against finding too much joy in each other, admonishing us that lovemaking ought to be done in the dark, not in daylight, and only in one position, with the man on top."
"And do people obey these prohibitions?" Answering her own question then, Caitlin said thoughtfully, "If they did, would they not have far fewer babies?"
"Yes, lass, they would indeed. The problem is that people find i' hard to resist their carnal urges, and for the very reason that the Church seeks to suppress them, because of the great pleasure they give. Or so,' Ellen added with a grin, "I've been told! I am not saying that Christians do not try to heed the Church's strictures, but I suspect that they often fall from grace. My brother Amaury told me that when he was studying to be a priest, they were taught not to be too specific when preaching against sins of the flesh, lest they give their parishioners ideas!"
That provoked another burst of laughter. Caitlin was finding that jt was possible to tell which of the women were more knowing about these pleasures of the flesh, just by the way they responded to these bawdy jokes. The Queen, the
Lady Blanche, Dame Juliana, and her young stepmother Elizabeth had found the most joy in a man's bed, sne decided, and the Lady Maude none at all, for her laughter was forced, her face flushed. Caitlin wondered how it would be for her when it was her turn to be a bride; would she be as eager as Ellen? And she blushed then, astonished at her own thoughts, for there suddenly came mto her mind an image of the young blue-eyed Englishman, the one called Hugh.
Now that Ellen's hair had been brushed to a burnished gold and her lip rouge carefully blotted, she shed her chemise so she could be dusted with a fragrant powder. She allowed herself to be perfumed in some very provocative places, but balked at agreeing to rouge the tips of her nipples, blushing in spite of