HealingPassion (17 page)

It took an amazingly long time to get to the king’s palace.
She’d had no idea a city could be so large and so noisy, with so many people
crammed together in one place. It couldn’t be healthy, surely.

At last, though, they approached an impressive gate. It
stood open, and lines of people came and went through it. The palace loomed
before them as they passed the entrance gate, an immense, ornate building with
majestic towers and grand banners flanking steps up to the main entrance. Their
party stopped just in front of it, dismounted, and began to ascend the stairs.

A pair of armed guards stopped them and asked their names
and business. The mention of Sir Thomas’ name bought them entrance and the
services of a footman to escort them to a parlor where they might wait while he
was summoned.

They didn’t wait long. Shortly after a servant arrived with
warmed wine and fragrant scones, Sir Thomas himself entered.

The reunion was joyous. Once the squire had greeted his
knight, Ralf took the men-at-arms away to show them to their quarters, leaving
her alone with Thomas. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her until she
felt faint with the delight of it. For her part, Juliana clung to him, content
to run her hands up and down his strong back and rest her head on his chest.

Inevitably, though, they had to pull apart and become
practical people again. Thomas showed her to chambers he’d reserved for her,
and introduced her to Ellyn, the young woman he’d engaged to be her maid.

Shortly thereafter Thomas left her to attend to business.
One of those tasks was to secure a private audience with the king as soon as
possible. He promised to join her for dinner that evening.

Ellyn helped her settle into her quarters and gave her a
tour of the important parts of the palace during the rest of the afternoon.
Thomas returned later, and they had a quiet meal together with Ralf and her
men-at-arms. She tried to suppress her disappointment when Thomas left after
they were done, though she knew it would be inappropriate for him to stay with
her here.

The next day, at Thomas’ orders, Ellyn took her to a group
of seamstresses to get her a pair of new gowns. He wanted her to look every
inch a lady when she appeared before the king.

He returned at midday with the news that he’d had a private
talk with the king. Juliana’s pulse picked up, and the breath caught in her
throat as she waited.

Thomas shook his head. “I don’t know. I told the king what
happened, how I felt about it, and how I felt about you. I told him you wanted
to come before him and submit yourself to his judgment. He agreed to hear you.
I begged him to be merciful, but he said nothing to me in response and his
expression gave me no clue.” He stopped and sighed heavily. “I don’t know. I
can give you no assurances.”

The way he paced and the frown on his face showed he needed
the reassurance as much as she did. She went to him. Standing behind him, she
circled his chest with her arms and rested her head against his back. “God’s
will shall prevail. And all will be well as a result. I believe he’ll grant us
mercy.”

“I wish I could have your confidence.”

“In truth, it’s no more than a strong hope. Hope is one of
the cardinal virtues. Along with faith and love.”

He shrugged in her arms. “I have little of faith, but an
excess of love. In between, perhaps I can find some hope, but I fear to trust
it too much.”

A knock at the door heralded the return of Ellyn, so they
stepped apart without either of them affording the other much comfort. Before
he left her to dress for her audience with the king, he went over what she
needed to know of court etiquette and tried to give her some idea what to
expect.

He departed, and Juliana tried not to shake too hard as
Ellyn helped her into the most elegant gown she’d ever worn. Deep green velvet
had a subtle floral design embroidered with gold thread along its edges. The
color made her look a bit pale, but then again, perhaps she was just paler than
usual.

As the time drew near, Ellyn escorted her to the doors of
the king’s audience chamber. A footman answered their knock and nodded when
Juliana identified herself.

“Enter, Lady Groswick,” he said. “His Majesty awaits you.”

Walking the long center aisle of the hall, to the throne at
the far end, might have been the hardest thing she ever did. Conversations
stopped as she drew near to the throne. She was aware of the presence of other
people in the room, quite a number of them, but her attention fixed on the man
seated on the throne. He was somewhat beyond middle years, but still vigorous
for all that, and his eyes held sharp intelligence.

When she stood in front of the throne, she stopped and
dropped into the deepest curtsy she could manage.

“Your Majesty.”

“Rise, Lady Groswick,” the king said. “Our knight, Sir
Thomas Carlwick, advised us of your coming, and that you brought with you the
answer to a riddle we’ve puzzled over for some time.”

“Aye, Your Majesty. With your permission, I should like to
tell you what happened to my husband, Lord Groswick.”

Juliana looked up at the king. His gaze was stern with no
encouragement nor any sign of mercy. She nearly lost her nerve and ran from the
room. She drew several deep breaths while praying for calm.

“Tell your story, my lady,” the king ordered, his voice so
expressionless she could derive no guess as to his feelings.

Juliana told him the truth about Groswick’s death, the same
story she’d told Thomas. She made no effort to excuse her own actions, but she
did emphasize that at the time, she very much feared Groswick would kill her.
She looked around the court once or twice. Thomas stood off to one side,
watching her. His painful dread was almost more than she could bear.

As she turned back to the king, her gaze was met and briefly
held by a man standing near the dais. Not a young man, but not old either; he
had the stern countenance and confident bearing of a warrior. He wore black
from head to foot, and it suited him. Not exactly handsome, he was nonetheless
striking and attractive. He was also decidedly intrigued by her, if she judged
his expression correctly.

But that could only distract her for a moment. She turned
back to face the king and finish her confession. As she ended her story, she
added, “Your Majesty, it was not my intention to harm my husband, but harm him
I did anyway. I throw myself on your justice and mercy.”

Juliana blinked away the tears that threatened to fall and
struggled to keep her entire body from trembling. Her knees felt weak and
rubbery, a tendency that got worse as the king sat, staring at her, and said
nothing. An unsettling silence descended on the hall as all awaited the king’s
judgment.

Finally the king’s mouth squeezed together in a frown. He
coughed lightly before he spoke. “We do not like this. ‘Tis a wife’s duty to
submit to her husband, and it does not provide an admirable example for our
people when a baron’s wife injures him in an effort to resist his will, much
less kills him.”

Juliana’s stomach clenched tight and her throat closed down.
It felt as though all her insides folded in on themselves. Her rubbery legs
started to buckle. She caught herself, though, and stiffened her spine, her
legs, and her dignity. She opened her mouth to protest, then stopped. It wasn’t
wise to interrupt the king.

Yet that didn’t stop the man whose gaze she’d met earlier
from standing up at that moment, facing the king, and saying, “Your Majesty,
before you give your decision, might I say something?”

The king’s expression changed to one of resigned amusement
tinged with irritation before he swung to face the speaker. “Of course,
Edward.” More than a hint of sarcasm tinged the words. “You’d likely say it
anyway.”

Edward. The black clothes. Of course.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. If I might…” The Black Prince
approached her and looked carefully at her for a minute. His gaze focused on
the scars. He stood beside her and lifted her arm, placing it on his, then
walked forward with her to the foot of the dais and up the first step. They
stopped no more than two feet from the throne.

“Your Majesty, please look at the lady’s face. I’ll wager
half your kingdom the scars were put there by Lord Groswick. Is it not so,
lady?”

Still in some shock, she looked at the Prince. “Aye, Your
Highness. ‘Tis so. But how…?”

“Could I know?” The Prince laughed harshly and with no
humor. “I knew your husband, my lady. In truth, I was quite startled to hear a
rumor that he’d joined me on the Continent, because he and I both knew that
were I down to my last man, I should not accept any offer of service from him.”

The king’s eyebrows rose. “You despised him that much?”

“He was entirely despicable, Your Majesty. When I heard he’d
married, I pitied the lady. Now that I’ve met her and seen what a sweet and
lovely person she is, I’m even more disturbed to consider what she must have
suffered at his hands.”

“Indeed.” The word still held a load of irony. “Your sense
of justice and mercy does you credit, Edward. Your patience, however, is even
yet in need of practice. Now hear us out, if you please.”

The Prince bowed, but remained in place next to Juliana. She
welcomed his support. Her knees still didn’t feel any too stable.

“As we were saying.” The king arched an ironic eyebrow at
his son. “‘Tis not a good thing for a wife to resist her husband and worse to
kill him in the attempt. Yet in this case, it appears Lady Juliana truly had
reason to fear for her own life and was defending herself.”

The king tapped his chin with a grandly beringed finger. “We
cannot let this go completely unanswered, or we shall have ladies the kingdom
over feeling they can say nay to their husband, should it please them, and
bashing them over the head when their husbands object. ‘Twill not do. Yet we
cannot condemn the lady too harshly for defending herself.”

A few more taps on his chin followed as he considered what
to do. Finally, the king’s face cleared and he nodded to himself. He looked up
and glanced around the court.

“Sir Thomas,” he called, finding the person he sought. “Come
forward.”

Thomas joined them on the steps of the dais, standing on her
right side, opposite the Prince on her left. Nonetheless, the king’s next words
were addressed to her.

“Lady Juliana, as a sign of your penitence for having had a
part in your husband’s death, it is our order that you complete a pilgrimage to
the shrine at Canterbury sometime within the coming year. Since this is a
penitential pilgrimage, you will go on foot.” The king nodded to himself. “We
also feel it necessary that we immediately find another husband for you, one
who will be able to take you in hand and teach you a wife’s place and duty.”

The king looked at Thomas. “Sir Thomas, you’ve done us good
service, but we dare ask one last boon of you. If you’re willing, we would have
you take this lady for your wife. We realize there is a danger in wedding one
who has already contributed to the death of a previous husband, but knowing
your prowess in battle, we believe you are adequate to the demand.”

His Majesty looked over Juliana and his mouth crooked into a
small smile. “Though perhaps, given the lady’s beauty, the risks of bedding her
may well be outweighed by the pleasure in it.” He shrugged and turned again to
Thomas. “Will you do this for us?”

Thomas reached out and took Juliana’s arm, tucking it into
the crook of his. “Aye, Your Majesty. I’ll wed the lady.”

The king’s face broke into a wide smile. “Excellent. We have
every confidence in your ability to prevent future incidents of the kind she
had with Lord Groswick. We would like you to marry this time tomorrow, right
here. We’ll be your chief witness.”

“I’m very sensible of the honor you do us, Your Majesty,”
Thomas said.

“Aye, just so.” He raised one ironic eyebrow for a moment,
then grew serious again. “We make it your duty to ensure she makes the
pilgrimage we’ve designated. We trust you’ll also discipline her as necessary
and care for her as she deserves.”

“I give my word on it, Your Majesty.”

“Excellent. Sir Thomas, we’ve been pleased with your
service, and grateful for it. You’ve fulfilled the mission we set for you
admirably, and have just now done us an additional boon. Your faithfulness has
earned reward.” The king tapped his chin again. “We have now a keep with no
lord at Groswick. You’ve seen this keep, Sir Thomas. What think you of it?”

“For the last year or more, the keep has been well managed,
Your Majesty, though prior to that, I understand, there were difficulties. The
keep I sheltered in for several weeks was a prosperous and well-favored place.”

“Excellent. You will not, then, deem it too great a burden
should we name you Baron Groswick and give the care of this keep into your
hands?”

Thomas drew a sharp breath. “I should be exceedingly honored
and grateful, Your Majesty.”

“Aye, well, you understand the responsibilities and
obligations that accompany the appointment.”

“I do, Your Majesty.”

“Very well. Go then, both of you. Prepare for your wedding
tomorrow. Lady Juliana… We’ve given you to a husband both strong and worthy.
See that you honor him as is his due.”

Juliana smiled at Thomas before she answered. “You may
depend on it, Your Majesty.”

“Very well, then. We’re sure you have much to settle between
you.”

Before she stepped down, Juliana turned to the Prince, who
had remained beside her throughout the king’s exchange with Thomas. “Your
Highness, I’m exceedingly grateful for your assistance.”

“It was our pleasure,” the Prince assured her. “Go now and
be happy with Sir Thomas. You’ll find in him all that was lacking in Groswick.”

The Prince went back to his seat near the side of the dais.
Still arm in arm, Juliana and Thomas walked out of the room. In a daze of
disbelief and astonishment, they made it back to her quarters, dismissed Ellyn,
and barred the door behind them before Juliana flung herself into his arms and
pressed herself against his chest.