The Marriage Prize (42 page)

baby. There are so many infants who die!" Anger was the only

thing that would stop her tears from fal ing. Her hands

clenched into fists, which she beat furiously against his hard

chest. "This is al your fault! I never wanted to marry... I never wanted a child!"

Biting back a curse, he sat down and gathered her into his

lap. He knew Rosamond had a fear of death, and he had

heard that females had unnatural fancies when they were with

child, so he chose his words careful y as he tried to dispel her

dread. "Rosamond, there is risk every day of our lives, in

everything we do, but we cannot let it stop us from living. It is

wrong to dwel on death. If I did that before a battle, I would be

paralyzed with fear and I would not survive. I have learned that

fear can become your power once you face it! You have the

miracle of life within your body, and I want you to cast away al

fear and rejoice!" His powerful hand slid over her bel y

possessively. "Our child wil thrive!"

Rodger de Leyburn was so sure of everything, so strong, so

positive, that she began to feel a little of his confidence seep

into her. She twisted her wedding ring on her finger and

prayed that her baby would indeed thrive.

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Rod lifted her hand and slipped off her ring to show her the

inscription inside: *Rosamond *Rodger*. "Don't think of life as

having a beginning, a middle, and an end; think of it as a

circle, never-ending, infinite, like our names within the ring."

He slipped the gold band back on her finger and kissed her

gently.

She looked up at him with a tremulous smile. "I wil try."

"How would you like to go to Kenilworth and visit Lady Eleanor

and Demi? You can talk to them about the baby; they wil be

so pleased. I don't believe they would object to my visiting

Edward."

Rosamond began to laugh through her tears. "Two months

ago you snatched me from Kenilworth and told me next time

you would drag me back by the hair. Wil you real y take me?"

He kissed the tears from her cheeks. "For the mother of my

child, I would do anything." He did not tel her that it was

imperative that he communicate with Lord Edward.

"Oh, I can't go," she wailed. "I cannot ride Nimbus and I refuse to leave her."

"Come, we'l go and take a look at her." He set her feet to the carpet and pul ed her along by the hand. In the stables, Rod

ran his hand over the mare's sides and saw that in the two

months he'd been away she had grown heavy. He suspected

twins, but kept the knowledge to himself. "We wil take her with

us; you can ride another mount. Nimbus won't deliver before

the next ful moon, and that's at least three weeks away."

"What about Eleanora? Can we take her with us?"

"Absolutely not! Edward would have my bal s if I put his

beloved wife in jeopardy. We are going into baronial territory;

she could be taken hostage and used for ransom or other

bargaining. I am to put her on the royal barge tomorrow for

London. She wil live in sanctuary at St. Paul's with the queen."

"But what if she refuses? She dislikes the queen."

"Eleanora wil not refuse. She is a dutiful wife who would not

dream of disobeying her husband's orders."

"Is that a deliberate taunt about my disobedience, de

Leyburn?"

He flashed a grin at her. "Your pregnancy makes you

especial y perceptive. Have you chosen a name for the baby?

I favor Edward, a 245

strong and noble name," he said, adding quickly, "If we have a male child."

To taunt him back, Rosamond declared, "I favor Simon,

another strong and noble name." When she saw his look of

dismay, she added, "However, my favorite name is Jason,

from Greek mythology."

He smiled into her eyes. "I am content to let you choose the

name, chérie. Whatever pleases you wil also please me."

******************

absence, Eleanor de Montfort and her royal brother Richard

sat next to each other at the high table in Kenilworth's Great

Hal , as befitted their royal status. Lord Edward, however,

chose to dine at the far table, beside his steward, Rodger de

Leyburn. Harry of Almaine longed to join his two friends, but at

a discreet sign from Rod he remained on the dais beside his

father, Richard. Rosamond sat at another table beside her

dearest friend, Demoisel e de Montfort.

"Rosamond, I am very happy for you. You had so many

misgivings about marriage, but it has made you bloom."

"It has made me bloom al right; I am having a baby!"

"How exciting, Rosamond! When wil it be? Are you sure? You

don't look as if you are with child." Demi's eyes roamed over

her friend's slim figure beneath the flowing gown.

Rosamond knew her young friend was bursting with curiosity

about pregnancy; al unwed girls were, because they were

deliberately kept in ignorance. "I'm sure, Demi. I haven't had

my monthly courses since I was married, and this is the

middle of June, so I have about three and a half months to go

yet. I have had some morning sickness and I fainted once. My

breasts are larger, and quite sensitive to the touch."

Rosamond blushed as she realized the intimate implication of

her words. "I haven't told anyone yet except you and Rodger."

"I warrant Rodger has already told Edward. From listening to

my brothers, I learned males have a towering pride in siring

heirs."

At the far table, Rodger and Edward were deep in

conversation, but it was not about sowing their seed. "Al the

Marcher lords have secretly pledged to you: Mortimer, Hay,

Clifford, Montgomery, and Bassing-

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bourne. Our base of operations wil be at my castle of

Tewkesbury, which is close to Hereford and Worcester."

"Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, wil never forgive

Simon de Montfort for taking the justiciarship away from him,

nor for arresting the Bishop of Hereford. Worcester was a

royal town; now, however, that town stands with the barons."

Edward shook his head regretful y. "The common man is on

Simon de Montfort's side; the earl has the acclaim of the

people."

"Edward, the common man has no property and little money; it

is the great landholding barons we must sway to our side.

There is already a sharp division among the nobility; the

northern barons are standing aloof from Earl Simon and may

refuse to attend the Parliament he has cal ed."

Edward's deep blue eyes studied his friend for a moment.

"You are the expert on human nature; why do you say they

might refuse?"

"Granted, most are against bad government, and a weak,

wasteful king, but I warrant it wil go against the grain to see

one of their own rank elevated to a position where he dictates

to them." Rod spread his hands expressively. "Human nature

is human nature."

Edward nodded shrewdly. "De Montfort made a tactical

mistake when he took charge of al of the royal castles. That

won't sit wel with the barons. Even Gilbert of Gloucester's

pride wil rear its fiery head soon, unless I miss my guess."

"Gilbert is now the leading peer in the land, but because of his

youth, Earl Simon wil give him little say in ruling England. I

shal make it my business to talk with Gilbert and increase his

dissatisfaction."

"I believe the Marcher barons stand with me because we are

al about the same age. They look to the future."

Rod grinned. "Human nature again. Both King Henry and Earl

Simon are aging. The Marchers know you wil be their king

one day, and they don't want to anger you."

"They are greedy for land and castles, as is any man worthy of

his salt," Edward said shrewdly.

"Aye, Mortimer of Wigmore is on our side because he wed

Maud de Braose. Her mother and Eleanor de Montfort are

mortal enemies

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because of land. She was heiress to vast lands in

Breconshire, Wales, but it was a Marshal inheritance. When

Eleanor's first husband died, she disputed the de Braose right

to Breconshire."

"You seem to know every detail of Marshal landholdings,"

Edward said with admiration.

Rod grinned. "Before I wed Rosamond, I made it my business

to do so; I hope I am worthy of my salt."

When Rosamond saw Edward give Rodger a congratulatory

slap on the back, she assumed her husband had boasted of

his virility. "I must tel your mother," she said to Demi, "before al at Kenilworth know my secret."

"You wil need a whole new wardrobe! Mother has ordered

new gowns for me because al the important men of the realm

wil be coming to Kenilworth to confer with my father. I wil

probably be betrothed before the year is out," Demi predicted

humorously.

"The gown you are wearing is beautiful; I've never seen

material where the silk is interwoven with gold thread to create

flowers."

"It's cal ed samite, imported from Syria. Wait until you see the

transparent silks cal ed sarcenet. They look as if the rays of

the sun have been imprisoned in the threads!"

"I cannot wear anything transparent!" Rosamond declared.

"Sil y, it is lined with sendal, and you must have a new girdle

encrusted with precious stones."

"Alas, my gowns wil have to flow freely, not be gathered at the

waist with girdles, Demi."

"Wel , the very latest fashion is a jeweled headband cal ed a

fil et worn over the forehead. That wil divert attention from your

waistline."

As soon as the servers removed the plates, Eleanor de

Montfort came to greet Rosamond with an affectionate kiss.

The countess appeared to be even more beautiful and

vivacious now that her husband had gained so much power.

To Rosamond it seemed that Lady Eleanor laughed more

often, her eyes sparkled brighter, and she looked younger

than ever before.

"I have something to tel you, Lady Eleanor."

"You are enceinte! And if not, you ought to be after five months

of

248

marriage to that magnificent black stal ion. Tel me,

Rosamond, did he beat you when he abducted you from

Kenilworth? "

Rosamond found that she could now laugh about it. "No, but

he threatened to drag me back by the hair if I ever came here

again."

"Yet here you are," Eleanor declared.

"Rodger brought me to you out of concern for my wel -being.

He hopes that you wil reassure me about having a child.

Sometimes I am overwhelmed by fear," Rosamond

confessed.

"Then he brought you to the right place. I have four grown sons

and a beautiful daughter, which makes every anxious moment

of their upbringing worthwhile. I know you very wel ,

Rosamond; you have far more courage than you realize. A

child wil teach you that life real y is worth the living."

Rodger de Leyburn joined the group of ladies and bowed to

the countess. "Thank you for permitting this visit, Lady

Eleanor. I shal return for Rosamond in a fortnight. Tomorrow I

am off to see to Tewkesbury and Deerhurst; I won't be

burdening you with my presence." He hoped this would al ay

any suspicions she entertained about his visiting Lord

Edward, for he was aware that Eleanor de Montfort was an

extremely clever woman.

Rosamond looked at him in surprise, though she was wise

enough to say nothing in front of the others. Once again she

was reminded of his hidden depths, which lay beneath the

polished surface.

"Al ow me to congratulate you, Sir Rodger. There is nothing

like procreating to make a man walk tal er." Eleanor looked

directly into his eyes and said pointedly, "You must refrain from reckless behavior now that you are to be a father."

Rosamond's anger began to simmer, but she did not al ow it

to explode until they were alone in their bedchamber. "You

devil, you came here for some devious purpose! How very

naive you must find me, Sir Rodger, but Lady Eleanor is far

more astute. I heard that veiled warning she gave you."

"You are being fanciful, Rosamond."

"Fanciful indeed! Fanciful enough to believe the visit to

Kenilworth was for my benefit, rather than Edward

Plantagenet's!"

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"Anything I do for Edward wil ultimately benefit you, chérie."

"If you get kil ed, wil that benefit me?"

Rodger's heart soared; she real y did care about him. Did her

feelings run deep? He would take her to bed and find out!

With a triumphant whoop of laughter, he lifted her high against

his heart and carried her to the bed. "Sweetheart, I intend to

die on the upstroke or the downstroke, not in some reckless

plot you imagine Edward and I are hatching."

He undressed her with haste, riven with the need to see her

naked. Her lips, so temptingly close, compel ed him to explore

her mouth, its softness, its lushness, then he drew the pink tip

of her tongue into his mouth, tasting al of her sweetness. He

lifted his head and gazed down at her loveliness. "Have you

any idea how beautiful you look tonight?"