The Winter Queen (28 page)

Briony Manor, Christmas Day, 1565

‘D
o you see it, Bess?' Rosamund whispered. She gently waved the newly made kissing bough above her daughter's cradle, laughing in delight as tiny Bess reached for it with her chubby rosebud hand.

Rosamund kissed those pink little fingers, marvelling at their perfection. Bess laughed, kicking her feet under the hem of her long gown. Behind them the fire crackled in the grate of the great hall, flickering on the greenery and red ribbons of the holiday.

‘You know it is Christmas, don't you, my darling?' Rosamund said, swinging the bough back and forth before her daughter's fascinated gaze. The baby's eyes were dark, like her father's, but a fluff of pale-blonde hair crowned her perfect little head.

‘'Twas a year ago I found your father, on the coldest Christmas that ever was seen. And now this year I have you.' Her heart truly overflowed with joy, Rosamund thought. ‘Christmas is the finest time of year.'

‘I agree most heartily to
that
,' Anton said, bounding into the hall. He still wore his riding boots, and bore the chill of the outdoors, the crispness of green and smoke of the winter's day. But Rosamund cared naught for the dust on his boots as he kissed her.

‘How are my ladies this fine afternoon?' he said, reaching for the baby's hand. Her fingers curled tight around his as she laughed and cooed.

‘Quite well with our decorating, and hoping your hunt was successful,' Rosamund said, marvelling at the sight of her husband and child together—her two great loves.

‘Indeed! We will have a fine feast to welcome your parents tomorrow.'

‘They don't care about that. They only want to see Bess.'

‘I hope you told them she is the most perfect baby in all the world.'

‘In every letter since she was born. Mama writes she expects no less from
her
grandchild, and Father says we must betroth her to a duke at the very least.'

Anton laughed. ‘Perhaps we should wait for her betrothal until she is walking.'

Rosamund tucked the fur-lined blanket around Bess, handing her a toy lamb to play with. ‘I saw there was a letter this morning from Celia. Will we see her back in England for the holiday? She has been away on the Queen's business for so long.'

Anton shook his head. ‘My cousin says her work is not yet done in Scotland. Perhaps next year.'

‘Then our table will be complete. But for now we must make certain Bess's first Christmas is wondrous.'

‘Just as ours is now?' he said, catching her in his arms for a long, passionate kiss. Even after a year of
marriage, his kiss thrilled her to her very toes, making the cold day as warm as July.

She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as their baby cooed and laughed. ‘Oh, my dearest. There could
never
be a finer Christmas than this one!'

I
love
Christmas, so was very excited to dive into Rosamund and Anton's story! The history of Christmas traditions in the Renaissance is a rich—and fun!—one, especially in the reign of Elizabeth I, who certainly knew how to put on a party. Despite the lack of trees and stockings, we would be very familiar with many aspects of the holiday in the sixteenth century—the music, the feasting—though not many of us have peacock and boar's head on our tables!—the greenery and ribbon used in decoration. And the possibility of romance under the mistletoe…

I also enjoyed weaving real Elizabethan history into the story. The winter of 1564 was indeed so terribly cold that the Thames froze through and a frost fair was set up on the ice. Mary, Queen of Scots, as always for Elizabeth, was a great concern and nuisance. Her disastrous marriage to Lord Darnley was just over the horizon, despite Elizabeth's suggestion that her cousin marry Lord Leicester.

While Anton and Rosamund, as well as their families, friends and enemies, are fictional, a few real-
life historical figures play a role in their story. Among them are Lord Burghley, Lord Leicester, Blanche Parry, Mistress Eglionby—who had the unenviable task of corralling the young maids of honour!—the Scots Melville and Maitland, the Austrian Adam von Zwetkovich, and the Maids Mary Howard, Mary Radcliffe and Catherine Knyvett. I also used much of Queen Elizabeth's complicated courtship politics in the story, including King Eric of Sweden—who a few years later went mad and was deposed by his brother—and Archduke Charles.

A few resources I found useful and interesting are:

There are many good general biographies of Elizabeth I out there, but two I like are Alison Weir's
The Life of Elizabeth I
and Anne Somerset's
Elizabeth I
.

The manuscript of the traditional mummers' play used in Anne Percy and Lord Langley's scene came
from one performed annually at the town of Chudling-ton in Oxfordshire, which was first written down in 1893, but which is said to have been performed in this form for hundreds of years before that!

I hope you enjoyed Anton and Rosamund's Christmas romance! Be sure and visit my website at
http://ammandamccabe.tripod.com
, where I'll be posting lots more fun research-titbits…