responsibility!’
‘If you do this, they will ask some penance. And when it is made then you will have expiated your sin in behaving as you did.’
He looked at her in dismay. She was saying what the rest of the world was saying about him. He had wanted her to cling to him and to tell him how he was maligned, that he was completely and unquestionably innocent.
He was disappointed.
She knew it.
He looked down at her and saw that there were tears on her cheeks.
‘I am afraid,’ she said.
‘Of what?’ he demanded.
‘Of sin.’
‘Sin?’ he cried. ‘What means that?’
‘You and I,’ she answered. ‘You have a Queen and I have lived with you as your wife. I have your sons who were born in sin.’
‘By God’s teeth and eyes, Rosamund, what has happened to you?’
She answered: ‘It has long been in my mind and since the murder …’
He turned away impatiently and lay staring into space.
She closed her eyes, for she felt that something had gone for ever out of their relationship.
The King rode away. His thoughts were of Rosamund, which relieved him of thinking what lay ahead in Normandy.
She had changed. Before, she had no other thought than for him. He had needed her and she was there. Now she was concerned with her soul. Something had entered her life which was more important than he was. He would not have believed that possible from his gentle devoted Rosamund.
And this had happened at the moment when he needed her most. She had failed him. Soon she would be talking of going into a convent. Women like Rosamund thought of that when they reached a certain age just as men went on crusades or pilgrimages to the Holy Land. He could never do that. He had too much to keep him where he was.
He understood Rosamund. He loved her; she had brought him great joy and comfort; but it was inevitable that in due course such a good woman would contemplate her sinful life and regret it.
He sighed. The subject was almost as depressing as what awaited him in Normandy. He would turn his thoughts to other matters. Soon he must take John from his nursery and get him betrothed, but that must wait. He would go along though and see how the children were progressing. It would be a pleasure to see young John and his sister Joanna … and of course little Alice.
He found Alice alone in the schoolroom.
‘My lord.’ She started up when she saw him and curtsied while the deep colour flooded her cheeks.
‘So you are alone?’ he said, and an excitement gripped him. She was more enchanting than he had imagined.
‘Joanna and John are riding. I stayed behind. I had a lesson to complete.’
‘And how goes this lesson?’ he asked. He picked her up in his arms and kissed her. ‘Alice, you are a witch,’ he said.
‘Oh, no, my lord.’ She looked frightened.
‘I mean that you bewitch me with your beauty.’
She looked frightened.
He walked with her to the window seat and sat down holding her on his knee.
‘How old are you, little Alice?’ he asked.
‘I shall soon have seen twelve winters, my lord.’
‘’Tis a charming age. I have seen many more winters than that.’
Twelve! he was thinking. Some girls were mature enough at twelve.
‘And you are to be my daughter. I begin to feel sorry for that.’
She still looked frightened. ‘If I have offended in some way, sir …’
‘Oh, yes,’ he said, ‘you have offended me, Alice, because since I saw you last I have thought of you constantly.’
‘If you will tell me where my fault lies …’
‘It lies in these pretty curls, this soft skin, these inviting lips which make me want to kiss them like this … Alice.’
‘Oh, my lord.’
‘Yes, and oh, my lady! Alice, I would that you were not affianced to my son. If you were not, by God’s eyes I would ask your father that you might be affianced to me.’
Her eyes opened very wide. ‘How could that be, my lord?’
‘’Tis not impossible.’
‘But …’
‘Oh, you have not yet seen twelve years
‘If you do this, they will ask some penance. And when it is made then you will have expiated your sin in behaving as you did.’
He looked at her in dismay. She was saying what the rest of the world was saying about him. He had wanted her to cling to him and to tell him how he was maligned, that he was completely and unquestionably innocent.
He was disappointed.
She knew it.
He looked down at her and saw that there were tears on her cheeks.
‘I am afraid,’ she said.
‘Of what?’ he demanded.
‘Of sin.’
‘Sin?’ he cried. ‘What means that?’
‘You and I,’ she answered. ‘You have a Queen and I have lived with you as your wife. I have your sons who were born in sin.’
‘By God’s teeth and eyes, Rosamund, what has happened to you?’
She answered: ‘It has long been in my mind and since the murder …’
He turned away impatiently and lay staring into space.
She closed her eyes, for she felt that something had gone for ever out of their relationship.
The King rode away. His thoughts were of Rosamund, which relieved him of thinking what lay ahead in Normandy.
She had changed. Before, she had no other thought than for him. He had needed her and she was there. Now she was concerned with her soul. Something had entered her life which was more important than he was. He would not have believed that possible from his gentle devoted Rosamund.
And this had happened at the moment when he needed her most. She had failed him. Soon she would be talking of going into a convent. Women like Rosamund thought of that when they reached a certain age just as men went on crusades or pilgrimages to the Holy Land. He could never do that. He had too much to keep him where he was.
He understood Rosamund. He loved her; she had brought him great joy and comfort; but it was inevitable that in due course such a good woman would contemplate her sinful life and regret it.
He sighed. The subject was almost as depressing as what awaited him in Normandy. He would turn his thoughts to other matters. Soon he must take John from his nursery and get him betrothed, but that must wait. He would go along though and see how the children were progressing. It would be a pleasure to see young John and his sister Joanna … and of course little Alice.
He found Alice alone in the schoolroom.
‘My lord.’ She started up when she saw him and curtsied while the deep colour flooded her cheeks.
‘So you are alone?’ he said, and an excitement gripped him. She was more enchanting than he had imagined.
‘Joanna and John are riding. I stayed behind. I had a lesson to complete.’
‘And how goes this lesson?’ he asked. He picked her up in his arms and kissed her. ‘Alice, you are a witch,’ he said.
‘Oh, no, my lord.’ She looked frightened.
‘I mean that you bewitch me with your beauty.’
She looked frightened.
He walked with her to the window seat and sat down holding her on his knee.
‘How old are you, little Alice?’ he asked.
‘I shall soon have seen twelve winters, my lord.’
‘’Tis a charming age. I have seen many more winters than that.’
Twelve! he was thinking. Some girls were mature enough at twelve.
‘And you are to be my daughter. I begin to feel sorry for that.’
She still looked frightened. ‘If I have offended in some way, sir …’
‘Oh, yes,’ he said, ‘you have offended me, Alice, because since I saw you last I have thought of you constantly.’
‘If you will tell me where my fault lies …’
‘It lies in these pretty curls, this soft skin, these inviting lips which make me want to kiss them like this … Alice.’
‘Oh, my lord.’
‘Yes, and oh, my lady! Alice, I would that you were not affianced to my son. If you were not, by God’s eyes I would ask your father that you might be affianced to me.’
Her eyes opened very wide. ‘How could that be, my lord?’
‘’Tis not impossible.’
‘But …’
‘Oh, you have not yet seen twelve years
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