Bond of Blood (32 page)

Leah certainly was not, since she was fabricating the whole as she went along. "It was something about the Earl of Shrewsbury being in contact with a man called Henry of Anjou. I do not mean that Lord Hereford and my lord were arguing about that. They were both very angry and said it would break the peace. Radnor says—men talk about the oddest things in bed, do they not?—that a man must stand by his oath above all things. He was very excited that night we stayed at Oxford's castle— Did you hear about the big fight there? I was so frightened that I thought I would die of fear. Anyway, he did talk to me a little there. I could not understand it all, but I gathered that he had sworn to be the king's man and would not change, and that caused trouble between Lord Oxford and himself." Leah's wide innocent eyes gazed steadfastly at Maud's, which had become more and more like black marbles throughout this burbling fairy tale.

"You are a very clever little girl," Maud said finally, patting the small hand she had taken.

Could Radnor have put his wife up to this? It was possible, but it was also possible that Joan of Shrewsbury was playing a double game, and Oxford was no doubt her tool—it would not be the first time.

"I hear that you paid a visit to Lady Leicester,” Maud said then. “She is a very pleasant woman, is she not? But your husband should have taken you to see the sights, not sent you on errands on your first day in the city."

Leah did
not
breathe a sigh of relief, only nodded and giggled. "Oh, he did not send me. It was the most diverting thing, only I did not think so at the time. Lady Leicester was so kind as to help me find servants."

"Find servants?" Maud exclaimed, shocked.

Leah laughed really happily for she was truly on safe ground now. This story could harm no one and would fill much time. She had been trembling inwardly with the tension of watching for slips of the tongue while seeming perfectly unconscious of what she was saying. She launched into the story of her housewifely activities at great length, sending up prayers of thanksgiving for so quick and easy a release.

Maud for her part was perfectly satisfied to listen, partly because she was genuinely amused and partly because a discussion of household matters would lead her to other questions she wanted answered. At the conclusion of Leah's tale of her misadventures, Maud laughed heartily and promised that Radnor would be finely roasted for being such an idiot. About this, Leah did not care one pin, for the more she thought about it the more she realized that Cain had behaved like an idiot and deserved to be the butt of a few jests. Nevertheless, she widened her eyes to their fullest extent and pleaded with the queen not to betray her.

"He would be so angry. He is angry for so many things I do, and I know he would not like me to speak of him in this way," Leah said mendaciously, trembling with well-simulated fear. The last thing she wanted was for Maud to believe her to have influence with or importance to her husband.

"No, no. It will all seem to come from Lady Leicester as far as he is concerned. Is he harsh to you, poor child?" Maud earnestly hoped so. A young girl with a severe husband was easily played upon by sympathy and her loyalties could be confused.

"N-no. Often he laughs and is kind. I suppose it is because I am young and foolish that he is cross. He is used to women who know better how to manage."

Leah had to hedge in case Maud should see Radnor in an affectionate mood before she could give him warning of what she had said. Besides she was not really certain that he would not object to being cast in the role of the cruel husband.

The talk went on, but now Leah wanted to escape very badly. Maud was back on dangerous ground. The queen seemed to be asking questions about household management, quantity of food ordered and consumed, and whether Lady Radnor planned to set up a sewing room, but Leah realized that truthful answers would tell a clever woman like Maud pretty exactly how many men Radnor had with him, how long they planned to stay, and other matters which she felt were Radnor's business alone. And she had to answer; she could not pretend ignorance of such matters.

However before long, she was able to break off to say with startled pleasure, thanking her patron saint for answering her prayers, "Oh, there is Lord William Gloucester. He is so very … I do not quite know how to describe it … attractive."

"Yes, he is. But there are many attractive men at court."

If that was what Lady Radnor wanted, thought Maud, it could be easily supplied. Lord William, of course, would be useless for her purposes, but there were others even younger and just as smooth who were court toadies. She tried a few more times to engage the girl in conversation, but Leah's attention was plainly wandering and she answered so much at random that Maud gave up. Summoning William with a nod, she consigned Leah to his care to be delivered back to Lord Radnor. All in all, Maud was very well pleased with Radnor's wife. She gave every sign of being a valuable asset to the queen's insatiable need for information until experience or her husband made her cautious.

Leah startled Lord William considerably, not by the obvious pleasure with which she greeted him or the urgent clasp of her hand on his—women very often pursued him, even women he had met only once or twice before—but by the deep sigh and tense murmur of, "Well, I hope that turns a few points elsewhere."

"What did you say?"

Turning her greenish eyes up to his with a sweep of long lashes and adding a smile of innocent vacuity, Leah murmured, "I have put a bug in her ladyship's ear that may buzz a tale or two, that is all." Then she frowned. "Have you seen my lord? I must speak with him as soon as may be."

William blinked at the first sentence and then put its meaning down to his own suspicious mind. Radnor's girl wife could not possibly have intended to say what that sounded like. "No, I have not seen him, but we can stroll about to look for him. Lady Radnor, your new life must agree with you, I have never seen you more beautiful. Truly roses bloom in your cheeks this day."

"If you mean I am flushed with anger, you are perfectly right. Roses indeed!"

William of Gloucester was Cain's foster brother and, although Leah knew there was no special affection between them, she also knew she had no need to guard her tongue with him. Lord William jerked upright from his automatically amorous lean as if he had been pricked. He was only taken aback momentarily, however, before he realized that the poor girl must have been put out of sorts by Maud's prying.

It was possible too that Maud had been giving Leah some details of Radnor's private life in an effort to make trouble between them and enlist the girl in the court's interest. He would have to warn Radnor of that when he had a chance, but just now the best thing would be to try to soothe Leah himself. He was just about to start on a new tack, when she took her hand from his hurriedly.

"Forgive me. There is your brother just come in. I know you will not wish to speak to him because you have quarreled, but Cain has a particular kindness for him, and I must do so."

Philip did not notice Leah until she took his hand in hers as she rose from her curtsy. Even then his clouded mind took a little time to fix her in memory … Radnor's new wife, that was the girl whose warm clasp was giving spurious life to his right hand. He noted that she looked different from the two or three times he had seen her at Pembroke's keep—not in dress or jewels, although she fairly glittered with the Gaunt collection now—but in her expression. Her face was alive with intelligence, the shrewdness of her glance contrasting strangely with the childishly flushed cheeks and innocent mouth. He murmured a conventional greeting, wondering what she wanted.

Leah, for her part, continued to hold Philip's hand while she answered with equally conventional words because she had the feeling that if she let him go his mind would slip away. She fought a sensation of revulsion, thinking that she had never touched a corpse before but now knew what it was like. The flesh was cold, flaccid, and clammy, and absorbed her warmth without return; only the eyes lived in a face that was no longer capable of changing its expression.

"Lord Philip, you cannot stand here. Let me help you to the window seat."

Philip tried without success to steady his shallow breathing. He was very nearly at the end of his endurance. "I could use an army to steady me. I fear you are right. I must sit down." His voice was hardly above a whisper and his eyes had started to glaze over.

Leah glanced at the crowd that bustled about them, but those close by had turned their backs, politely, so as not to intrude on a private conversation. In any case, Leah realized instantly, she could not call on a stranger for help. It might just happen that that person was an enemy to Philip and that he would not wish it known how desperately sick he was. She pulled his arm over her shoulder and stiffened under his weight, which fortunately was not great. Fortunately, too, the window embrasure was not far, and she eased him down and back against the wall. Screening him with her own body, Leah looked wildly into the crowd. She could see no one that she could trust, but she heard a light, pleasant laugh that was hearteningly familiar.

"Are you all right? Can I leave you for a moment?"

Philip nodded faintly in answer to Leah's questions, and she plunged off in the direction of the laugh. Hereford was merrily engaged with a group of about his own age, one of whom was a startlingly beautiful dark girl who looked familiar. Leah neither saw nor cared what Hereford was doing. She grasped his arm and pulled him aside.

"My lord, you must obtain some aqua vit for me at once."

"Aqua vit?"

"Strong waters—usquebaugh—I know not what you call it. Oh hurry, please."

"Is something wrong with Radnor?"

"For pity's sake, do not waste time with questions, but do as I ask."

He was back very quickly, holding a flask, no trace of laughter in face or voice.

"Now," Leah added, reaching for the drink, "find Lord Radnor for me, I pray you, and tell him that Philip of Gloucester is here and is very ill."

"Philip! You mean I have been swallowing my heart for that traitor?"

"Hush, oh hush, Lord Hereford. I know very little of such matters, but he is dear to my lord. I do only what I think Cain would desire. And you should not speak so loud of such things in this place. I beg you to bring my husband to that window seat."

After Leah held the flask for Philip, almost forcing him to take several healthy swallows of the fiery liquid, he began to recover and asked anxiously where Lord Radnor was. Before Leah could reply, Cain reached them with a scowling Hereford in his wake. By then Philip was perfectly capable of talking, but he knew that the flash of strength lent by the drink would be ephemeral and that when it passed he would be worse than ever. There was no time for consideration or caution.

"Cain—"

"What are you doing here? I did not expect you for two or three days longer. Why did you travel in such haste?"

"Because Pembroke will be in London tonight or tomorrow morning."

Now Cain scowled as blackly as Hereford had done before. "Curse him!" he said briefly. "He swore he would not come, but we guessed he would not keep his word."

Philip wiped sweat from his face with a shaking hand. "I heard on the road that he rides with a very small force for the sake of secrecy. If we could take him, there is a chance of delaying or even preventing the accusation against Chester. I took to my horse thinking to beat him out by some days, but my accursed body failed me. For Christ's sake, Radnor, do what you can to stop him."

"You took to your horse? Have you taken leave of your senses? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"Radnor, for once in your life, let your head rule your heart. I know you love me, but great matters are at stake. Pembroke, as you say, swore to us all he would not come to this council. He comes in person so secretly only to betray Chester and gain Fitz Richard's lands. If we keep him from court, perhaps we can yet save Chester and all those with him."

"I cannot believe it !" Hereford gasped.

Lord Radnor appeared to have heard neither Philip nor Hereford. His unstable temper had disintegrated with a crash, for he had been reasoning hopelessly with Chester on that very subject when Hereford had found him.

"To hell with Pembroke and Chester too. May the devil fly away with this damned country and its idiot ruler and everyone connected with him. I will tell you what I will do. I will take you and put you to bed, and if you move a muscle, I will end your agony and mine also by throttling you."

Hereford gripped Radnor's shoulder so hard that the big man winced. "Wait. There must be some mistake in this. Philip, God forgive me, I may have wronged you, but this is no time to talk of that. I know that Pembroke's swearing he would not come and then doing so looks ill, but I am sure he means no harm. In any case, Radnor can do little enough about stopping him because he may not offer violence to his father-by-marriage. If Pembroke plans to betray us, I am not so bound. I will go."

"Is that you, Hereford?" Philip squinted in an effort to see better. "My eyes are not good. Come closer. Take a warning. Stop Chester if you can. If not, save yourself. The whole country knows your so-called secret plan."

Hereford laughed bitterly. "Apparently. God knows I would give much to be clear of it. When known, such a plan can be nothing but disaster. I have given my word, though, and I will not betray it. You may rest assured that I will do my uttermost to save what can be saved while keeping faith." He turned and departed briskly.

"That was the most urgent matter," Philip said, wiping the cold sweat from his face again. "You had better go now that Hereford has left us. The less we are seen together the better."

"How did you come here?" Radnor asked, clinging stubbornly to his purpose.

"On horseback. It is only a little way. Do you think I wish to tell the whole world of my weakness?"

"Fool!"

"You are so wise!"

"I pray you, lower your voices," Leah interposed. "People are looking at us."