Constant Heart (29 page)

“There’s other things here breaking, lady, like my knees. Have pity!”

“Much better.” I threw back the coverlet to let him in. “See? You have only to ask.”

As he slipped in beside me, the pup growled at him.

Lytham sighed. Then he left the place he had gained, took Argos by the neck, carried him from the room, and then closed the door in his face. “I will not fight some wretched beast for my territory.”

“I had not known, my lord, that it was in dispute.”

Lady de Winter returned later in the week to see if the pup and I were becoming friends. I offered him up to her to carry, but she frowned and pushed him back toward me.

“I cannot stand the creatures, although they do serve a certain purpose. You need to take him to court, girl. He does no good for you here.”

“But he is still so young!”

She shook her head over my display of sentiment. “Enough of pups. There is one thing Lytham still lacks, girl.”

Of course there was one thing Lytham lacked. He lacked an heir. And was I not trying everything I could think of to provide one? I was already drinking beer that had been boiled with tansy. I took a wretched syrup daily made of arrach, wild and stinking. And I would even eat calendula once it came into bloom.

“He is not a Knight of the Garter. You must do something about it.”

I blinked. Lady de Winter’s thoughts had not been my own, but she was right. If Argos could elevate me in the ways of fashion, Lytham lacked his own distinctive accoutrement. He lacked the garter knight’s purple velvet vestment and gold collar. I wished that I could do something to help him obtain that honor, but I knew not what to do. “I would like to, but how can I gain access to Her Majesty’s ear?”

“For you, that may be an impossibility, but you can find someone to speak to her on your behalf.”

“Who?”

“Think, girl! If it is she who appoints the Knights of the Garter, then they must have obtained her favor in some way.”

“I could speak to one of them?”

“Aye. But
speaking
might not produce the desired effect.”

“I could . . . I have some jewels.” Though not as many as I once had.

“Those might prove fruitful.”

Those? In plural?

“Now, listen well. I have a plan.”

32

T
he next forenoon, Lady de Winter conspired to have me meet with one of the garter knights at her own house, in he her own chambers, so there would be no witness to our meeting. I took Argos with me.

“Sir Thomas, Lady Lytham. I will leave you to conduct your . . . business.” Lady de Winter took her servants with her as she closed the doors to her chambers.

“Sir Thomas.” I extended my hand toward him.

He grasped it with his own clammy fingers and kissed it. “My lady.”

I sat in one of the several chairs in the room. My hand reached out, as was now its habit, to stroke Argos’s head. How did one go about arranging these things? Did one just . . . ask for what one wanted? Knowing the arts of the courtier, I doubted it would be that easy. Or that straightforward.

“The Lady de Winter suggested that I may be of some aid to you.”

She had? “I was hoping . . .”

He looked at me, brows raised.

“That perhaps . . .”

“I had heard I might help you in . . . influencing . . . a certain process, my lady.”

“Aye. Aye, I had hoped that you might be able to help my husband, the Earl of Lytham.”

He nodded.

“Obtain a . . . that is . . .”

“Had you hoped, perhaps, that I could present his case before Her Majesty, my lady?”

“Aye.” Exactly. In my lap, Argos yawned, then placed his head upon his paws and closed his eyes. “If there is a way to go about it.”

“There are ways, my lady . . . and there are ways.”

“I see.” I said the words though I saw nothing at all. There are ways . . . ? What was it that he wanted? Oh! He wanted to be paid. Trying not to jolt the pup, I pulled a hand from beneath his chin to find the purse which dangled from my waist. I removed a jewel from it. “I would consider it a very
great
favor.”

“I see.” From the way he said it, it was quite clear that he did not, in fact, see any ways forward.

“I thought perhaps . . . perhaps I have been mistaken, Sir Thomas. I would not want you to do something that would not be of profit.” I had not brought any more jewels with me, in spite of what Lady de Winter had implied, for I had hoped I would not need them.

“For a lady such as yourself, who keeps a pup, it could be said that there is nothing too costly. Nothing which might not be obtained. For the right price.”

“You are right, Sir Thomas. But it is my misfortune not to have brought any other . . . tokens of my wealth with me this forenoon.”

“Surely, my lady, I could take your jewel just as well as I could take gold.”

“Of course.” But I had not offered him any gold.

“But there are certain rewards of a . . . sweeter kind . . . that might do just as well.”

I could not pretend to know where his words were leading.

Suddenly, he got to his feet and walked toward me. He knelt before me on one knee, face flush, his golden collar glinting. “I would consider it a very great honor indeed, my lady, to do as you suggest if only . . .”

My cheeks flamed as I finally understood precisely what it was that he wanted.

He wanted me.

I tried to think of some way to extricate myself from the situation. Surely Lady de Winter had not suggested that I actually . . . Nay. She could not have done so. The man must have thought of that reward himself. And I had been closeted, alone, with him for . . . far too long. It was imperative that I escape. Now! But still he knelt before me, looking quite hopeful that I would agree to his proposition.

God, what am I to do? If you would rescue me from this situation, if you would . . . make certain that Lytham will never find out, then I will . . . What?

What could the Almighty God want from me? What could I possibly offer Him? I had no jewels that He had not created. I had no gold that He had not forged himself in the bellows of the earth. But if He would not act on my behalf, to help me honor the vows I had pledged before Him, then my virtue would be tarnished beyond redemption.

Think!

If I refused the man, if I shamed him, then I could not count on him to support Lytham’s candidacy. And I very well could count on him to sour the other knights against the earl.

Now the man was reaching for my hand!

I pulled it from him and lowered my head as if I were being demure. There must be something that I could do!

Argos stirred beneath my hand.

Argos! My heart filled with thanks to God for hearing my prayer.

With the hand that remained beneath the dog, I pulled at the hairs on the underside of his belly.

He woke with a snarl. And when he saw a stranger’s face before him, the snarl turned into a growl.

I pulled the pup to my chest and took to my feet. “I am so sorry, Sir Thomas! The creature has never liked men. I apologize. And, oh—” I extended a hand toward him.

He extended his.

I dropped the jewel into his palm and withdrew my hand before he could capture and kiss it. “Thank you so very much for your considerate attention. I wish you great success in this endeavor.” At last I made it to the door and pushed through it, not even stopping to bid farewell to Lady de Winter before rushing into the courtyard to regain my horse.

My knees were trembling as I handed Argos to the groom and took to the saddle. As I rode for Lytham House, I thanked God once more for the runt of a cur that had proven to be my savior.

Alone in my chamber that night, the darkness allowed me no sleep. My actions filled me with shame. How had I gotten myself into such a predicament? How had I become like the women my father had used to mock my mother? And how had I allowed a marriage, and all that was right, to turn into such wrong?

God had rescued me, of that I was quite certain. He had allowed me to remain faithful to my vows; He had allowed me to retain my virtue. The only question was what He might want in return. If those were the gifts He had given me, then did it not stand to reason that He might want me to preserve them? As I walked the path that had been placed before me, might it not become increasingly more difficult to do? How could I maintain my integrity in a court devoid of anything decent? But how could I be of use to Lytham if I refused to be at court?

It was a riddle to which there appeared to be no answer. If I were to be of any use to my husband, it seemed as if I must stay precisely where my faithfulness would be most tested. There seemed to be no route of escape. And so, just before drifting into sleep, I prayed to God that if, indeed, He was asking of me the impossible, that He would himself open up a way.

My savior, Argos, soon proved his worth in other ways. When my maids took up their embroidery, my stiffened fingers found gainful work in feeding the creature sweetmeats and other choice bits of food. And though, by times, I could not gather my thoughts swiftly enough to provide a prompt retort to Lytham’s skillful speeches, stroking the pup’s sleek fur provided a reason for my distraction.

I discovered that I could not do without him, and so, as Lady de Winter had suggested, I took him with me to court. In fact, it was Argos and I who witnessed one of Lytham’s greatest feats. It took place at Windsor. The court had lingered there due to plague in London. When I heard talk of a leaping contest being staged, I knew the earl must have a part in it. And so I joined in the company of lords and ladies, who were gathering in the space outside squarewalled Winchester Tower.

Lytham had divested himself of his cloak and his sword. I did not know what my lord could hope to accomplish, for he was not the tallest among the courtiers. But after several rounds of leaps, he was still among those competing.

One of his competitors called out a protest. “We must check your shoes, Lytham. Do you not have a set of rabbit’s feet hid inside?”

The crowd laughed.

“Nay. ’Tis simply parentage.”

There was some movement among the onlookers, soon explained by the sight of the Earl of Essex pushing through their numbers. He watched one round and then asked if he might compete. With his height and athletic prowess, there was no way he could lose, so it did not surprise anyone when he proposed a wager.

The courtiers still competing gambled such paltry sums that they were mere tokens. Except for Lytham. He bet twenty pounds. I turned away during the next pass, not wanting to see him fail, but instead of appearing to collect his cloak from Nicholas, he remained among the competitors. Two more rounds and then three and still he stayed, until, at last, Essex was his only opponent.

Lytham may have been confident, but I feared for him.

I closed my eyes and buried my head in Argos’s fur and so did not see his winning leap.

I could not keep a smile from limning my face. In truth, might not be able to for the rest of the forenoon!

Marget approached me, Argos nestled in her arms. “You are satisfied then?”

“Tremendously.”

“How did you know you would win? He has a certain advantage of height.”

“Aye. And I wager he has never worked so hard at leaping in his life.”

“But what can you hope to gain by garnering his disfavor?”

I leaned close as if to impart a secret, but I wanted simply to tickle her ear with my words. “Essex’s second glance. You can be sure he will no longer underestimate me.”

Marget tucked her ear toward her ruff even as a smile curled her lips. “At the potential loss of twenty pounds?”

“A bargain, my sweet, I assure you. He will never again take what is mine.” Or if ever he was tempted to think about it, he might think first upon this humiliation. I spied Nicholas coming toward us across the courtyard and made quick work of cupping Marget’s elbow. The crowds of people engaged in various amusements made it safe to take my place at her side, and I did not wish to miss a moment of it. “Perhaps we could take some exercise in walking about the grounds? To the Upper Ward, perhaps?”

“As you wish.”

Taking her hand in mine, I directed us toward the keep.

“Could you not walk a bit more slowly? With this jostling step I will wake the pup.”

I slowed my step to accommodate my lady and her beast, but in the doing made it possible for Nicholas to catch us.

He hailed me, and then, once he had come close, spoke in a tone that only I could hear. “My lord? ’Tis Her Majesty. She desires a word.”

The old witch. She ruined everything. I dropped Marget’s hand and bowed to take my leave. “ ’Tis Her Majesty. Nicholas will accompany you.”

Did she have her spies watching us? Why else then would she always part us just as we came together for the pleasures of simple amusements? Lytham left Nicholas and me with a swirl of his cloak. I sighed and hugged Argos close as we completed a tour of the grounds. And as I walked, I tried to work out a puzzle. It had to do with Lytham and Essex. For if my lord’s words had not belied him, the two had entered into at least one contest before that one.