But she genuinely did not know how.
Therefore, she simply lay there and didn’t move, at least not until she could figure out her current situation. She remembered the battle the day before, of course, and she remembered being captured by the English. She remembered a long conversation with the Earl of Hereford, and she remembered drinking too much. Funny that she should remember that part of it, but she had been tipsy and said more than she probably should have.She’d been hoping to play on the man’s sympathies, hoping that honesty would somehow put her in his favor, but that wasn’t what happened.
The Earl of Hereford had plans.
Unfortunately, she was part of those plans. Now, everything began to come back to her, and she remembered being told that Henry wanted a marriage. That child king in London somehow controlled everything, including her, and she had been selected for a marriage to an English Lord. She wasn’t stupid, however. She knew that peace was made in such ways, but she never thought that she would be the one to make that kind of sacrifice. She had so many things she wanted to do, things that now might never happen. She wasn’t foolish enough to think that she alone could affect change for her countrymen, but she at least wanted a hand in it.
Perhaps the only way she would have a hand in it was through a marriage.
That was something she had never considered.
As she lay there and listened to the morning around her, Elle had a fleeting moment of rebellion. A fleeting moment where she thought that escaping this morning would be the best choice for her. That woman who had been captured when she tried to take down an enormous English night was making a bit of a resurgence. But just as quickly, the woman who was fairly certain she would be captured if she made any attempts got the upper hand.
The English were not going to let her go.
And that included Curtis.
That big, handsome knight that she had tried to destroy yesterday was becoming increasingly heavy on her mind. Elle had spent her life around soldiers, rebels who taught her what they knew of Wales and its struggle for survival. They had taught her to fight and to be clever against the enemy, and many otherthings that were considered unseemly for finely bred woman. The truth was that although she had fine bloodlines, she had lost the hope of ever behaving like a noblewoman long ago. Her life had taken a different course from those women who were strong figures at the side of their strong husbands, and that did not include husband and children in a fine and peaceful home. It only included a hard life where she had to fight for everything she had because no one truly loved her or tried to take care of her.
She had stopped hoping for that long ago, too.
But, perhaps, that was about to change.
Curtis had discussed their marriage and given her the choice of what she wanted it to be based on. They could either build it on battle or they could build it on a civil coexistence. The truth was that all Elle knew was battle. From a very young age, she had been part of the struggles of her people. Did the prospect of peace intrigue her? Of course it did. She wondered what it would be like to wake up every morning and not have to wonder at the danger she faced or where her next meal was coming from. As Curtis had pointed out, she was indeed a princess. But she’d never felt less like a princess her entire life. The idea of actually living an existence that was pleasant and productive in a meaningful way was, indeed, intriguing.
But it was something she had never believed would happen.
Now, here she was.
A new life was beginning.
Elle wasn’t sure how long she had lain there and considered the events of the previous day, but the hungry hawk had flown off, and it seemed to her that the day was deepening. Slowly, she rolled onto her back, looking around the tent but seeing no sign of Curtis. She did, however, see a tray of food and drink on the table nearby. Curious, she sat up in bed and strained to get a better look at it. When she realized she was too far away to seewhat, exactly, was on the tray, she climbed out of the bed and went over to the table for a close-up view.
There was bread and cheese and four hard-boiled eggs. There was also butter and drink that turned out to be a mixture of water and wine and apple juice. Suddenly very hungry and thirsty, she sat down on the nearest chair and began to wolf down the eggs. In fact, she had survived off eggs for the past few weeks because she would not let her men kill the chickens. The men weren’t exactly starving, but they were eating a lot of eggs.
It was a good thing she liked them.
Elle ate everything on the tray. She drained the cup, too, and even licked up part of the butter. It was creamy and salty and delicious. Once the food was gone, she thought that perhaps she should find the comb that Curtis loaned her last night and brush out her hair. She didn’t know where he was, but she did not want him to return to find her looking slovenly, having just rolled out of bed. He had gone through all the trouble of making sure she had a bath and clean clothing, and although she might not want to marry the man, his attempts to be polite and provide her with everything she needed did not go unnoticed. The truth was that she could not remember anyone being as kind to her as Curtis had.
He might have been her enemy, but there was something endearing about that.
She didn’t want to be rude when he had gone to such trouble.
After leaving the tray on the table barren and the butter half-eaten, Elle moved over to the pot that still held the bathwater from the night before, now cold. She could see the comb she’d used and other things that had been laid out on a chair next to the bath. More than that, the garments that had been brought by Curtis’ squire were now all slung over the side of the screen that had provided her with some privacy. Looking around, she didn’tsee her smelly clothing anywhere, so she had little choice but to wear what was available.
The bath she’d had last night had been the first in a very long time, and the reality of the situation was that she liked to bathe. She always had, if given the opportunity. Even with cold water. Stepping behind the screen, she stripped off the shift she’d slept in, stepped into the pot, and very quickly bathed with the last of the lemon-scented soap.
The water was very cold, however, and she gasped and shivered as she washed again and then dried off. A bath was the most luxurious thing she could think of in her world. Clean, and smelling of lemons, she put the shift back on and inspected the dresses that were hanging over the screen.
I like the blue dress.
That was what Curtis had said to her. Feeling silly, she chose the blue dress, perhaps to show him that she could be cooperative. Reflecting on her conversations with him from yesterday, conversations where he always seemed to have the right answer, she realized quickly that she was going to have to choose her battles with him wisely, and a blue dress wasn’t something she wanted to battle over.
The dress went on.
The effort of being compliant began.
The dress was soft and well made, but it was a little too short and a little roomy in the bosom area. She was able to get her hands in behind her and tie the ties that closed the seam in the back as tightly as she could, but she couldn’t get all of them. There were at least three or four ties she couldn’t get to because they were between her shoulder blades. She would have to ask for a female servant to help her finish with them.
