“He needs to be before the fire in his own hall,” Adair said firmly.
Her companions laughed at her reasoning.
“I think I must speak with my brother soon,” the duke remarked.
“Today!” Adair told him firmly.
“Very well, you stubborn minx. Today,” the duke said.
Adair grinned archly at him. “Thank you, Uncle Dickon,” she said.
The duke stood up. “I will go and seek out Edward now,” he told them with a bow. And then he departed.
He knew where his brother would be—with Jane Shore.
And sure enough, he found them in the king’s apartments playing chess.
“Richard!” The king arose to embrace his brother.
Then he turned to his mistress. “Run along now, Jane. I will see you later.”
Jane Shore arose obediently, and with a curtsy hurried away.
“Thank you,” the duke said.
“I know you dislike my profligate ways, as our mother calls them.” The king chuckled. He was fat now with his indulgences. “Will you have some wine?” He gestured to his page, who had been standing by, and waved his own large goblet at the boy, who hurried to fill it while handing the duke a goblet of his own. “Sit down, sit down,” the king invited his brother. “Anne and Neddie are well? The north is still quiet?”
“The Scots keep to their side of the border,” the duke said. “I’ve come to talk to you about Adair Radcliffe.
She wants to go home to Stanton.”
“Isn’t it a ruin?” the king asked.
“No. The walls were stone. The roof burned, but Ihave had it repaired so the house would not deteriorate.
Enough villagers survived and have rebuilt Stanton village. But they need their mistress. The girl will be sixteen shortly. Lady Margaret has taught her everything she needs to know about being a chatelaine. It is time.”
“She’ll need a husband,” the king said.
“She doesn’t want one,” the duke told him. “At least, not yet. She wants time to renew her acquaintance with Stanton without a husband overseeing her every move.
She wants a bailiff from among your servants to help her.” The duke quaffed half of his cup, then looked directly at his brother. “It’s a reasonable request.”
“Jasper Tudor has a bastard he particularly favors, and has been hinting to me through Mags that a marriage between the lad and one of my daughters, not Elizabeth, would suit him. I’m not of a mind to give him one of the queen’s girls, but I could give him Adair. Any disappointment Tudor felt would be mitigated by the fact that his son would gain an earldom by the marriage.”
“Adair will not have it,” the duke said quietly.
“I am her sire, and she will do what I tell her,” the king replied stubbornly. “If she would go home to Stanton then she must take Jasper Tudor’s son for her husband.
It is the solution to both of our problems, Richard.” He chuckled. “Mags lobbies again for a marriage between her son, the Lancaster heir, and my Bessie. But I think to match my oldest daughter with the young Dauphin Charles, Louis’s son. She will be queen of France, Richard, and that is far better than Countess of Rich-mond, you will agree.”
“I do,” the duke said. “But why give Adair, then, to the Tudors?”
“Because Jasper has asked for one of the king’s daughters, while Mags lobbies for her son, Henry Tudor of Lancaster, to wed my Bessie,” the king repeated.
“While I will refuse Mags, I will honor Jasper, and thus keep the Tudors in check. Eventually I may give one ofmy other girls, Cicely perhaps, to Henry. But my Bessie will be a queen.”
“I think Adair will not cooperate with you, Edward,”the duke warned his brother.
