By wedding him.
But what was done was done, and he must make the best of it.Dagobert turned to extinguish the fire that he might join his wife abed, for that, at least, was good.
“Dagobert,” Alienor murmured when he had shed his clothes.He smiled, wishing he could have been more for her.If only he had been born a simple man, and one bereft of such responsibilities.If only he could have loved this woman with the fullness dawning upon his heart.
He would give her pleasure, though it was far less than he already knew she deserved.
“Dagobert,”Alienor sighed in the darkness, her body exhausted from her husband’s tempestuous lovemaking.Never yet had he been so demanding and so passionate; never had she imagined she could ride out such a storm of ecstasy and survive to tell the tale; never had she given him so much of herself.The regular sound of his breathing filled her ears, the rapid pulse of the heart beneath her ear telling her that he was not yet asleep.
She determined she would talk to him this night of all nights.She had so few opportunities that each one had to be seized.
“Dagobert,” she repeated with slightly more urgency.She had the strange sense that he would avoid her questions.Aye, he was taut and watchful.“I would speak with you,” she whispered, her heart sinking when his thumb landed against her lips.
“Nay,” she insisted, pushing his hand away.“We have only a few hours together each night and I would talk to you.I would know more of you.”
Alienor felt him shift beside her and sensed that he rose to prop himself on one elbow.She felt the weight his gaze upon her, even in the darkness, and hated that she could not see him.There were too many secrets between them.She did not even know the color of his eyes, much less what happened to him each day.Where did he go?Why had he chosen the unicorn?Why must he hide?
His thumb landed again on her lips and her tears rose at his refusal.’Twas too much to know such physical intimacy and be denied any other knowledge of the man who carried her to such great heights each night.How could he refuse her something so simple as a few words?Had he so little respect for her as his wife?Or did he see her merely as a carrier for his heir?
That thought was too cruel and Alienor rolled away, turning her back to her husband as her tears fell over her cheeks.’Twas the only explanation for his unwillingness to talk to her, and his lack of curiosity about her.He saw her only as a means to an end; his passion was all for the pursuit of a son and naught for her.She had been a fool to expect more from this match.
Silence filled the space behind her.He did not touch her.He did not console her.He did not care.Alienor was certain she had never felt so alone in her life.Iolande had made her promise that she would not interfere with conception.Every soul in this hall who spoke with her was concerned with the events in her nuptial bed.Did the entire household know her womb was all of her that was desired at Montsalvat?’Twas too much to be borne, and she wept as though her heart would break.
She thought she heard a sigh just before Dagobert’s arm closed around her waist, but she could not be sure.Alienor struggled briefly but he drew her easily back against him, curling her into his warmth and pressing gentle kisses into her hair.She halfway thought that he might speak, but he did not, disappointment welling in her chest that he would not even offer a few words.
Despite her turmoil, Alienor’s exhaustion won the day and she fell asleep against Dagobert’s warmth, the pillow wet with her tears.She did not know that her husband stared at the ceiling throughout the remainder of the night.
“Madame,I would ask for some small labor to busy myself.”Alienor managed to summon the audacity to make this request of Iolande the following morning at the board.
She had more of value to contribute to this household than her womb, and the morning light had brought a new determination to prove that fact.It was too soon to tell if she could conceive, but she would plan for the worst case and ensure that she maintained a place in the household.She would contribute so significantly that they would be hard-pressed to turn her out even should her body fail to fulfill their expectations.
“Indeed?”Iolande asked, her pale blue gaze slipping over Alienor.“Have you talent with a needle?”
“Of course.”Alienor was uncertain why she would be questioned on such a basic skill.“’Tis my understanding that most maidens do.”
Iolande raised one eyebrow.“Most maidens are not reared single-handedly by a knight,” she retorted, but there was the twinkle in her eyes that belied her tone.
Alienor impulsively smiled at her mother-in-law, reassured when some measure of the frost in those blue eyes dissolved.“Guibert was oft away and our neighbor took me under her care.She was a seamstress and I learned early to assist her.”
“Then your skills will indeed be welcome here,” Iolande said.
Alienor breathed a silent sigh of relief.The wolfhound resting at the lady’s feet stood up and shook himself, apparently anticipating its mistress’ intent.
“Should your fast be adequately broken, you are welcome to join us.”Iolande rose, her tone less formal than usual.Alienor abandoned the last of her bread, following her husband’s mother to the stairs.
It waseasy for Alienor to see why her presence was so welcome in the lady’s solar, for there were only a handful of women who came to sew for all the inhabitants of the fortress.Even she had noted that at least two hundred souls made their home at Montsalvat.Assigned to piece a man’s tunic, she worked carefully and silently, realizing only as she worked how few women she had seen in the keep since the wedding guests had left.
The weight of the fabric she stitched was considerable and the weave of the wool was heavy.Alienor knew that this was no ornamental garment but a tunic intended to keep a man warm in battle, perhaps while spending nights outside.A quick glance around the room confirmed that all of the women worked with similar cloth.Such thickly woven wool would block a wind as chill as the stiff breeze that had accosted her in the sentry tower.
The pieces all fitted together in Alienor’s thoughts as she worked.First there was the design of the castle with its heavy curtain walls, and its location atop a craggy peak with only one road winding to its gate.Then there was the vast number of knights and men at arms within its keep, a population of warriors that seemed to be slowly increasing as each day passed.
Montsalvat was a fortress in the true sense of the word: it was a bastion to be defended against invaders.The authoritative ring of the smith’s hammer in the forgery far below rose to her ears, a second and remarkably a third smith’s blows chiming in with the first, and Alienor wondered whether Montsalvat prepared for battle.
Against whom?
“Your work is fine,” Iolande commented quietly from behind her.
Alienor jumped, surprised as much by the older woman’s proximity as her praise.“I thank you,” she replied, daring a glance upward to find Iolande frowning.
