Before Alienor could reply, Iolande moved away to oversee some task on the far side of the room.
Alienor watched the bustle of activity, knowing that she had not imagined that the usually talkative Giselle had been quiet this morning.She spotted Alaric and would have stepped forward to speak to him, certain that he at least would have a kind word for her.He looked up and met her gaze squarely, a frost in his eyes not unlike that in Iolande’s.
They all not only knew of her error but considered her so disloyal to her lord husband that there could be no reprieve.Alienor might have expected as much from Iolande, but Alaric’s reaction struck her to the heart.She spun on her heel, running to the stairs, wanting only to escape.She gained the abandoned ladies’ solar and closed the door behind her, her tears spilling down her cheeks as she leaned back against the wood.
She had erred, to be sure, but no one would grant her the chance to apologize, let alone to make matters right.
Sometime later,Alienor wiped the last tears from her cheeks, determined to find some merit in the day.She picked up the banner where she had set it aside the day before.She ran her fingertips over the white embroidery of the unicorn’s coat, as soft as the down beneath the real beast’s chin, and the silken floss that she had wrought into the twisted spire of its glossy horn.
How could such a cruel word have fallen from her lips?How could she have named another, wounding a man who had been considerate of her in his bed?How could she have injured a man who already bore the weight of a secret so burdensome that he was forced to hide within his own keep?
Truly she did not deserve the respect of his household for her thoughtlessness.
She would have to earn some increment of their regard, all over again.
She could not begin soon enough.
Alienor uncoiled a golden thread from the basket of floss.With care, she threaded a needle with the bright gilt and bent to her task, plying the gold into the curve of a regal crown around the unicorn’s shining horn.
Dagobert struggledto appear calm even as the hoof beats of the knights’ chargers rang in the courtyard.He knew that his household expected him to keep his composure.They expected him to set the tone that all was normal at Montsalvat.
The sound of approaching footsteps and men’s voices carried to his ears and he took a deep steadying breath.He was short of sleep and his patience was stretched thin.He told himself it was concern for their pending departure, but even as Dagobert made the excuse, he knew that was not the root of his unease.
’Twas Alienor and the shock she had given him that ate at his resolve.The timely arrival of the king’s men could only support Eustache’s suspicion that she was a spy.His lovely, laughing Alienor was a traitor to his cause and a threat to his very life.
Dagobert’s heart fought against the conclusion even as his intellect insisted that it must be so.Truly, everything had gone wrong since her arrival, the painful loss of Anjou’s support, the sudden attack on Sidon after their betrothal, and now the king’s knights arrived at his own keep.
He scanned the company assembled in the hall and realized with a frown that his wife was not among them.Did she avoid watching the trouble she had brought upon his house?
He would not have thought her a coward.
Even if these knights had only suspicions, Dagobert feared ’twould not be long before they knew the way of things.Though his household were loyal to a fault, they were numerous and all knew of the conspiracy.’Twas only a matter of time before someone made an inadvertent slip, or two, and all would be lost.God knew the king did not suffer fools in his close retinue.With trepidation speeding his pulse, Dagobert met the concern in his mother’s eyes, then the steely resolve shining in Eustache’s.
The knights swung into the hall with a company of squires and retainers, all wearing the king’s insignia of azure and gold.They sported the fleur-de-lis itself, just as he had been warned, and he regretted that his sentry had not been incorrect.There was no way that Iolande could turn away the king’s own knights without severe repercussions.
The largest of them swept off his helmet and pushed back his coif with confidence and flair.He doffed his gloves and dropped respectfully to one knee before Iolande, the light gleaming on his cropped black hair.Dagobert knew he was the only one who saw the subtle signs of turmoil in his mother’s eyes, as she extended her hand to the knight, indicating that he might rise.
“Welcome to Montsalvat,” she said, and one of her dogs came to sit against her leg, the beast’s gaze as assessing as that of its mistress.The knight kissed the back of Iolande’s hand, rising slowly to his feet.They looked each other in the eye, the willowy countess of the estate and the broader warrior, each clearly taking the measure of the other.
“I would request your hospitality, my lady,” the knight said.His voice was clear and deep, and loud enough to carry to every corner of the hall.“We ride through these lands on the business of the king.”
“The road to Montsalvat leads no further,” Iolande noted, a challenge in her tone.
Dagobert thought the knight straightened a little.
“Indeed,” he agreed.“We make a census of all the lord’s chateaux for the king, that he might know the full extent of his vassalage.”
“We are vassals to Isam de Foix,” Iolande replied.
Dagobert watched warily, wondering if his mother pushed the knight overmuch.
“And thus to the king,” that man concluded.“Whether your allegiance be sworn directly or through another is of no import to me.”He shrugged, apparently too tired to pursue an argument.“Again, I would request your hospitality, my lady.We have ridden hard this day though the sun is yet high.”
“Of course,” Iolande conceded, as though there had never been any doubt.She clapped her hands for servants to make the men comfortable.
Dagobert knew he was not the only one who felt relief when the visiting knight bowed, then graciously offered Iolande his hand to escort her to the board.
“Oh, my lady, here you are!”The light was fading when Giselle ducked into the solar.The concern in the maid’s expression turned to relief when she spied her mistress.
