He had erred and he had failed.Dagobert wished with all his heart that he might have the opportunity to make amends, but he knew that would never be.He loved Alienor, but he had never even hinted of his feelings for her.He loved her compassion and her fortitude.He loved the fiery flash of her eyes, and her loyalty to one—such as himself—who had done little to deserve it.He had given her pleasure, but that, he knew, was far less than her due.
He would die with the burden of his failure to his lady wife upon his heart.
Little did he realize that his fervent wish was destined to come true.
’Twas two dayslater that the announcement was made: Dagobert would be executed at dawn the subsequent morning.Iolande, Alienor and Jordan met in the room that the women shared over the bakery to argue their options one last time.Time had run out on their heated dispute, and all knew that for lack of a better alternative, they would have to follow Jordan’s plan.Neither of the women liked it, but both were forced to concede that ’twas the most likely scheme to yield success.
Late that evening when the city had quieted, the threesome reached the palace.Iolande pressed Jordan’s hand between her own, her gratitude finding no words in these last moments.She nodded once to Alienor before slipping into the darkness to do her part, her darkly shrouded figure quickly blending with the shadows.Alienor took a deep breath as she entered the hall with Jordan and they began their ruse.
“’Tis pure folly to think you will be allowed to see him,” Jordan complained loudly as they crossed the threshold.He wore a long cloak as well as his tabard and tunic, and had his helmet tucked beneath his arm.
Alienor began a tirade of recrimination at his poor treatment of her.He made an effort to soothe her, but her voice rose in accusation.Their dispute immediately drew the curious glance of the lone guard before the entrance to the great hall.
Exactly as had been planned.
“You are too cruel to deny me this one small kindness and thus dispatch my soul to purgatory.”Alienor allowed her tears to fall.“He is my husband, sworn to me before God, and ’tis my duty as a wife to bid him farewell.”
Jordan shook his head with impatience.“You know that you might have easily been accommodated earlier in the day,” he snapped, even as she wailed more loudly.“How like a woman to see her way clear when the timing is most inconvenient.”
“A single kindness I ask of you before we wed, and you would deny me even this simple request,” she cried.“Did the priest not threaten me with purgatory if I did not do this thing?But you have no concern for my eternal damnation.You only think of the interruption of your own earthly pleasures.”She spat this last comment with fury.
“Have I not devoted myself to your care?”Jordan demanded, his tone conciliatory.
Alienor cast him a haughty glance.“Only in anticipation of the pleasure I could provide you,” she replied, and he looked acceptably surprised.“’Twill be a cold marriage bed you find, sir, should I be headed for purgatory.”
Jordan rolled his eyes then met the gaze of the court guard with a shrug.
“You are too cruel, sir!”Alienor began to weep noisily and fell to her knees.
Jordan approached the guard.“I had no choice but to bring her here, despite the hour,” he confessed with the air of a man driven to distraction.“She has fair driven me mad since she heard tell of the man’s fate.”
“Which man?”the guard asked.
“Dagobert de Pereille,” Jordan supplied.
The guard nodded.“Aye, the dawn will be his last.”
“She is his wife.”Jordan sighed.“At least until we are wed tomorrow.”
The guard eyed Alienor.“’Twould seem the lady is yet fond of the man.”
Jordan snorted.“Women!’Tis difficult enough to understand them.She was happy enough when first she heard the news, making me promise we would wed right after the execution, thentzut—”he snapped his fingers “—she began to weep like a child.”Jordan leaned closer to the guard, who listened with rapt attention.“She feels guilt, she tells me,” he confided as if he could not believe the stupidity of the claim.“’Tis this purgatory nonsense and I cannot convince her to see the true way of things.”
“Aye, there are many who fear the shadows,” the guard agreed, clearly not finding himself among their ranks.
“Oho, so speaks a man who has weathered similar storms.Are you wed then?”
The guard shook his head.“Never found a one that seemed worth the trouble,” he replied and both men turned to watch Alienor.
She whispered “purgatory” under her breath and the two men exchanged a glance that spoke volumes.
“You have a point of merit there,” Jordan conceded.“For she has been no end of trouble this day, although—” he dropped his voice to a whisper “—’twas her threat of a cold bed that truly caught my ear.She is a fetching wench, and should she have her desire this night, I might have more of mine on the morrow.”
The guard chuckled.“Aye, your meaning is clear enough to me.”
Jordan leaned closer to whisper to the guard.“I would not insult an honorable man with mere coin, but ’twould be of great interest to me to see the lady’s whim met this night, should you understand my meaning.”
“There is little enough that I might do,” the guard replied.His gaze dropped to Jordan’s purse at the unmistakable jingle of coins.
