Leaving his brothers, he joined Aliza where she sat on a bench protected from the wind and spray by a canvas awning. She was nibbling on candied ginger to calm her stomach, and appeared quieter than usual.
‘Are you well?’ he enquired.
She offered him a piece of the ginger, which he took because he liked it rather than to stave off mal de mer. ‘A little queasy,’ she said, ‘but not about to join Geoffrey’s endeavours.’ She sent him a sidelong glance. ‘England will be a different world – a different life.’
‘Yes.’
‘When we return – if we do – even if the land remains the same, we will be changed.’
William did not always understand his sister; her thoughts were sometimes convoluted and deep. ‘Do you not wish to go then? You know we will all look after you and protect you.’
‘I know you will.’ She sighed pensively. ‘After Mama died, I considered taking vows and joining her at Fontevraud. There is such order and certainty in convent life.’
William eyed her askance. ‘I’m not sure how good you would be at obeying orders. You have the will, but I doubt you have the patience to wear a habit.’
She pinched him, making him yelp.
‘You see! Would a nun do such a thing?’
‘Of course she would, if being tested by a devil!’ she replied, laughing, but then folded her arms across her waist in a gesture of self-comfort. ‘I might pinch you and you might tease me, but I can trust you and the others with my life. But in England, the King becomes our guardian and our sponsor. I do not know him, nor what lies in store – other than marriage, and that is a far greater risk than taking vows and becoming a bride of Christ.’
‘That is true, but it is also a great opportunity. Think of all the suitors you will have!’
‘And what a pot of mixed luck that might prove to be!’
‘Do you not wish to go?’
She screwed up her face. ‘I did not say that. I am very aware of the honour and opportunities being extended to us. I am looking forward to sharing company with Joanna again. It is just that nothing will ever be the same.’
‘It is not that far,’ he said, trying to cajole her out of her strange, fey mood. ‘Who knows, we may return with our fortunes made – and perhaps with some little Lusignans to swell the family.’ He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Aliza pushed him. ‘Oh you!’ she said crossly, although her eyes sparkled with exasperated humour. ‘It is all a game to you isn’t it, Will? A vast, shiny tournament, and you the untarnished knight.’
‘I know life is not like that.’ On his dignity, he withdrew a little. ‘But there is nothing wrong in striving, is there?’
She puffed out her breath, but then her expression softened. ‘No,’ she said, and touched his hair gently. ‘No, there is not. I shall embrace England with open arms, but you and your brothers had better behave.’
‘Of course we will! Why would you expect anything else?’
‘Why indeed?’ She cast her gaze heavenwards.
10
Royal Palace of Woodstock, May 1247
The ladies of the court had taken their needlework into the palace gardens to enjoy the glorious late May weather. Joanna was appreciating the soft spring day, with the sun warm on her shoulders and the daylight so beneficial for sewing. The altar cloth was nearing completion.
‘Your stitches are always so neat,’ the Queen praised. ‘I used to watch you work when you were a child and was amazed at your skill for one so young.’
Joanna flushed with pleasure and tried not to feel too proud.
‘How are you faring these days?’ Alienor asked gently.
‘I am well, madam,’ Joanna said without looking up.
Her heart ached when she thought of Iohan. The sap had risen, the trees were in leaf, the animals all had young at heel, while he rotted in his grave. One of the Queen’s musicians was singing a song of merry springtime in the background and she had to stop sewing because her eyes had blurred with grief. Alienor sympathetically touched her arm.
The younger royal children, Margaret, Beatrice and Edmund, were playing around their nurses’ feet, but Edward had drifted away and was intently occupied over a flower bed in the corner of the garden.
