No sooner had she emerged from her bedchamber, with thehastily constructed head scarf wrapped around her body like a blue silk cocoonand the scarlet veil covering her face below her eyes, when a servingwoman—bearing a large tray and gaping at Leila in open-mouthedsurprise—collided around a corner with a manservant carrying buckets ofsteaming water. The palace hall had echoed with a loud crash of crockery,high-pitched shrieking, and disgruntled male cursing, while behind her opaqueveil Leila had merely smiled.
Activity had ceased in each room she and her threefemale companions passed: servants' brushes and brooms fell still; ladiesstared aghast and whispered like buzzing bees; several knights watched her witha fascinated gleam in their eyes. It had been all she could do not to laugh aloudat the silly exclamations she overheard.
"God's teeth, will you look at that? For a momentI thought I was back in the Holy Land—on crusade! I wouldn't be surprised ifnext a camel crossed our path!"
"Who is she?"
"I believe Lady deWarenne,and oh, just look at the poor countess of Surrey. I've never seen Matilda'sface so red! It's shocking, I tell you. Such a heathen display—shocking!"
Then, once outside the palace, Leila's exotic attirespooked a horse which tumbled its hapless rider into a bed of russetchrysanthemums. She didn't bother to stop, though Margaret rushed over toinquire after the poor man's health. Leila kept fight on walking until shereached the pavilion, where she gracefully climbed the steps and followedBlanche to a bench in the second row.
Leila swept a glance across the assembled lords andladies, who had suddenly grown silent with her appearance among them. She couldsee that virtually every pair of eyes was upon her. To Leila, they resembled somany gaping fish, almost as strange a sight to her as she must appear to them.With a surge of defiance, she faced front and sat down—determined not to givetheir astonished scrutiny a second thought. It was they who were dressedinappropriately, not she! Drawing herkufiyyamoreclosely around her, Leila looked out across a dirt field cluttered with a halfdozen long, boarded enclosures. She was amazed by the hundreds of spectatorsringing the rough-hewn fence that had been constructed along the field'sperimeter. The air of excitement was incredible, the crowd's roar deafening. Itseemed the common folk on the field were so busy jostling oneanother,they had paid her little notice.
"I can hardly believe we made it here in time,"the countess said, glancing with annoyance at Leila as she plopped onto thecushioned bench in the front row. She leaned toward her burly husband. "Hasthere been some delay, my lord?"
"Aye, there was a dispute over the pairings fortoday's round of jousting," John deWarenneanswered in a deep voice, clearly trying but failing not to stare at Leila'sveiled figure. "But the matter has been resolved. The opening pageantshould start at any moment."
"What problem?" Matilda persisted. "Ihope nothing serious. That would truly mar the day."
"Not serious, though it could have been. It seemsLordGervaiswanted to be paired with a certainknight even though he did not draw the man's name for today's round."
Leila had not meant to eavesdrop, but now she listenedintently. She sensed Blanche and Margaret, who flanked her, were doing thesame, for they had ceased chattering with their neighbors.
"Which knight, my lord husband?"
"I'll give you one guess, Matilda."
Her heart pounding, Leila knew even before Matilda'ssoft gasp that they were referring to Guy.
"And what happened?"
"Edward himself toldGervaisthat he must obey the rules of the tournament. The king said he had no doubtRoger would meet this knight on the field at some point during the next fewdays, seeing as they were both champions with the lance."
"The cheek of that wretched man!" Matildablurted heatedly. Her next words were drowned out as a rousing blare oftrumpets and the beating of drums sounded from the foot of the pavilion wherethe heralds stood in theirparticoloredtunics andhose.
Leila's eyes widened as a long line of knights gallopedinto the enclosed field on the largest horses she had ever seen. The crowdbegan to roar even louder as the armored riders and their mounts formed athunderous procession just inside the fence.
There must have been at least three hundred knights,each man dressed in a calf-lengthsurcoatoverpolished chain mail which blindingly reflected the sunlight, and a metal helmetthat completely covered the head, with only slits to allow vision and verticalvents for breathing. Most of the helmets were flat-topped, but some had steelwings or menacing horns projecting from the crown. All the knights heldtwelve-foot-long lances raised to the sky, brightly colored pennons flutteringat the tips, while across their opposite shoulders were slung large triangularshields.
"How do you tell them apart?" Leila wonderedaloud, searching for Guy among the knights who were slowing to a trot as theyrode past the pavilion. She spied a few powerfully built men, one of whom mightbe Guy or her brother, but she wasn't sure because of the helmets.
"It can be quite difficult unless you're able torecognize each particular coat of arms," Margaret explained, glancinguncomfortably over her shoulder at some women behind them who were gossipingabout Leila's strange attire. "Do you see how each knight has the samesymbols embroidered onto hissurcoatas he haspainted on his shield?"
"Yes, I see them," Leila replied, proudlyignoring the women. She focused instead on the myriad colorful devices representedon the field. How would she ever find Guy? The only thing she had ever seenemblazoned on hissurcoatwas the crusaders' crimsoncross. "The symbols are even painted on the long cloth coverings worn bythe horses," she added with a touch of exasperation.
Margaret turned to the field, expertly scanning thecircling knights riding two by two. "If you're looking for your husband,he is . . . there, on that huge roan stallion. His coat of arms is the fiercemythical griffin, half eagle, half lion."
Leila followed Margaret's gaze, her heart lurching inher breast as she spied Guy at last. She could not deny she was secretlythrilled by his magnificent appearance; it unsettled her just how thrilled shewas.
She took in every detail, from his winged helmet anddark bluesurcoatto the matched trappings on hiswarhorse. She had thought him forbidding when she had first seen him in chainmail. Now, seeing him like this, astride his powerfuldestrier,she could understand why the crusader knights had always struck fear into Arabhearts. Guy looked invincible, like a god, and she could not tear her eyesaway.
As he circled closer to the pavilion, her pulse racedin anticipation of his fury at her appearance. Then he was in front of her, andhis deep blue eyes were fixed on her as he rode by. To her acutedisappointment, she saw no anger, only a flicker of amusement.
At another loud blare of trumpets, the knights ceasedthe grand procession and turned to face the pavilion. Leila dragged her gazefrom Guy's distant form in time to see King Edward rise from his chair, aradiant Eleanor at his side. An expectant hush fell over the crowd.
"I, Edward, your newly crowned king, and mybeautiful Queen Eleanor bid you welcome!"
A huge clamor of huzzahs, swords battering upon shields,and applause filled the air, which after a few moments was silenced as Edwardraised his hand.
