"One of these valiant knights before you willprove the champion three days from now during the final round of jousting. Sowithout further delay, I say, let the tournament begin. Thoseknightswho have drawn the first match, come forward."
"Oh, look! Raymond is in this match,"Margaret exclaimed.
The young woman watched with obvious pride as herhusband rode toward the pavilion along with eleven other men while the rest ofthe participants left the field. But her face fell when Raymond reined in hissteed beside a knight dressed all in black, from the thick plume gracing hisflat-topped helm to the midnightdestrierpawingrestlessly beneath him. Upon the man's black shield was a gold dragon withseven writhing heads.
"LordGervais,"Margaret murmured, suddenly subdued.
Leila felt a chill as she studied her brother, thinkinghe looked menacing indeed. But why would this pairing so upset Margaret? Surelyher husband appeared strong enough to hold his own against Roger.
"If you've a lady in the stands," Edwardspoke out again, addressing the assembled knights, "go to her now and lether bestow upon you a token of good fortune."
"What's this?" Leila asked as Raymond veeredhisdestriertoward where they were sitting. "Atoken?"
"'Tisthe custom,"Blanche replied. "The lady bestows upon her knight some charm to guard hisperson during the joust."
"What a silly notion," she declared. "Nocharm can protect a man from his kismet."
From the color spotting Blanche's cheeks, Leilarealized she had clearly taken offense. "And what is kismet?" Blancheasked.
"Fate." Leila watched as Margaret stood andtossed to her husband a delicate white lace veil she had pulled from hersleeve. Raymond caught it, brought it gallantly to his breast,thentucked it into his dark greensurcoat.
"God grant you victory, my husband," Margaretsaid quietly, her eyes fixed upon him as he rode back toward the king.
Leila's gaze flew to the opposite side of the pavilionwhere she spied Maude tying a gold veil around Roger's lowered lance. Then he,too, veered his snorting stallion back to where the other knights were waiting.
"My lords, take your places at the lists!"came a voice other than Edward's, who had retaken his seat next to Eleanor.
"That man is the master of the joust,"Blanche explained stiffly, indicating the portly gentleman standing below theroyal box. "He will officiate for the remainder of the tournament."
Leila's eyes followed Roger and Raymond as they rode tothe second closest of the six boarded enclosures. They entered and separated,her brother galloping to one end and lowering his lance while Margaret'shusband went to the opposite side. Another hush descended over the spectatorsas the last knights took their places. The only sounds were the nervousnickering of horses and the flapping of pennants in the light autumn breeze.
All that changed when the master of the joust suddenlydropped the gold banner he had been holding high over his head. A great crywent up from a thousand throats as the twelve knights kicked theirdestriersinto a hard canter and rode full tilt at theiropponents, shields raised and lances taking aim.
Leila winced at the loud, sickening thwacks that filledthe air. Four knights hit the ground with bone-shattering force. Only thevictors and two pairs of opponents remained in the saddle, Raymond and Rogerand the knights in the sixth list. It seemed she had no more drawn a breaththan they were riding hard at each other again.
This time Raymond fell, but he did not stumble to hisfeet as had the other unseated knights. He lay crumpled upon the ground untilfour deWarennesquires came running and carried himfrom the field, his limbs dangling limply between them.
"I must go to him," Margaret saiddistractedly, her face ashen as she rose from the bench. "I must go tohim."
"Come, my lady, I'll escort you," the earl ofSurrey offered tersely, glancing at his wife as he stood and took Margaret'sarm. "I want to see if there has been some impropriety . . ." He didnot finish, but led away the shaken young woman.
"Impropriety?" Leila asked,jarred herself by what she had just witnessed. What a brutal sport!
Matilda's expression was serious. "My husbandneeds to know if Lord Gray merely suffered a hard fall or if LordGervaisfailed to blunt his lance and thus injured him. We shallpray that that is not the case, especially for Margaret's and her children'ssakes."
Leila clasped her hands tightly as Blanche added, "Menhave been known to use the jousts to settle personal scores, though at the king'sown tournament I cannot imagine how anyone would dare. I only hope my Hubertdoes not select your brother's name on the morrow if he wins his match today.LordGervais'sskill with the lance is renowned. Hehas never been beaten."
No wonder Margaret had become so distressed when shehad discovered her husband's opponent, Leila thought uneasily. And Blanche'sstatement about settling scores would certainly explain why Roger had wanted tobe paired with Guy.
If any men carried grudge upon grudge against eachother, it was those two, and from what she had seen in the abbey yesterday, hermarriage to Guy had only made things worse between them. It made perfect sensethat Roger would want revenge against Guy for ruining all his plans. Had hedecided to vent his wrath on Raymond, a deWarenneknight, since he was not paired with the opponent he truly wanted? She hopednot.
"There is only one man who shares LordGervais'srecord," Blanche continued, raising hervoice to be heard above the blast of trumpets that signaled another match. "Yourhusband. Whenever they have met in the lists, it has always been a draw."
Pondering this news, Leila reluctantly watched the nextfour matches. She was relieved to see that the unseated knights usuallystaggered to their feet with little assistance. During the fifth match, theearl of Surrey returned to the pavilion, but without Lady Margaret.
"How is Raymond?" Matilda gripped her husband'sarm when he sat down heavily. "He's not . . ."
"No, he lives, though he'll carry quite a knot onhis head for several days," John replied. "Gervais'slance struck him in the helmet, knocking him unconscious. Margaret has gonewith him back to the palace. He needs rest."
