"Very well, your grace." She could almost find it in her to forgive Desiderata, too, providing that Henry kept his promise and she did not have to see her. After all, the courtesan's spite had resulted from her frustrated desire for the same man Aldyth loved, and she found that very easy to understand.

"Yes, I do envy you, Lord Ranulf," the prince continued. "" Tis well that I must keep myself for a royal marriage or I might be tempted to reenact a certain episode of our youth.

Remember Lisette, Ranulf? Yes, I see you do. Have you told your lady about her? Nay, you haven't, have you? Well, you will forgive my doing so, but it was long ago, after all, and I would have Lady Aldyth understand why her lord might not have been so eager to reveal her as a lady even to me, your liege lord. "

Henry waited.

"Go on, my prince. I'm sure you won't be satisfied until you tell it,"

Ranulf said, but he was still smiling.

"Very well. Lisette was the daughter of a Norman sergeant at arms at Winchester, very buxom and beautiful with blond hair and eyes as blue as the V'rgin's robe, but even at thirteen a born s.l.u.t. She quite enchanted young Ranulf, who was growing up in the household with me, and he was blind to her, uh, shortcomings. He worshiped the very hem of her dress, did Ranulf, and he would bring her violets and honey cakes he'd filched from Cook and so forth--all for just a smile from those pouty lips, eh, Ranulf? He was just thirteen, too, and as handsome a boy as a wench could wish. I was twelve, and a selfish brat even then, right, Ranulf? Well, I wasn't blind to the way she looked at men, from the other men-at-arms clear down to the scullery lads. I knew what she was. But I'll never forget the look in Ranulf's eyes me tumblin Henry paused, and his gaze left Aldyth to go to Ranulf's face.

"I hurt you terribly with my selfishness, didn't I, my lord? You never spoke to her again, but you never tasked me with it, either, as you might have. I was expecting you to beat me to a pulp, with no thought that I was a princeling and you were just a n.o.ble's son fostering in our household. You didn't do as you might have--but you remembered, didn't you? Knowing that I am still a self-centered scoundrel, my lord, and even though you trust me with your future, you didn't trust me around your lady, did you?" Ranulf said nothing, and finally the prince smiled crookedly.

"I can't say as I blame you. But hear me, Ranulf, you have nothing to fear of me regarding this lady who loves you and whom you love. I appreciate your loyalty too much to do something so reprehensible a second time--even a.s.suming so good a lady would look at me twice with you in the room, which she would not."

"" Tis gracious of you to say so, my prince," Ranulf said with a solemn smile.

"" Tis only the truth. Now, since you intend all honor to this lady as your wife, may I a.s.sist you in wedding her? I can have my chaplain say the nuptial ma.s.s within the hour, or as soon as you say. "

Aldyth gasped.

"I would wed her gladly this minute," began Ranulf, "but there is still the matter of Lady Aldyth's previous betrothal."

"Ah, yes, the Church can get sticky about such things, viewing a betrothal nigh good as a marriage. We'll just have to wait a little longer, that's all. I'll send word to my bishop to get working on it immediately. Now, I have a letter here I must read. Why don't you carry your bride-to-be back to your chamber until supper? I'll send up another poultice, I gather the first got dropped in the rushes when Desiderata blundered in. Only this time," he added with a wink,

"I'll make sure the wench knocks and waits for you to admit her."

"Does he really have his own bishop?" Aldyth asked Ranulf when they were out of earshot up the twisting stone steps.

"I wouldn't doubt it," he answered with a grin.

"If Henry only had more coin to go with his charm he could have a cardinal or even the Pope himself in his pocket. But mayhap he can help speed up the ending of your contract with Turold."

"Aye, he is charming," she agreed, "but a woman could never trust him out of her sight, I think. I'm glad you are as you are, my love." She looked into the lean, handsome face so close to her own as they reached the top of the stairs.

"And I'm glad we are back at our chamber and there are hours until the supper horn blows," he said, nuzzling her neck as he shouldered his way in.

"As soon as the servant comes, there are things I would do... things that will not be impeded by a poultice on your ankle."

Chapter Twenty

Henry had apparently kept his promise, for Aldyth saw no sign of Desiderata when they went down to supper.

The prince bade Aldyth sit next to him on the dais and placed Ranulf on her other side. It was a dizzying change of state for her. Only last night she had been Edward, Ranulf's page, offering dishes on bended knee, and now she was sitting at the high table next to a prince of England, a man who might someday be king! Wouldn't her father and brothers be amazed?

Before the meal began, Henry reached under the table and brought out a wooden crutch, its arm piece padded by a piece of sheepskin.

"I had my carpenter make it--with a little help from the shepherd, of course.

"Twill spare Lord Ranulf's energy for other efforts," he told her with a wink.

Aldyth knew he was vastly pleased with the flush he so easily elicited in her with his double entendre, but she was nevertheless touched by his thoughtfulness. And he continued to exhibit that unfailing courtesy as supper went on, making sure she had the choicest bits of capon, venison and fish and that the wine cup she shared with Ranulf was never empty. He asked her about her family.

In spite of his charming conversation, though, Aldyth was always more acutely aware of the presence of Ranulf on her other side, his thigh brushing hers, his eyes meeting hers as their fingers touched on their shared wine cup. Her body tingled at the thought that soon they could return to the tower room in which they had experienced such sensual delights this afternoon, and that they would have all night to lie in each other's arms.

"The message I was reading was from my brother the duke," Henry said at the end of the meal.

"It seems you're being summoned back to England, I'm sorry to say." Ranulf's eyes, suddenly troubled, met Aldyth's, and she found herself reaching for his hand. No/ The king could not be ordering Ranulf to return, just as they'd found their happiness together!

"Be easy, you two, you need not set out on the road on the morrow,"

Henry said.

"But apparently Robert is under the impression you're in disfavor with the king. Is that so, Ranulf?"

Ranulf nodded.

"All I said to Robert was that the king was displeased with me, and it was like turning a key in a lock. He accepted me fight into the fold and gave me land. He trusts so easily, my lord."

Henry chuckled.

"The more fool he. But poor Robert, he's worried about you. He thinks our brother is calling you home to your doom."

Ranulf looked troubled.

"He was very gracious to me, my prince, No matter how this eventually comes out, I hope the duke will be all right."

Aldyth thought the prince seemed uncomfortable as he replied,

"It's largely up to him, is it not? In any case, Robert makes mention that he didn't tell him you'd been visit' rag me, and he has already sent him a reply stating he'd asked you to stay until Epiphany, so there's no need for you to depart the Cotentin until after New Year's Day. Robert is expecting to see you back in Rouen before you leave. He'll want to know how you found me, which brother I'm currently favoring..." He waved a hand, amazingly cheerful about the lack of genuine trust that existed among the brothers.

"So you'll have a bit of a honeymoon, at least, before you must return to England and my ruddy-faced royal brother."

"In any case, 'tis better that our journey home begin from Rouen rather than the Cotentin," Ranulf murmured, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Ship captains can be bribed to tell from whence they sailed, and I haven't decided whether to mention to his grace the king about our little side visit here." ' "Yes, you'll have to feel out the situation when you return to court,"

agreed Henry.

"But in any case I am glad that both of you will be here to make merry on New Yeaifs Day with me before you must go back."

The next two days pa.s.sed in a pa.s.sion-filled haze for Aldyth and Ranulf.

They spent more time in bed than out of it, locked away in the sanctuary of the tower room, exploring the delights of each other's bodies and stretching the boundaries of ecstasy.

Aldyth had not guessed such joys existed. If she had, she was certain she would have let Ranulf make love to her long ago. And since she knew now that he had loved her even when he had been behaving so awfully at Kingselere, she thought wistfully of all the heartache and difficulty they could have spared themselves if he had taken her upon the straw in some empty stall.

Ranulf was a skillful lover. How he'd honed that talent, she would rather not ponder. She was quickly learning the little tricks that made him tremble with desire for her, that