Sapphire - Book 2 (8 page)

“And what is it, my dear that I would be
thinking right now?” Lady Katherine arched an eyebrow as she
spoke.

“That I was in there sufficing your son’s
needs – because I wasn’t.”

“My body can vouch for that, mother, so
believe her,” called out Roe’s deep voice from inside the
tent.

Lady Katherine looked around quickly, making
sure no one was watching, and then she put her arm around Sapphire
and whispered into her ear.

“I wish you had married my son instead of the
baron,” she told her. “I would love for you to be my daughter by
marriage and bear many grandchildren for me.”

Roe parted the curtains of the tent and
watched as his mother walked away with her arm around Sapphire. He
had heard every word she’d said.

“I wish that as well, Mother,” he said softly,
his heart aching as he watched them head toward the castle. “I wish
that as well.”

Chapter 6

Sapphire sat at the dais for the midday meal,
with Roe at the head of the trestle table on one side of her, and
the priest from the village, Father Geoffrey on her other side. Had
her husband not been away on business in town, he would have been
sitting next to her instead. Sapphire was grateful for his
absence.

Roe’s mother sat at his left side and his
uncle, next to her. Because of the way they were seated, Sapphire
had to share a cup and trencher with Roe. She was secretly happy
for this and only hoped she’d be able to concentrate during the
meal.

“My lady, would you care for some spiced
wine?” Roe held the goblet out to her and when she reached for it,
his hand brushed against hers before he pulled it away. A wave of
excitement rushed through her from his mere touch, and she lowered
her gaze to the table instead of looking directly at him. She took
a sip and handed it back, his hand reaching out and rubbing against
the top of her left hand as he took it from her.

Her eyes shot upward by his action, and their
gazes interlocked – desire as well as intimacy passing briefly
between them.

“He didn’t even give you a ring?” he asked
under his breath.

“No time, I suppose, as the wedding was very
rushed.”

She surveyed the tray of food the servant laid
upon the table. The Carver stepped forward with a sharp knife in
his hand and nodded first toward Lord Sexton and then to
her.

“If I may carve the meat, my lord and lady?”
The Carver stood with a large platter holding lamb roasted with
vinegar and salt. Sapphire enjoyed lamb on occasion, but her
favorite was the Doucettes – a pork and egg pie seasoned with
pepper and sweetened with honey.

“Aye,” said Roe, and she felt as if the man
had addressed them as a married couple. As if she were the lady of
the household, even though his mother took that position since Roe
was not married. She liked the feeling and wished it were
true.

The Carver sliced the baked meat in front of
them and placed some on the trencher, old stale crust of bread used
to hold the food, which lay between them.

“That’ll be all, thank you,” said Roe with a
nod, and the man headed down the table to carve for his mother and
uncle as well.

Roe spoke as he dished out peas and root
vegetables as well as added to the trencher a piece of Sapphire’s
favorite pie.

“I would have given you a ring worth talking
about,” muttered Roe under his breath. The priest overheard him and
joined in the conversation.

“Lady Sapphire, how are you enjoying married
life to the baron?” asked the priest. “After all, you have married
someone of a higher rank than just a lord and should be very happy
at the results of your betrothal.”

“Actually,” said Sapphire, clearing her
throat. “My father betrothed me to Lord Roe Sexton, but his uncle
thought him dead and married me off to the baron
carelessly.”

“Is this true?” The priest looked over to
Roe.

“It is, I’m afraid,” Roe answered. “But had I
known I’d been betrothed,” his hooded eyes perused Sapphire,
drinking her in, making her feel a bit uncomfortable with the
priest so near, “then I would have hurried home and it would have
been my wedding instead.”

“What a shame, what a shame,” said the priest,
shaking his head.

“Would that be grounds for an annulment?”
asked Roe, and Sapphire could hear the hope in his
voice.

“Well, I believe it could, however since Lady
Sapphire agreed to the marriage, the request might not be granted
by the pope.”

“Well, what would be considered worthy of
being granted an annulment?” asked Sapphire.

“If one of the two in question was already
married, I suppose. Or if the woman could not bear the man an
heir.”

“Really?” asked Sapphire. “Then I want an
annulment, as I have not been able to give my husband an heir, and
he has stopped sleeping with me because of it.”

“Oh my!” The priest blessed himself and said a
whispered prayer.

“What do we do?” Roe asked Father
Geoffrey.

“Well, Lady Sapphire’s husband would have to
be the one to request the annulment, posing his complaint about you
being barren.”

“He’d never do that, I am sure.” Sapphire took
a bite of food and looked down to her trencher. Things seemed to be
going from bad to worse.

“I would like to drink to my son,” shouted out
Lady Katherine, holding her goblet high. “Who will join me in
celebrating the return of my missing son?”

“Mother, please,” grumbled Roe. “I was not
missing.”

“Aye,” said his uncle, standing and raising
his goblet. “To Lord Roe Sexton, may he someday be as happy as the
baron and his wife, Lady Sapphire.”

Shouts and cheers were heard and the minstrels
up in the gallery started playing music. Ethereal notes from the
rote, five stringed harp, floated down into the great hall joined
in by the sound of a frestelle, a flute that resembled a panpipe.
Rhythm was kept by a minstrel tapping lightly on the naker, double
drum, and the tinkling of clochetes or small bells rounded out the
delightful tune.

“I wouldn’t wish that on you,” Sapphire
whispered to Roe, raising the goblet and pretending to drink to his
toast as well.

After the dessert that included spiced pears
cooked in wine, and blackberry pie that Roe had said was his
favorite and eaten most of it himself, the servants cleared away
the trenchers, collecting them to be given to the beggars outside
the castle gates, or to the hounds. The trestle tables were taken
apart, with half a dozen men working to move the heavy boards from
the trestles that held them in place. And once the area was
cleared, the room was now ready for entertainment.

“Let us all dance,” said Lady Katherine,
rising from the table and heading down the dais. She stopped just
behind Roe’s padded chair – a chair that designated him as lord of
the castle. “I would expect you’d be dancing with Lady Sapphire
since her husband is away on business,” she told her
son.

“Mother, I am not sure that is a good idea,”
protested Roe.

“I don’t need to dance,” said Sapphire,
smiling slightly and looking out to the floor at the happy lords
and ladies who found pleasure in their spouse’s presence. She was
saddened, as she had always loved to dance. She’d even taught the
steps to her sisters while growing up, and forced her father to
dance with each of them in turn after the meals at Blackpool
Castle. She would never dance again, she realized. Because she
would refuse to dance with the baron, and she knew no man would
have the courage to stand in his place.

“You do need to dance,” said Roe, standing and
pulling out her chair. “And you will dance with me, my lady, as
I’ll not let you sit there so sullenly without participating in the
merriment.”

She planned on protesting, but he didn’t seem
to want to take no for an answer. Besides, she secretly wanted to
dance with him, and now that her husband was gone, ’twas a perfect
opportunity.

He helped her from her chair, and held out his
arm. She placed her hand atop it gently, being guided from the dais
to the main floor. The music started up a lively tune, and he bowed
to her gallantly. She, in return, curtsied. Then he took her arm
and they moved forward, and he spun her around and turned her in a
full circle.

“You look beautiful tonight, Lady
Sapphire.”

Her gaze met his and she drank in the beauty
of his freshly shaven face. She wanted nothing more than to run her
hands over it, but she knew she wasn’t allowed to touch
him.

“Thank you,” she said with a slight nod, then
turned to dance with her corner who happened to be Roe’s
uncle.

“You seem to like dancing with Roe,” he said.
“I don’t think your husband would take kindly to your unruly
behavior.”

“I assure you, my lord, my interest is in the
dance only.”

She turned back to Roe and he reached out and
touched her at her waist lightly as he guided her across the floor.
He was so handsome and she felt the attraction between them as her
stomach flipped inside at the mere thought of being in his embrace
once again.

“Where will you be sleeping tonight, my lady?”
he asked softly.

“Anywhere but with the baron,” she whispered
back, and turned once more to greet her corner. Unfortunately, this
time instead of Lord Henry, she reeled backward when she realized
Baron Walter Poussin was standing there with his arm outstretched
waiting for her.

“Lord husband,” she gasped. “I thought you
were going to be in town til nightfall.”

“I can see,” he said, grabbing her roughly,
shooting a daggered look at Roe. “I have also heard from the priest
just now that you and Roe have been asking questions about an
annulment.”

When she didn’t answer, he gripped her by the
wrist tightly. “I warn you to drop the request, as I will never
agree to it, and should Roe Sexton get involved I will stir up
trouble for him like you could never imagine.”

She turned back to Roe, but stepped away from
him when he went to take her by the arm.

“I don’t think I want to dance anymore,” she
told him.

He looked bewildered, but then noticed the
baron standing behind her, and his smile turned into a frown. “I
can see why. Don’t let him stop you from enjoying yourself,” he
said, once more reaching out for her.

She stepped away and shook her head, and ran
to the corner of the room. Lady Katherine noticed and
followed.

“What is it my dear?” she asked, putting her
arm around Sapphire.

“I feel so trapped,” Sapphire relayed. “I no
longer wish to dance with my husband nor your son, and yet I have
nowhere to go to be alone.”

Roe walked over to join them. “Sapphire, I
heard what you said and you are wrong, as you do have somewhere to
go.” He glanced toward the baron with a scowl upon his face, and
then back to her. “I would give you my chamber as your own and I
will sleep in the great hall instead. This should ensure your
safety.”

“Thank you,” she said, “but I fear my husband
will not like that.”

“Then I will post a guard at the door if I
have to, but you will not be going back with that man if I have
anything to say about it.”

“But he is my husband,” she reminded
him.

“And he’s also my enemy now, as he has hurt
you as well as my mother. If he so much as tries to fight my
decision, I will bring him to trial for having raised a hand to my
mother.

Sapphire noticed her handmaid, Corina, waiting
at the entranceway of the great hall. She’d been assigned the girl
when she’d first come to the castle, but she could also see lately
that something was troubling the short, plump girl.

“I’ll go now to your solar then,” she said,
brushing past her husband without acknowledging him, collecting up
her handmaid and rushing down the hall.

“Sir George,” Roe called out, bringing the
knight to his side.

“Aye, milord?” The man stood next to him at
attention.

“Stand guard outside my solar door tonight and
do not let Lady Sapphire’s husband enter.”

“Turn away her own husband?” the man asked in
question.

“You heard my orders, now go.”

“Aye, my lord,” the man said with a confused
look upon his face, hurrying away.

“Roe, what was that all about?” asked Lady
Katherine, coming to join him.

“I gave Sapphire my solar, mother and placed a
guard at the door. I will not let the baron hurt her
again.”

“But you have no right,” she reminded him. “He
is her husband.”

“And by right, I should have been her husband.
The negotiations were made for me, and since I am not dead, I will
have her as my wife after all.”

“Roe, as much as I want you to be married to
Sapphire, ’tis too late. Just release the notion.”

“She spoke of finding true love,” he told his
mother. “She also said she’d never find it with her
husband.”