Wild Bells to the Wild Sky (31 page)

"This has just arrived for you, Valentine," Thomas said, gesturing for the footman standing at his side to present the silv
er salver he carried, a sealed
piece of parchment in the center.

Curious, Valentine accepted it. A smile of enlightenment curved his lips as he recognized the seal and opened the letter. " 'Twould seem as if I have received a royal summons. The queen has returned to Westminster and is now in residence at Whitehall. She requests my presence, as well as the children's, at court on the morrow. We are to have a private audience with her in the privy chamber," he remarked.

"Lily, we're going to meet the queen!" Tristram exclaimed in awe.

"Just like in the fable," Dulcie squealed, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Do you think the wild white horses will be there, too?"

"Wild white horses in court?" George repeated, momentarily dumbfounded by the prospect. "Now, that is something I would like to see," he murmured, his shoulders beginning to shake with mirth as he imagine the Great Hall crowded elbow to elbow with pompous courtiers thrown into a pudder as a herd of horses raced through.

"I believe Elizabeth's coach is pulled by six very beautiful horses," Valentine confirmed, ignoring George and whatever devilment he was about.

"Does she have a chariot made of bright red coral?" Dulcie demanded, her dark eyes round with wonder. "And does she have a starfish saddle and reins made of seaweed?"

George Hargrave's lips were twitching as he looked at Valentine Whitelaw, eagerly awaiting that gentleman's reply.

"Her Majesty rides in a chariot of gold, and her white horse's saddle and reings are woven with gold and jewels," Valentine replied, exaggerating slightly, but not disappointing his young audience. Especially Dulcie, who gave Tristram a smug, I-told-you-so look for ever having doubted the fable.

Then another, although far less pleasing, thought seemed to occur to her and she frowned. "The witch! The witch, Lily!" she whispered, remembering the rest of the fable. Glancing around fearfully, she squeezed between Lily and Valentine, hiding her face against Lily's gown. And only Lily and Tristram knew she was referring to the witch of their fable and not a real person.

George, however, misunderstanding her meaning, glanced around, his eyes widening as he recognized the woman entering the hall. "Good Lord! However did she guess?" he exclaimed, glancing back at the little girl. "What a rare child indeed!" he said in appreciation of the child's innocent remark-a remark he would have given dearly to have made, but could not because of gentlemanly restraint, and Valentine Whitelaw standing within earshot. But George's laughter was not so constrained as he watched Cordelia Howard make her grand entrance, his eyes narrowing slightly as he noticed the gentleman strutting like a peacock by her side.

Enraptured, Lily Christian stared at the breathtaking vision of the woman who had just entered the hall. Dressed in a gown of deepest rose with a gold-embroidered underskirt, Cordelia Howard was the most beautiful woman Lily had ever seen.
Her beauty was all that a young and impressionable girl would wish to possess as her own; black curls, capped by a rose-colored, pearl-encrusted hat with a gold-dusted plume, framed her delicate, creamy-complexioned face; black amber eyes, fringed with thick lashes, sparkled with every emotion that crossed her flawless features; rose-tinted lips, curving provocatively with each smile or pout, were beautifully proportioned above a dimpled chin; and the close-fitting gown she wore accentuated the smallness of her waist and the gentle, feminine curves of breast and hip.

Cordelia Howard greeted her host, then allowed her gaze to encompass the assembled guests. A slight nod of acknowledgment was greeting enough for Quinta, Honoria, and Elspeth, but when Cordelia recognized their male companions, her dark eyes lingered invitingly before sliding away, leaving each man feeling that he'd been singled out as someone special.

It was only then, when Lily became aware of the burning intensity of that gaze, that she realized the woman was now staring directly at Valentine Whitelaw.
Looking
up into his face, Lily felt her heart miss a beat when she saw the expression on Valentine's face as he succeeded in holding the woman's eyes with his. And as Lily watched, the slow smile she had come to treasure began to curve his lips, but this time the smile was not for her.

Lily continued to stand beside Valentine as the woman and her escort approached.
She
had not needed the introduction that followed to know that this woman must be Cordelia Howard, the woman Sir Rodger and Honoria Penmorley had mentioned when at Ravindzara. Cordelia Howard was the woman Honoria Penmorley feared. Lily, even in her innocence, could understand the reason behind Honoria's fear of her rival for the affections of Valentine Whitelaw. Although Honoria Penmorley was as beautiful a woman as Cordelia Howard, when in the same room with the other woman Honoria's perfect beauty remained cold and lifeless. Cordelia Howard was a seductress. Her every glance and gesture was captivating. She was a fascinating woman who possessed a
vivacity
that drew people irresistibly to her.

Even Lily was not immune to Cordelia Howard's allure as she curtsied
respectfully
before her when introduced. But Cordelia Howard had given her little more than a cursory glance before turning her dark eyes on Valentine Whitelaw. Lily wished she could have said the same about the man who had accompanied Cordelia Howard to Tamesis House.

Raymond Valchamps. Lily shivered, thinking of his strangely colored eyes. It had been like awakening from a nightmare only to discover that it was real. She had looked up into his face, a face that had haunted her in dreams for years, and found herself staring into the eyes that had terrified her for as long as she could remember. As she stood there staring openmouthed at Raymond Valchamps, all of the old terrors had returned.
She
remembered the day her grandmother had died. She heard the sound of cannon fire and saw the blood staining the deck of her father's ship. Then she saw the hooded priest and the heavy silver cross that gleamed in the sun, and standing next to him was the man with the strangely colored eyes
.
.
.

If it hadn't been for Dulcie, Lily thought she might have screamed. At first, she had thought it was her own scream that had pierced the hall. Then, in the silence that had followed, she had heard muffled crying and felt Dulcie shaking against her

"Good Lord!" Cordelia Howard exclaimed, beginn
ing to laugh. "Those
beaux
ye
ux
of yours, Raymond, have scared the child half to death. Apparently she has never seen anyone with one blue eye and one brown. My dear, do not be too dejected. Just
wait
until she is older, then she may find them quite attractive, certainly exciting," Cordelia said, for poor Raymond looked quite pale, stunned, in fact, by the child's frightened reaction when seeing him.

There was an embarrassed titter, quickly muffled from someone, then, after several
softly
spoken comments, the voices resumed their usual
conversational
intonations as everyone seemed to resume talking at once.

Artemis, who had finally joined the group in the hall, had rushed over when Dulcie had become hysterical, and, prying her loose from Lily's side, had taken her in her arms, trying to quiet her fears.

"I think there has been too much excitement for her. The children are not accustomed to so much noise and so many people around them," Artemis explained, dabbing at Dulcie's tears.

"Mistake, that. Can't mollycoddle the young," a gray-haired
gentleman
remarked. "Never did my own. Had my boy here in London as a page when hardly out of swaddling."

"I'm sure you were most wise, Sir Charles," Elspeth said kindly but dismissingly as she smiled at the old busybody. "I was just about to take Betsy and Wilfred upstairs for their nap. Why don't you bring Dulcie along," Elspeth suggested to Artemis as she came forward with her two children.

"Why don't I
help
you taker her upstairs," Valentine offered,
thinking
the child looked ill. He glanced over at Lily and was surprised to see how pale she looked. "Lily? Are you well?" he asked in concern.

Almost without volition, Lily glanced toward Raymond Valchamps, her eyes widening slightly as she found him staring at her. Lily continued to meet his gaze, unable to look away. Embarrassed, she felt the heat rising in her cheeks.

"Lily?" Valentine questioned again.

Lily finally pulled her eyes away and as she looked into Valentine's warm, turquoise gaze, she felt her fears beginning to disappear. "I'll help Artemis get Dulcie settled," she offered, welcoming an excuse to leave the hall. She needed time to think. Why did Raymond Valchamps seem so familiar to her? Where had she seen him before?

"That will not be necessary, Lily." Artemis responded quickly as she lifted Dulcie in her arms. "I can take care of her. You might as well remain down here. You will only be in the way upstairs. If I am to calm Dulcie, I do not need that monkey racing around the room."

Lily continued to stand where she was, watching Artemis and Elspeth as they disappeared from the hall with the youngest children.

"Are you certain you wish to stay here, Lily?" Valentine asked in concern.

"Yes, I am fine, thank you," Lily said huskily, her arms tightening around Capabells.

"Well, I, for one, am befuddled," George Hargraves said with a perplexed look. "The child is raised in the wilds, and heaven only knows what kinds of beasts she has seen in the New World, and yet," he paused, casting a curious glance at Raymond Valchamps," she is sent into terror at the sight of 'Sir' Raymond Valchamps. Hmm, now I think 'pon it, could be she had every reason to be frightened," he murmured as he brushed past the tight-lipped gentleman who was still staring at Lily Christian.

"Come along, Sir Charles, I'll lighten your purse in a game of chance. Dice? Cards?" George Hargraves suggested helpfully as he came abreast of the older gentleman and eyed hi as if about to pick his pocket.

" 'Tis a fine afternoon," Sir Charles returned meaningfully.

"The bowling green?"

"Let us see how accurate your aim is, young fellow. What say you to a shilling a
-
-" Sir Charles was offering a worried-looking George Hargraves as he guided the younger man toward the door, his hand firmly beneath George's elbow and not about to let him loose.

Lily started to edge closer to Valentine, but Cordelia Howard moved between them. Grasping his arm, she led him toward his host, who was now engaged in conversation with the lovely young woman with pale blond hair who had entered the hall with Cordelia Howard and Raymond Valchamps.

Simon Whitelaw, who'd been avidly watching everything, especially Lily and her brother and sister, came hurrying over to her side now that she and Tristram stood alone. "Are you hungry?" he asked shyly.

Tristram's eyes brightened. "I am!"

Simon Whitelaw grinned. "That was a great salmon you caught. I caught a river bass almost as big once. Bet you've caught a lot of fish," he said, and even though the boy was younger than he was, Simon was willing to give him the respect her merited for having been raised on an island in the West Indies, and for having sailed with his uncle aboard the
Madrigal
.

Tristram puffed out his chest importantly, but that caused his stomach to start growling, and he eyed this Simon Whitelaw in speculation, curious if he was as good as his word. "Reckon I could tell you a few stories, but it might help if we had something to eat first," he bargained.

Simon Whitelaw nodded, his dark eyes glowing with excitement. He could hardly wait to hear about the island. "Come on. If I'm not mistaken, they'll be dishing up toffee pudding for the little ones to get them to go to sleep. We might be able to get ourselves some. Maybe even an apple tart or two," Simon Whitelaw enticed his young friend, willing to bribe the boy with anything in order to hear some of the more exciting stories of adventure about his father and the island. "I can even find something for the monkey. What do they eat anyway?" he asked as he eyed Lily and the fuzzy-faced creature peering over her shoulder with beady-looking eyes.

"Lily? Are
you
going to come with us?" Tristram asked, thinking she was awfully quiet.

Nervously, Lily glanced around, searching for Raymond Valchamps. Almost hypnotically, her eyes found his. He had joined the group in the center of the hall, but his eyes still watched her. Swallowing the fear that was beginning to spread through her, Lily looked away, desperate to escape him.

"Yes, I'll come with you," she said, her quick steps leading the way as the three left the hall.

"Lily?" Tristram said softly as they now hurried to follow Simon's long-legged gait down the corridor toward the kitchens. "I know why Dulcie got so upset. It wasn't just because she hadn't ever seen anyone with one blue eye and one brown eye before. That lady was wrong. Don't you remember? It was the witch who scared her. The witch who's going to hurt the queen has one blue eye and one brown eye," Tristram reminded her.