“The party has gone quite wrong and my horse ran off. But I am well enough to attend you. I am told that I have been summoned?”
Lady Gloucester was still quite drunk. All she seemed to be able to focus on was the comment about her party. “What has happened to my affair?”
Gisella was trying not to upset Lady Gloucester because the woman was easily disturbed. “The horse must have spooked,” she said. “Do you recall that I suggested we not use him for the entertainment? He is quite skittish. I am not exactly sure what happened because I fell to the floor. I did not see all of it.”
Lady Gloucester’s eyes widened and she was up in arms. “My entertainment!” she gasped, running for the door as much as her unsteady legs would take her. “I must see to my guests! Oh, the anguish of it all! It was so perfect, so very perfect!”
She was almost out of the door when her husband called to her. “Wife!” he said. “The banquet will wait. You have a wedding to attend!”
Lady Gloucester was in tears as she paused in the doorway, slouching against the doorjamb in her fine dress with its bejeweled collar. She was too drunk to care much about anything other than her ruined party. She began to carry on as if she had just lost a child, for Lady Gloucester was dramatic and passionate at best.
“Gisella,” she sobbed. “You will marry de Russe and that will be the end of it, do you hear? And your horse… he is your horse and now he has ruined my party and possibly my reputation. It is all your fault, you and your silly beast. Marry de Russe and leave Bella Court. I do not want you here any longer!”
Gisella was stricken. “But...!” she gasped. “I did not…!”
Lady Gloucester cut her off. “ Go ,” she screeched. “Marry de Russe and be gone from my sight!”
With that, she fled the solar, reducing Gisella to tears for more reasons than one. It was evident that her marriage to de Russe would go through as planned but, more than that, a woman she admired greatly and who had taught her much was essentially throwing her from the only home she had known for the past two years. She was devastated to lose that relationship. She had been so very happy at Bella Court.
So she stood there and tried very hard not to sob openly, wiping at her cheeks as the tears spilled over and ignoring everyone in the room, including her brother. She felt ashamed, lost, and sickened at the course her future was about to take. Marrying a warlord who was a stranger to her, a man with a plethora of shameful rumors about him spreading throughout London like a plague. She would be pulled into that plague, too, and the thought made her nauseous.
What were her parents going to say? How would they react to their daughter being wed to man rumored to have deflowered the Maid? And her father… he was a knight so he knew the vocation and he knew the character of the men who served. He knew their hearts. Gloucester had said her father had approved of this match but she wondered if her father really knew much about de Russe other than Gloucester’s glowing review. Of course the man would speak well of him De Russe did the Crown’s bidding, no matter what the cost. He was their trained dog, their muscle and might. He was their Beast.
Now, he was hers.
CHAPTER FIVE
It was very late by the time Gisella was packed and ready to leave Bella Court. The moon hung low over the Thames, a fat, yellow thing glistening off the water, as Gisella moved about in the well-appointed chamber she shared with four other young women, all wards of Lady Gloucester. Two of those young women were with Lady Gloucester at this moment, attempting to calm her, while the third young lady helped Gisella pack. The mood of the chamber was somber as the women moved about, packing two large cases and one smaller capcase.
“She did not mean what she said, Gigi,” Lady Sparrow Summerlin spoke softly as she carefully packed two bars of white,
Lady Gloucester was still quite drunk. All she seemed to be able to focus on was the comment about her party. “What has happened to my affair?”
Gisella was trying not to upset Lady Gloucester because the woman was easily disturbed. “The horse must have spooked,” she said. “Do you recall that I suggested we not use him for the entertainment? He is quite skittish. I am not exactly sure what happened because I fell to the floor. I did not see all of it.”
Lady Gloucester’s eyes widened and she was up in arms. “My entertainment!” she gasped, running for the door as much as her unsteady legs would take her. “I must see to my guests! Oh, the anguish of it all! It was so perfect, so very perfect!”
She was almost out of the door when her husband called to her. “Wife!” he said. “The banquet will wait. You have a wedding to attend!”
Lady Gloucester was in tears as she paused in the doorway, slouching against the doorjamb in her fine dress with its bejeweled collar. She was too drunk to care much about anything other than her ruined party. She began to carry on as if she had just lost a child, for Lady Gloucester was dramatic and passionate at best.
“Gisella,” she sobbed. “You will marry de Russe and that will be the end of it, do you hear? And your horse… he is your horse and now he has ruined my party and possibly my reputation. It is all your fault, you and your silly beast. Marry de Russe and leave Bella Court. I do not want you here any longer!”
Gisella was stricken. “But...!” she gasped. “I did not…!”
Lady Gloucester cut her off. “ Go ,” she screeched. “Marry de Russe and be gone from my sight!”
With that, she fled the solar, reducing Gisella to tears for more reasons than one. It was evident that her marriage to de Russe would go through as planned but, more than that, a woman she admired greatly and who had taught her much was essentially throwing her from the only home she had known for the past two years. She was devastated to lose that relationship. She had been so very happy at Bella Court.
So she stood there and tried very hard not to sob openly, wiping at her cheeks as the tears spilled over and ignoring everyone in the room, including her brother. She felt ashamed, lost, and sickened at the course her future was about to take. Marrying a warlord who was a stranger to her, a man with a plethora of shameful rumors about him spreading throughout London like a plague. She would be pulled into that plague, too, and the thought made her nauseous.
What were her parents going to say? How would they react to their daughter being wed to man rumored to have deflowered the Maid? And her father… he was a knight so he knew the vocation and he knew the character of the men who served. He knew their hearts. Gloucester had said her father had approved of this match but she wondered if her father really knew much about de Russe other than Gloucester’s glowing review. Of course the man would speak well of him De Russe did the Crown’s bidding, no matter what the cost. He was their trained dog, their muscle and might. He was their Beast.
Now, he was hers.
CHAPTER FIVE
It was very late by the time Gisella was packed and ready to leave Bella Court. The moon hung low over the Thames, a fat, yellow thing glistening off the water, as Gisella moved about in the well-appointed chamber she shared with four other young women, all wards of Lady Gloucester. Two of those young women were with Lady Gloucester at this moment, attempting to calm her, while the third young lady helped Gisella pack. The mood of the chamber was somber as the women moved about, packing two large cases and one smaller capcase.
“She did not mean what she said, Gigi,” Lady Sparrow Summerlin spoke softly as she carefully packed two bars of white,
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