LADY UNDAUNTED: A Medieval Romance by Tamara Leigh Page A

“Lady Joslyn is in need of a bath.”
    Joslyn’s cheeks warmed. She was before royalty and soon to be among the most noble of ladies.
    “Now I will present you,” the queen said.
    Joslyn glanced down her gown. It had taken little of the abuse dealt her mantle, slippers, and hair that had known well Liam Fawke’s hands, but it showed traces of her flight though those filthy streets. “I am hardly presentable, Your Majesty.”
    “Ah, child, simply smile and none will find anything terribly amiss.”
    Hoping she was right, Joslyn followed the woman into the first of what appeared to be four chambers.
    “Ladies,” the queen called.
    The five rose from their stools, curtsied, and murmured greetings to their queen.
    “We have a guest,” Philippa said. “Lady Joslyn Fawke, soon to be of the Barony of Ashlingford now that her son is named its heir.”
    “Ashlingford,” one lady said. “Then ’tis not the misbegotten Irish who shall inherit?”
    “Unbeknownst to all,” the queen said, “Lady Joslyn was wed to Baron Maynard Fawke some years ago. As their son is quite young, Sir Liam will manage the barony the same as he did for his brother.”
    Joslyn was surprised the queen was aware of the situation. What else did she know?
    A sweet-faced woman, who could be no more than sixteen years of age, leaned toward an older lady and whispered, “A pity the Irishman did not inherit. He is quite handsome, and with such a barony, a fine husband he would have made.”
    Another of the ladies asked, “Have you seen him?”
    The young woman startled at having been overheard. “From a distance.”
    “How is that, Lady Cedra?” Philippa’s tone was disapproving.
    Cedra shifted her gaze to her clasped hands. “My queen, I did not mean to listen in on your conversation with Sir Liam, but when I came upon you in the garden late this morn, my ears could not throw back what they heard.”
    So this was the business that had delayed Liam’s departure from the palace.
    “A lady should always make her presence known.” The queen’s reprimand seemed motherly. “’Tis unseemly to skulk among other people’s conversations.”
    Lady Cedra nodded. “I beg your forgiveness.”
    “All I ask is you remember this lesson. ’Tis of no benefit if you forget it.”
    “I will remember, Your Majesty.”
    The queen smiled, then introduced Joslyn to the ladies. “Lady Cedra, as you know. Lady Amilie, and beside her Lady Justina. And these are the elder Lady Ellen and the younger Lady Ellen.”
    Mother and daughter? Joslyn wondered, but there could be no more than ten years between them.
    “Sisters,” Philippa answered the unspoken question. “Their mother so loved the name.”
    “Why is Lady Joslyn in such disarray?” the tall, thin-faced Amilie asked.
    The queen winked at Joslyn. “It seems the lady considers herself an adventuress, thinking naught of exploring the city on her own.”
    “Alone?” Lady Cedra gasped.
    Philippa chuckled. “As you can see, there is much to do ere she takes her place upon the barony—and less than a day in which to do it. On the morrow, she and her son journey to Ashlingford.”
    Joslyn winced. She had not thought they would go directly to their new home, had been sure they would first return to Rosemoor.
    “I daresay there is much to do,” Lady Amilie said. “A lady would never think of leaving the palace without an escort. I vow I would not.”
    The queen tweaked the woman’s cheek. “Just as a lady would never accept a scoundrel’s invitation to tryst beneath the stairs, hmm?”
    Lady Amilie colored.
    Philippa looked to Joslyn. “Remove your garments and give them to Lady Justina. Then we will have you into a bath.”
    Joslyn did not believe she was overly modest, but neither had she ever gone unclothed before any but her maid.
    “I have a robe you may wear until the water arrives,” the queen said.
    “I will do her hair,” Lady Cedra offered.
    The younger Lady Ellen stepped forward.