The Blue Falcon by Robyn Carr Page B

remain her haven. But now that that dream was crushed, she would attempt the next best possibility. She hoped to persuade her father to allow her Cordell and freedom from matrimony. What difference, after all, did marriage make to her right to manage her own dower lands? She would not bear children, but she would gladly allow the lineage from Conan and Edwina to inherit. A niece, perhaps. She doubted she could be a good wife to any man -- now.
    Cordell protected fewer than two thousand English com moners. It was mainly a fishing village, but there was fertile land surrounding its other sides. In many ways it was a paradise. The people were well fed and healthy, which was a rarity in most of England’s small burghs. It did not lie in a path of destruction when armies traveled through the coun try. To the east side the keep was built along a high and dangerous section of coastline, perched atop some rugged rocks. It was even too much trouble for the barbarous Vikings, when other ports were more easily conquered.
    To the other sides just past the farmland was a forest so dense that to travel south to London one had to venture first north to Colchester to find the passable land routes. Except in the little bit of wood closest to the keep, only those with the k ing’s permission were allowed to hunt. And it was no dandy wood where children ran and played; it was a dense, thick jungle filled with wild game ranging from rabbits to wild boar. If an opposing army chose to attack Cordell, they would have to enter by the only road or spend weeks clearing a path through the wood. Marshes and gullies lay hidden, and the overgrowth was so thick that in many places the sunlight did not touch the ground.
    Cordell had a clean, freshly scrubbed look, and the keep was bright and airy. There were large open courtyards, and the flowers seemed to bloom longer, the fruit trees seemed to yield more, and the people were industrious yet unhurried.
    Chandra longed for Cordell. In the midst of her sister’s wedding, it would have been a blessed solace to be there.
    There was no quiet to be found in all of Phalen. The arriving guests had made even the once-quiet gardens a flurry of activity. In the courtyard several men participated in javelin-throwing contests, and others prepared for a hunt. The women filled every corner and cubicle with sewing circles aimed at exchanging gossip.
    She knew that with the wedding but a few days away she must press her way into Edwina’s crowded bedchamber and make herself available to her sister, or later endure her father’s wrath.
    As she passed the many fussing women, one of her fears vanished. She needn’t face Edwina’s happiness, for in the farthest corner of the room, Edwina slumped in a chair. Her hand was resting on her brow and her eyes were closed. One maid passed her a cool cloth to hold to her face while another fanned her.
    “ Edwina, are you ill?” Chandra asked.
    “ Nay, dear heart,” Edwina replied weakly. “ The room has become -- so -- close ... ”
    “ A quiet moment will do you well,” Chandra advised.
    “ I will be fine in a moment,” Edwina answered.
    “ Let us send the ladies away, Edwina. They can see your gifts another time. You need rest and quiet.”
    “ I’ve promised them, dear,” Edwina sighed. “ They have come so far, and all they ask is to see my gifts and gowns.”
    “ You cannot entertain them if your head aches. Invite them to breakfast with you tomorrow. That will do as well.”
    Edwina shook her head. “ I will be fine in a moment. I have n ot the heart to disappoint them. They have come so far and bring so many lovely -- ”
    “ Edwina, if you press yourself beyond your endurance, you will not see your wedding day. Now, you have no wish to be sick abed when it is time to speak your vows. Never mind. I will do it for you.”
    Chandra turned and sighed with impatience as she looked around the room. A stronger woman would swoon in the presence of such fussing