The King's Concubine

Chapter Seventeen

It was not my neck the Lords had their eye on next. The Lords launched their new assault against Windsor, not against me, with a charge breathtaking in its audacity, its low cunning: the most obvious of charges that it would be impossible for him to deny. Windsor was accused of harboring a woman who was under sentence of banishment. He was ordered to London to appear before the Lords.

“How dare they,” I raged. Anger can most assuredly take the chill from terror. “How dare they transfer my guilt to you?”

“They dare with no compunction whatsoever,” Windsor remarked with astonishing nonchalance. “It’s a perfectly pragmatic decision by Gaunt, or Joan, to make life unpleasant for you.” Infuriatingly, unlike me, he seemed to have no concerns. He admitted his guilt openly to the official who brought the summons, with me standing at his side, my hand clamped to his arm as if to prove his culpability for all to see.

“I can hardly deny it, can I?” he remarked mildly, offering the courier a cup of ale before his return journey. “We’ve been sharing a roof and a bed, to the knowledge of everyone who cared to take an interest in our doings. It’s no secret that we’re married, is it, Lady de Windsor?” He bowed to me and smiled placidly at the startled official. Since when did the accused ever admit to guilt?

I growled my disapproval.

Windsor went to London to face his accusers.

“Look for me within the month. If I’m not back, I’m in the Tower. Send me a parcel of food and wine!” His mouth was warm but fleeting on mine, his mind already racing ahead. “Don’t worry. And for your safety don’t leave Gaines—or they’ll have you clad in a white shift and crucifix before you can sneeze. We don’t want that, do we?” I caught the spark in his eye. “What do I know about bringing up young girls? They need their mother here. I will not have you living barefoot on the seashore until some passing ship can be found to take you off and deposit you in some godforsaken spot in France. So stay put!”

What sort of advice was that? I sat at home and harried the servants as the days lumbered past, all my old fears surfacing, my body cold, my mind frightened and unbearably lonely. The weeks crawled.

Why is it that time allows us to ponder our gravest fears rather than our brightest hopes? Once, I had been certain that Windsor would stand by me, certain that I would never be alone again. I had been so sure. But now the doubts crept in. What if I was wrong? Would he betray me under Parliament’s intimidation? Would he abandon me and leave me to Joan’s mercies? Would he promise never to see me again, if that was what they demanded from him in return for his own freedom? No one could ever deny that Windsor had a streak of self-interest as wide as the Thames through his very bones.

The days were endless, and I felt increasingly bereft.

Thank God! Thank God! Four long weeks and Windsor returned.

“What did they say?” I demanded, standing at his horse’s shoulder, looking up into his face, and making no attempt to hide the anxiety that had raged since the day of his departure. I had not even waited until he dismounted, but had run out into the courtyard from my bedchamber without veil or shoes. I now gripped his bridle so fiercely that his horse sidled and tossed its head. I held on, wincing at the stones beneath my feet.

“And good day to you too, my lady!” he replied as the animal snorted, sidestepping.

“Don’t play with me, Windsor.…”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. If you’ll allow me to dismount…”

I stepped back. “Well?” He swung to the ground in a cloud of dust, beating it from his tunic and the folds of his mantle. “Now will you tell me? Why keep me waiting…?” Fear was a hard knot in my throat, and my blood was laced with lead.

His stare was speculative. “They’ve dropped the charge against me.”

As simple as that? “I don’t believe you!”

“I can’t think why not. I told you not to worry.”

“So you did.” I grimaced at his easy confidence, a confidence I might once have had. “I’m so pleased, Will…but I still can’t quite believe…”

“There’s more!”

Of course there was. The knot that had momentarily slackened tightened again, and my blood seemed to drain to my feet. “Tell me. What terms did they demand?”

“The members of Parliament, in their wisdom, have changed their collectively narrow minds on the little matter of your banishment.”

“Changed their minds…?”

“You are, as of yesterday, free. And so am I, from the charge of willfully consorting with a banished woman.”

Still unsure, I watched Windsor’s expression for any reaction, for confirmation, but there was none. It might have been chipped out of stone. He neither expanded on his news nor moved to touch me. There was something between us, much like one of Wykeham’s formidable walls of stone blocks. There was something more that he was not telling me.

“There’s a fly in this bowl of pottage,” I said, hating to have to ask, fearing the answer. “What is it?”

“How do you know there is one?”

“I can tell by your face.”

“And here was I thinking I was being inscrutable!”

I punched his arm, not playfully. “There is always a price to be paid by someone.” I frowned. “I just can’t see how it would work.…Joan would never want the banishment lifted.” I was certain of it. So what had prompted this turn of fortune in my favor?

“Pour me a cup of ale, my love, to rid my mouth of the poison of Court negotiations, and I might just tell you all.” Windsor tossed his reins to a waiting groom and wound an arm around my waist in his habitual comforting greeting. “It’s been a long few weeks. I feel in need of some home comforts.”

He kept me waiting while he ate his way through a plate of beef and a flat loaf, by which time I was all but hopping with frustration, but I knew him well enough to keep my mouth closed and my impatience to myself. I sat opposite, eyes fixed on his every move, every damned mouthful of bread and meat, and waited.

He drained the cup.

“Another draft of ale?” I inquired sweetly.

“I might…”

I reached for the pottery jug, then held on to it and did not pour. “A slab of cheese, perhaps? A collop of mutton?”

“Well, I might be persuaded.…”

“And I might empty this over your head!”

He laughed. “You won’t provoke me!”

“But you provoke me!”

“I’ll do it no more.” The lines of his face grew stern. “Accept the lifting of the banishment for what it is, Alice.”

“Because I won’t like what they demand in recompense.”

“No. You won’t. There are strings well and truly attached.…”

My voice caught. “You said they had changed their minds.…” Surely he would not hide an even worse outcome from me? No, no. He would not have sat through a meal without telling me. He had said I was free, that we both were. But what had that woman done? How far would Joan’s vengeance stretch?

“God’s Blood, Will!”

His hands, now unoccupied with knife and bread, took mine. “No, no. Do you think me so cruel? You are free, Alice, as I said. No banishment. You don’t get your manors back—you can’t expect miracles—but there’s no further punishment. But here’s the rub.” And there was the gleam of friendly mischief back in his eyes. “You are free as long as you live with me, as my wife, and I am willing to keep you and stand surety for your good behavior.”

I inhaled sharply. “A prisoner…”

“I thought you might see it in that light!”

“So I have to live within your governance.”

When he handed me his cup, I gulped the ale inelegantly.

“As would any wife with her husband. And Parliament in its wisdom has decided to leave the judgment against you intact and unrepealed, to hang over your head, undeserving as you are of their compassion. To ensure your future good behavior.” His teeth showed in a cold smile.

“So I am not pardoned.”

“Yes, you are—but only on their terms—and mine.” His expression warmed. “You have of necessity to please me, so that I don’t cast you off.”

“We cannot live without arguing!” I retorted.

“Oh, I think we can.” He stretched his hands across the board again, to pin my restless fingers flat beneath his. “Don’t you trust me? After all we’ve been through? And I thought you liked living with me.”

“Yes…No! Of course I do! But, oh, Will!” The words were there before I could stop them. “When you didn’t come back—I was afraid that you would betray me,” I admitted. “I thought you would agree never to see me again, and I would be alone.…”

“Foolish girl!” He was completely unmoved by my lack of faith. By now he knew my buried fears well enough. “I will only abandon you and drive you from my door if you are very bad and argue over every juncture.”

Turning my hands so that they could grip his, I sighed softly, letting myself respond appropriately to his dry wit. “Then I must be good. I’d better start now!” I reached for the jug again and refilled his cup, one question still remaining. “Why did they do it, Will?”

“That’s simple, my love. The situation in France is deteriorating and they need able men.”

I stared at him. Of course. It made sense. “You.” My heart leaped uncomfortably against my ribs.

“Me, as you say. I think they have in mind a position for me. So they’re keeping me, sweet.”

“You bargained with them.…”

“I did. They’ve too many issues knocking on their door, not least a child king, to spend time on you and me.”

“What did Joan say? Did you see her?”

“Briefly.” His mouth twisted with distaste, but there was a flash of enjoyment after all. “Joan kept her opinions to herself in the presence of the young King’s counselors. She managed to refrain from cursing you—but from the look in her eye I expect she has set fire to Richard’s inherited bed. But for once she made the right decision. She put the good of the realm—my expert offices—before her personal vendetta—you, my love. She needs me.” He yawned widely. “Now, since you’re legally bound to be an amenable wife, or I may cast you from my door, come and help me remove these boots.…”

I removed more than that. Nor was I reluctant.

It was good to have him home.

Windsor was right. What an uncanny nose he had for political intrigue. Within the month he had been offered the eminent position of Governor of the newly acquired port of Cherbourg. His eyes positively gleamed at this new venture, and in them I read that he could not refuse. Nor should he. He was a politician, through blood and bone and sinew.

Ah, well! Loneliness beckoned for me.

“You’ll take it,” I said, a statement rather than a question.

“I think I will.” He slid me a quizzical glance over the official request, heavy with its ink and red seals. “But they’ll not get me cheaply. I’ll make them pay for my loyalty.”

“With what?”

“Aha! Nosy!”

“Tell me!”

“Not I! Or at least, not until I’m sure of my ground.”

Not for the first time, his confidence, his damned superiority, rattled me. “Are you so sure you’ll find the right bait to hook Parliament?”

“Certainly I am. There are few with my expertise in handling difficult provinces or squeezing money out of a reluctant populace.”

He spent the next few days in the parlor, his lawyer and clerk in attendance, the door closed firmly against me. He emerged, so it seemed to me, only to eat and sleep. The work was long and laborious, if the number of ruined quills was anything to go by.

Then, without a word of explanation, we were packed and off to London.

“Why won’t you tell me?” I asked.

“It would risk ill luck to air my plans at this stage. It’s the Lords I need to convince.” He was morose and preoccupied, staring between his horse’s ears. Perhaps he was not as confident as he would like me to believe, which made me shiver. Then suddenly he grinned. “But they will have no answer to make against my arguments, so there’s no reason for you to be concerned.”

Westminster. The memories it stirred up ripped through my careful composure. How is it that dread, even when the reason for it is gone, is easily reawakened? When I had appeared before the Lords, Windsor had been refused admission. Would I be forced to wait out the time in an anteroom with pages and servants whilst he put some questionable bargain before the lordships that they could not refuse? I hated the thought, and my powerlessness in the whole proceedings.

I was not even sure why he had insisted that I accompany him.

“Why am I here, Will?” I asked as we stood in that same ill-fated antechamber.

“Are you afraid?” He looked surprised. “Alice, my love. Would I have brought you back here if I had thought you in any danger at all?” He raised my hand in an unexpected grave and formal salute to his lips. “You are here as Lady de Windsor, my excellent wife, under my protection. The law can’t hurt you.…”

“No, it’s not that,” I admitted. “I’m just not sure why you need me.…”

“Because you are essential to me. Do you think you can manage an air of outraged innocence for the next hour?”

I stared at him.

“Perhaps not. Just don’t speak unless spoken to. Keep your eyes down in a wifely, respectful manner. And follow my lead. And here…”

Rummaging in the leather purse at his belt, he removed an object that glinted gold. Seizing my left hand, he pushed the ring onto my finger. It was a tight fit. With a grunt of irritation, as if it were my fault, he forced it over my knuckle.

“And make sure it’s obvious to every one of them!”

Before I could ask more, Windsor was ushering me into the chamber and I was left to take in the atmosphere. The Lords were expecting an undemanding session to confirm Windsor’s promotion. Self-congratulation sat comfortably on them until I entered at Windsor’s side, with Windsor brushing aside any objection and addressing the Lords with impressive authority. A little bubble of laughter swelled in my breast. The expression on their collective faces—one of fury—was a blessing to me. Windsor ignored it.

“My lords.” His voice and stance captured their attention. “The lady, known to you all, is here at my invitation. She is my wife, my lords. Lady de Windsor. The matter is pertinent to her and so the law makes provision for her attendance. She should not be required to stand. A seat for her, if you please.”

An attendant scurried forward with a stool. Windsor led me to it, ignoring the rumble of comment. I sat. I tried to project outraged innocence, my blood humming in expectation, as I turned the gold circle with its ruby stone around my finger. It did not turn easily. What in heaven’s name was he about? Gaunt, to my relief, was not present, but I did not think it would have mattered one way or another to Windsor.

Windsor bowed to me, then to the assembled gathering, and began without preamble. “I am honored by your offer of the post of Governor of Cherbourg, my lords.”

“We value your experience, Sir William.” I watched Northumberland’s uncertainty with pleasure.

Windsor bowed again, impressively austere in his courtesy. “I am gratified. However, I find my acceptance of the honor is compromised, and I am undecided. A small matter that you alone can rectify, my lords.”

“We will do all we can.…”

“It is the status of my wife, my lords.”

It was as if every man there held his breath. So did I.

“Indeed, sir?” Northumberland had no documents to help him now. I did not smile. I sat demurely with eyes downcast.

“I request, my lords, a reversal and annulment of all your judgments against her.” Windsor’s voice filled the chamber. The air was as thick as smoke.

What are you doing, Windsor? They’ll never do it.

“The law demands that a man—or woman—be tried in the weighty matters of fraud and treason before the Court of King’s Bench. When my wife was summoned by your august selves, she was given judgment by a Commission.” He allowed his eyes to roam thoughtfully over the startled faces. “My wife was not given due process before the King’s Bench, which is her right. Thus, I hold the judgment against her—of banishment from the realm, and most pertinently the confiscation of her property—to be illegal.”

“It was a time of great uncertainty, Sir William,” Northumberland stammered.

“It was a time when the law should have been upheld, my lord, as you and I both know.” Windsor drove on the attack. “Furthermore, my wife was not permitted to be present during the whole of the deliberations concerning her guilt or innocence. She was asked to leave the chamber. I know because I was cognizant of the whole series of events during your deliberations. This is not lawful, my lords. Do I continue? For I regret that there was yet another serious discrepancy between your conduct and the law of the land.”

“Ah…! I am not aware.…”

“My wife, my lords, was not given adequate time to locate witnesses and prepare her case.”

“But, Sir William…”

Oh, how he made them squirm. Oh, how I rejoiced!

“One afternoon and one night, my lords. I know it for a fact, since I was present with my wife at the search for those who might stand for her. It was not sufficient time. It was not legal.”

There was no response. Northumberland studied the knots in the floor at his feet.

“And finally, my lords. My wife was tried as femme sole, a woman alone, and in her own unwed name.” How uncompromising his stance before the assembled lords. He did not speak loudly, and yet it seemed to me that his voice rang from the stone arches. Yet the thud of my heart in my ears almost drowned it out.

“That should not have happened, my lords, as you are aware. You chose to take advantage of a woman alone. But Alice de Windsor is my wife and thus not without protection. By law, her property is mine. Whatever the judgment against her, Parliament had no right to confiscate her property, since, to put it simply, my lords, it was no longer hers to be confiscated.” I could taste the disdain in his condemnation. “The property is mine, my lords, and I demand its return. Immediately. As I demand a pardon for a judgment against Lady de Windsor that should never have been given.”

Oh, it was masterly. But would they bend before such erudition? I saw Windsor’s hands tighten infinitesimally on the folds of the hat he held.

“If you will give my arguments due consideration, my lords, and uphold the rights of my wife in this case, I will consider the post you offer me. Otherwise…”

The pause lengthened. Windsor made no attempt to fill it. The covert threat hung in the air.

We were asked to wait as they deliberated. Whilst I fretted and fussed, Windsor sat in silent contemplation of some distant scene, his shoulders against the wall, his booted ankles crossed. Only when we were resummoned did he take my hand and squeeze it hard.

And he led me in.

Neither of us sat. Their conclusion was stated within the time it took for the sun’s rays to crawl, snail-like, the width of a fingernail across the floor. The Lords, cowards that they were but with ludicrous dignity, deferred any decision on their trampling of the legal niceties of my case until the meeting of the next Parliament. A striking example of how to avoid the issue. I felt my courage draining away again.

You’ve lost, Will. It’s a hopeless cause to get them to recognize my innocence. I admire you for it. I love you for it. But you should never have taken them on. You’ll lose your chance of promotion.…Oh, Will! Why did you risk it?

“But you do admit to the validity of my arguments,” Windsor pressed them, unaware of my premonition of disaster.

“We think that the new Parliament will consider the force of your argument, Sir William,” Northumberland intoned.

“Excellent. Then I will consider the post of Governor of Cherbourg.”

“Ah—we trust you will do more than consider, Sir William.…”

“That, Lord Henry, might all depend.…”

They understood each other very well.

The audience was at an end.

Windsor waved my doubts away. “I’ll get it. And you’ll get your pardon.”

“They’ll keep the banishment hanging over me until the day I take my last breath.…”

“They won’t, you know.”

“And my manors are lost to me forever, most of them, I suspect, in Gaunt’s devious hands!”

“I’ll be the new Governor of Cherbourg before the month is out. Just for once, Alice, accept that you’re wrong!”

“Do you want this back?” I asked crossly, trying to work the ring over my knuckle without success. “Now that there’s no further need for me to keep it. If I can get it off! You might have to take a sword blade to it.…”

“Keep it!” He watched my efforts with amusement until he closed a hand on mine to stop me. “You played your wifely part magnificently. Besides”—he kissed my palm, and then my much-abused finger joint—“I should have given you this years ago. It’s of no great value. It was my mother’s. I don’t think she would have approved of you, but still…”

“I’m not good enough for you, I suppose.” I scowled to hide my pleasure at the simple little ring. It was of inestimable value to me.

“No. But she didn’t have a very high opinion of me either.…”

Was he never serious? I hissed my irritation. Windsor kissed me until I stopped. And he was right, of course.

“Will you really reject the preferment?” I asked. “If you don’t get your own way?” Who could know what this complex, enigmatic man might do?

His face was fierce with his achievement. “They’ll never know. And nor will you.”