The Velvet Promise (Montgomery/Taggert 2)

“No,” she smiled “I’m not angry. Neither do I hate you. I merely find life with you intolerable.”

“What do you mean?”

“I shall beg the king to ask the pope for a divorce. I don’t believe that even the pope would wish me to live with you after this. You shall keep half my land and—” She broke off as Gavin stood.

“I will send Joan to you. You must eat,” Gavin said, then left the room.

Judith lay back against the pillow. She felt drained. How could she believe he loved her when all she could see was Alice rising from under his nude body?

For three more days, Judith didn’t leave her bed. She slept a great deal and ate dutifully. Her spirits were so low that food meant little to her. She refused to see anyone, most especially her husband. Preferring to keep her opinions to herself, Joan hardly spoke to her mistress.

On the morning of the fourth day, Joan pulled the covers from Judith. “You will not lie in bed today. There is work to be done and you must exercise.” Joan took a new robe from the foot of the bed—a robe to replace the bloodstained one of green velvet. The robe was of a deep gray velvet with a wide mink collar, a mink edge along the front and around the hem. Intricate gold embroidery ran around the shoulders.

“I don’t want to get up,” Judith said and turned over.

“You will!”

Judith was still too weak to resist. Joan easily pulled her mistress from the bed and helped her into the velvet robe. She led Judith to a deep window seat. “Now you will stay there while I get clean linen.”

The summer breeze did feel good on Judith’s face. She had a wonderful view of the garden. She leaned back against the embrasure and watched the people below.

“Gavin?” someone said quietly at his side. He sat alone in the garden, a place where he’d spent a lot of time lately. He whirled quickly at the familiar voice. It was Alice, her skin radiant in the early morning light. He had purposely put off dealing with her; he didn’t trust his own reactions. “Do you dare show yourself to me?”

“Please, allow me to explain—”

“No. You cannot explain.”

Alice looked away, her hand at her eye and when she looked back, there were great, glittering tears present. Gavin looked at her and wondered how her tears had once had the power to move him. How different Judith’s were! Great wrenching sobs that tore through her. She cried from grief, not to enhance her beauty.

“I did it only for you,” Alice said. “My love for you is so strong that—”

“Don’t speak to me of love! I wonder if you know what it is. Do you know that I talked to the girl you paid to bring Judith to you? You planned well, didn’t you?”

“Gavin, I—”

He grabbed her arms and shook her. “You killed my child! Does that mean nothing to you? And you nearly killed my wife—a woman I love.” He pushed Alice away from him. “I could have you before a court for this, but I blame myself as much as you. I was a fool not to have seen through you.”

Alice drew her hand back and slapped him across the cheek. He allowed it for he felt he deserved it.

“Get out of my sight and don’t tempt me to wring that pretty neck of yours.”

Alice turned on her heel and fled from the garden.

Ela crept from the shadows. “I told you not to go to him. I told you to wait. He is very angry with you and well you deserve it.” Ela was puzzled when her mistress walked behind the kitchen, into an alley.

Alice leaned against the wall. Her shoulders shook.

Ela went to her mistress and pulled her head to her ample bosom.

This time, Alice cried genuinely. “He loved me,” she said through painful sobs. “He did love me once and now he doesn’t anymore. I have no one else left.”

“Hush, sweetheart,” Ela soothed. “You have me. You have always had me.” Ela held her as she had when Alice was a child and the lovely little girl had crie

d at the neglect of her mother. “Lord Gavin is only one man. There are others. You are so very beautiful. There will be many men to love you.”

“No!” Alice said with such violence that it shook her body. “I want him—I want Gavin! Another man will not do!”

Ela tried to calm her mistress, but couldn’t. “You shall have him then,” she said finally.