An Ill-Made Match (Vawdrey Brothers Book 3)

by Alice Coldbreath

  “What large, unwieldly beasts,” exclaimed the Queen. “I had no notion you were fond of such uncouth, powerful creatures. Still,” she added slyly. “You have now survived several weeks as a Vawdrey, so perhaps it should not surprise me overmuch.”

  Eden looked up sharply, but the Queen was smiling urbanely. She did not like to point out it was not quite three weeks she had been married yet, but instead reached out and patted Castor who looked likely to start barking wildly at any minute.

  “Ah Jane!” said the Queen, as Jane Cecil came in bearing a tray of refreshments. “Such a treasure, is she not? I don’t know how I would do without her. She is the only one I can depend upon not to be abandon me for a husband.” The Queen sighed forlornly, and Eden realized this was a barb with a new target. The Queen used to say that about her - Eden. Not anymore it seemed. Jane had thoroughly replaced her in the Queen’s affections. She wondered, not for the first time at Queen Armenal’s fondness for the pale, rather insipid Jane. Everyone knew her far more attractive sister Helen was the King’s mistress. Eden doubted very much that the Queen was ignorant of the fact.

  “Will you take wine or mead?” offered Jane, setting down her burden and reaching for the silver goblets.

  “Wine, please,” said Eden, glancing at the beautiful view the Queen’s apartments afforded over the palace grounds. By the position of the sun in the sky, Eden estimated the hour was no more advanced than five o’clock or thereabouts. She found herself devoutly hoping that Roland had not abandoned her here, and gone back to Vawdrey Keep, abandoning her to her fate. The thought caught her off-guard. Had she become accustomed then, to this husband of hers? It had been such a short amount of time relatively, she reminded herself dazedly. Why did it seem so odd being back here at court in her old life?

  “No doubt you are still reeling from the events of the past few weeks, no?” said the Queen smoothly as Jane poured her wine. “We are all giddy, in truth, is that not so?” When Jane Cecil only answered her with a discreet nod, the Queen tsked. “Eden will not thank us to hide from her the truth. There has been much whispering in corners.” She nodded. “But yes, it has been intolerable. And so I have told the King. It is an insult to me, for one of my ladies to be an object of such infamy.” She settled back in her seat, as Eden tensed, leaning forward in hers. “I daresay,” said the Queen with an airy wave of her hand. “That brother of his, the Lord Oswald Vawdrey could have drawn over it the veil most discreet, if he had not been hampered by that execrable Sir Christopher…”

  “Uncle Christopher has been at court?” asked Eden with dismay.

  The Queen looked heavenward. “I do not mean to be overly censorious of your family, my very dear Eden,” she said serenely. “But this Christopher Montmayne…” she gave a grimace of distaste.

  “I know,” said Eden without thinking. “My own father was said to be much worse, though.”

  The Queen gave a startled burst of laughter. “Really?”

  Eden felt herself turn pink. She was never usually so frank. “Yes, my father Godwin Montmayne was the black sheep of the family. Uncle Leofric was the only respectable one.”

  The Queen looked thoughtful. “How interesting! Perhaps, the Lady Dorothea she was too strict. Boys are very hard to raise, or so I hear,” she sighed. “If one allows them to run wild like savages, they grow up as such. But then if one keeps them to the path that is so straight and narrow – also savages, but deceitful ones! Sometimes I am very glad that I have only the stepson. If he turns out to be the bad lot,” she shrugged. “I cannot be held to account.”

  Eden thought fleetingly of the absent prince who was being raised apart at some country idyll and wondered at the Queen’s attitude. She thought of the woods and hills around the Keep that Roland had roamed over as a boy. On the whole, she thought raising them like honest savages might have better results. She surfaced from her thoughts with a start, realizing the Queen was still addressing her.

  “-I hope that will not be too much of an inconvenience to you,” she was saying smoothly.

  “I beg your pardon, your majesty?”

  “I was explaining your living arrangements while the hearing it is ongoing.”

  “Hearing?” repeated Eden blankly.

  The Queen smiled at her. “My poor dear. It must be very distressing for you. But you must take heart. Your grandmother, she wishes for you the best. If it means the scandal, then that is what must ensue. She will not tolerate you being coerced into a distasteful union. This she told to me herself.”

  Eden gasped. “So the hearing…?”

  The Queen gave a nod. “It is to determine whether this marriage, it should stand.”

  It turned out that Eden was to remain in the Queen’s apartments in a shared attendants room with Jane Cecil during the goings-on. The Hearing would be held over three days and testimonies would be taken from various witnesses. Eden listened with a sinking heart to the plans laid out before her. The Queen was to preside over proceedings, and it seemed she was anticipating them with great relish. It would start on the morrow. Anticipating the event, Eden found she lost all appetite for the delicious supper that had arrived from the royal kitchens. She felt sick, and not just of stomach, but of heart.

  **

  Eden scanned the packed audience room. She could see every leading courtier crammed in from pillar to post, save one. Where was Roland? In the end, she gave up all pretense of looking dignified and craned her neck, turning in her seat. He was nowhere to be seen! Eden tried to fight down the rising panic. Had he gone back to Sitchmarsh, then? Had he left her? Her heart pounded in her chest. She could feel her breathing grow shallow. She had spotted her grandmother, Lenora and her uncles sat near the front. She had also seen Sir Oswald Vawdrey, head to toe in black. He had that habitual smile playing about his mouth, but she did not believe for one minute he was as relaxed as he looked. After all, was he about to perjure himself before the Queen? Then she remembered that someone had once told her that Chief Advisor to the King included another role that wasn’t so openly discussed. That of chief spymaster. Perhaps after all, lying wasn’t going to be a problem for Lord Vawdrey. She had just slumped back in her seat when she noticed the blonde head of hair next to Oswald. It was Cuthbert! She sat up again, but looked in vain for Roland. He was not there. She felt lost and without an anchor. She wasn’t a Montmayne anymore and yet, she wasn’t now a proven Vawdrey either. She had no-one! She didn’t even have the dogs as she had been forced to leave them in the Queen’s quarters. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Eden mustered some composure at least. She had always been able to fall back on her self-possession. It could not abandon her now.

  A hush fell over the room, and Eden realized the double-doors down the other end had opened, and the Queen was swooping in, resplendent in a glinting purple gown with underskirt and full sleeves of gold. She wore a purple coif cap and gold veil and to match. Glancing down at the sea-green gown of Lenora’s that she had felt over-dressed in, Eden suddenly felt modestly arrayed. Queen Armenal was dressed to capture the eye, and she had certainly achieved her aim, as her audience was captivated by her appearance.

  The Queen arrived at the front of the room and a page stepped forward to help her climb the steps to the dais. Once she had mounted the platform she wasted no time, but approached the front to address the crowds in her commanding voice. “My lords and ladies, gentles all – welcome!” She beamed and scanned the full room with every evidence of approval. “We are here today, as you are all aware, to hear the case for and against the validity of the marriage that took place last month, between Sir Roland Vawdrey and Lady Eden Montmayne. Statements will be given by various witnesses, so that I may determine whether it is null and void or legally binding. I would ask that you keep any noise to a minimum, that we may hear what the various speakers have to say.”

  A murmur of assent went up from the crowd, and Eden twisted her hands in her lap. The Queen consulted a piece of paper that was passed up to her by a cler
k. “The first witness that shall testify, will be the Lady Dorothea Montmayne.” A loud excited muttering went up as the Queen walked to the back of the dais and elegantly sank into her throne there. Eden’s mouth felt dry as she turned and watched her grandmother walk stiffly down the middle of the room. She wore a dark fawn velvet gown trimmed with white fur and pearls. Her iron grey hair was swept up into an elegant matching coif and she wore a wimple giving her the full matronly effect. Her eyes were hooded, her expression grim. She dipped into a rather old fashioned curtsey which may or may not have been due to the stiffness of her joints. Then she took the seat that was pointed out to her near the front by yet another page, who wore the Argent colors of blue and gold.

  “It was you, was it not, Lady Dorothea,” began the Queen in her clear, carrying voice. “Who first approached us regarding the authenticity of this marital union?”

  Lady Dorothea inclined her head. “It was,” she assented.

  “And why was it, that you felt impelled to appeal to your sovereign for intercession on this matter?”

  “I had many pressing concerns,” said her grandmother dryly. “Not the least being the clandestine manner in which the ceremony was performed. I was not present, despite being under the same roof at the time. It was conducted at an ungodly hour, with very few witnesses.” She paused while this was digested. Then added, “I do not believe my niece was consenting.” There was a clamor of noise at this. Eden closed her eyes briefly. “I believe she was coerced,” continued Lady Dorothea calmly. “And to add insult to injury, she was not the intended bride in this agreement between our families. Sir Roland Vawdrey was contracted to another.”

  The buzz of whispers that greeted this was very loud indeed. Eden heard her cousin’s name on several tongues, but when she steeled herself to glance in Lenora’s direction, she found her looking as detached and tranquil as ever. Nothing it seemed, could disrupt Lenora’s poise.

  “These are serious allegations, indeed Lady Dorothea,” said the Queen soberly. “I count at least three possible impediments.” She looked across at one of the clerks who was making notes with his quill pen. He gave a firm nod of agreement. “Could you oblige us, by elaborating further on why you believe the ceremony was clandestine in nature?”

  “Certainly I can,” replied Lady Dorothea magnificently. “My son, Leofric told me the banquet he was hosting was a betrothal feast only. Not,” stressed Lady Dorothea. “A wedding feast. He told me it was for his daughter, Lenora. Why then, the following morning, was my other granddaughter hastily married off in some obscure manner and spirited away without even so much as a farewell to her kinfolk?”

  Eden felt her heart race, and had to struggle not to cover her face with her hands. Had her uncle not given his mother any explanation for what had occurred?

  “Was no explanation offered to you by Sir Leofric?” the Queen asked, echoing Eden’s unspoken thoughts.

  Lady Dorothea’s mouth twisted. “The explanation I was treated to, was inconceivable in every way and an insult to my intelligence, as well as my granddaughter,” she said bitterly.

  The Queen paused while the audience made of that what they would. Eden felt the tips of her ears burn. She could quite imagine that there were plenty of rumors abroad after her uncle Christopher had been spreading malicious gossip. She clutched her skirts between nerveless fingers and dared not look toward her uncle.

  “Perhaps,” said the Queen loudly. “You could instead explain to us why it is, that you do not believe the Lady Eden would have been a willing participant in such nuptials?”

  Suddenly Eden felt glad that Roland was not present for this. She stared at her grandmother in horror, waiting for the words that would fall from those thin lips.

  “Indeed I can, when we conversed prior to the betrothal feast, we discussed quite frankly Sir Roland’s unsuitability as a bridegroom.”

  Eden stiffened. Oh no. She wracked her brain, trying to remember their conversation. What had she said? She did not think she had been so very insulting about Roland’s fitness for marriage. After all, she had been trying to be diplomatic and not to worry her grandmother.

  “When you say ‘we’…?”

  “Eden and myself.” Clarified Lady Dorothea.

  “And do you remember,” asked the Queen with a gleam in her eye. “What qualities the two of you found particularly lacking in Sir Roland?”

  Lady Dorothea pursed her lips. “I do not remember the specifics,” she said. “But I distinctly remember we were of one accord in our wishes. That Lenora should wake up and realize he was not the man for her, before the marriage took place.”

  The Queen nodded slowly. “I see,” she said. “But, just because Eden did not think that Sir Roland would make her cousin a good bridegroom, it does not follow that she would rule him out as one for herself.”

  “My granddaughter has never admired that manner of man,” said Lady Dorothea grandly. “She has always had refined and artistic tastes,” She looked down her rather long nose and fixed Eden with a gimlet eye. Eden blushed and looked away. “It is unthinkable that she would desire such an ill-made match.”

  “I see, thank you Lady Dorothea.” Eden forced herself to watch as her grandmother jerkily rose from the chair and then stalked back to her original seating place. “I think next,” said Queen Armenal, her voice rising above the babble, “that we should talk to the alleged jilted bride, the Lady Lenora.”

  This caused a furor among the masses. Eden turned her head and stared with the rest as Lenora rose from her chair a vision of feminine beauty with her pink and white complexion, her cornflower blue eyes and her golden ringleted hair. Many sighs were heard around the chamber as she made her way to the front and curtseyed gracefully to the Queen. She wore a very simple gown of the palest pink, and a wispy veil fluttered about her, concealing nothing. She looked like an angel.

  “Fair Lenora,” said the Queen. “Your legendary beauty has not dimmed one whit as a result of such infamous treatment I find.”

  “Oh no,” said Lenora opening her eyes very wide. “I have known for months that Sir Roland only had eyes for my cousin. He never wanted to marry me.”

  “Nonsense child!” burst out her grandmother, Lady Dorothea angrily from the crowd. “Why you persist in this tale, is beyond me! I have explained this to you many times…” She broke off angrily when she noticed her words were creating quite a stir in the audience with several people craning their heads to look at her.

  ‘For shame!’ Eden heard one courtier hiss. ‘Trying to browbeat the fair Lenora!’ tutted another. Eden winced, but looking back at her cousin, found her looking utterly unruffled by the interruption. “He never wanted to marry me,” Lenora repeated clearly, and their grandmother turned quite purple with chagrin.

  “Thank you, Lenora,” said the Queen brightly. “It is fascinating to see things from a different viewpoint. Then this feast…?” she suggested. “It was not a formal betrothal feast between your two families as everyone thought?”

  “Oh yes,” said Lenora. “But not for me. For Eden.” Her words caused a scandal among the assembled courtiers. Lenora waited patiently for the noise to die down. “I offered my cousin the lend of my new silk gown and my pearls for the occasion.” She turned her head and looked directly at Eden. “Is that not so, Eden? And my jewel encrusted toque.”

  Eden nodded feebly. She did not feel up to mentioning that the toque had been filled with kittens at the time.

  “But how sweet of you!” exclaimed the Queen indulgently. “You must be very fond of your cousin I think.”

  “Oh yes,” said Lenora, turning her guileless eyes back to Eden. “She is like my sister, really. Although my Father never treated us as equals, that is how I have always regarded her.”

  “You were not raised as equals?” the Queen asked, sounding surprised at the turn Lenora’s testimony had taken.

  “Oh no,” said Lenora. “Otherwise, she would have had her own pearls and silk gown, would she not?”
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br />   “Quite,” murmured the Queen. Then seemed to give herself a little shake. “So, you would have us believe that Eden’s ensuing marriage with the King’s Champion, is not a matter of enmity between the two of you at all?” asked the Queen.

  “Oh no,” said Lenora mildly. “Why should it be?”

  Eden felt her palms clammy and wiped them on her borrowed skirts. She felt suddenly dizzy and disorientated. Could Lenora really believe that? About Eden still being like a sister to her? And that she had not usurped her place as wife to Roland? She looked so… so imperturbable and sedate, it was hard to believe she was not wholly in earnest.

  A sudden hush fell over proceedings and Eden turned to find that Oswald Vawdrey had stood up from his seat.

  “Earl Vawdrey?” said the Queen, turning to look at him. “You have something pertinent to contribute at this point?”

  He smiled a wintry smile. “As to that, I hardly know. But it was I that approached Sir Leofric regarding the betrothal arrangements in the first place,” he said, and then smothered a yawn. “I beg your pardon, your grace. I am but recently a father… ”

  A smatter of laughter broke out from the onlookers.

  The Queen’s smile turned a little brittle. “But of course,” she said, and Eden wondered if the Queen did not appreciate sharing the spotlight with a player of his magnitude. There was a sort of assured style and grace about Oswald Vawdrey, which only very few possessed. He was tall and lean and dressed all in midnight black. You could almost overlook his self-possession, if you did not know any better. Eden had a feeling it was woe betide you, if you did. His keen eyes roamed now over the key players and when they fell on her, his head tipped to one side, and he looked speculative.

  “Well, if you would be so good as to share your information with us now, Lord Vawdrey,” the Queen prompted him, sounding a little impatient. Eden knew there was no love lost between the two of them, which was mostly due to politics.