by Darcy, Diane
She’d never been the other woman in a relationship, and she never would be.
What had Father Cuthbert been thinking to drop her into this mess?
She was sort of mad at Juliana as well.
The fact that Thomas had disappeared, hadn’t seemed to bother her in the least. Sometimes it seemed as if she didn’t even like Thomas.
At all.
As they were lying in bed, Madison asked, “Are you still awake?”
“I am.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that you and Lord Thomas are getting married?”
“What is there to say?” She sounded despairing.
Madison got up on one elbow. “How about, hey, Madison, stop flirting with my guy. I would’ve never let him kiss me under the mistletoe, if I’d known he was yours.”
Without a word, Juliana turned over in bed.
Which left Madison feeling worse than ever.
She dropped back onto the bed, and stared up at the shadowed ceiling.
Seriously, what had Father Cuthbert been thinking?
Chapter 17
THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
Father Benedict was talking about Edwin of Worchester.
Some guy, who had done something, a long time ago.
Blah, blah, blah.
Madison wasn’t in the best of moods, and when they’d arrived late to the chapel, Lady Felicia had pushed Juliana forward to stand beside Thomas.
It had left a sour taste in Madison’s mouth to see them standing so stiffly beside each other, but it was what it was.
As soon as the service was over, Thomas left abruptly, weaving his way through the crowd.
She was starting to feel sorry for Juliana.
First, Thomas had avoided her all day yesterday, avoided them all, really, but if she were the one dating him, she wouldn’t put up with that for a second!
And, she was still sort of miffed that Juliana hadn’t even seemed upset by it.
Honestly, she needed to let this go.
It was none of her business, and she was starting to sound, if only to herself, like the other woman.
Making excuses for why they shouldn’t be together, which, of course, left the field open for Madison.
Let. It. Go.
Or rather, let him go.
Soulmate or not, she’d only been planning to have a flirtation with him, anyway, so she didn’t know why this was upsetting her so much.
After Dean had dumped her, she found that the only thing that kept her mind off of it, was hard work.
Well, then, time to get to work.
* * *
His grandmother called after him, and Thomas was forced to stop.
Impatient, one hand tapping against his leg, he waited for her to catch up.
She came to a stop, her yellow skirt swirling around her, gold jewelry swaying. “Are you all right? You are not acting like yourself.”
He found himself watching everyone leaving the chapel, and pulled his gaze away. “I assure you, I am fine.”
She looked skeptical, her brown eyes, searching. “I am your grandmother, and I know you better than anyone. What is the matter?”
He could not tell her that he could not concentrate. That he could not stop thinking about Lady Madison, even though he was planning to marry Lady Juliana.
He did not want to disappoint her.
It made him no better than his father, and she’d seen that disaster play out before her very eyes. “Everything is fine.”
“All right,” she said, though it was obvious she did not believe him. “Where are you off to now?”
“I am setting up targets for tomorrow’s archery competition.”
“Oh, that’s right. Madison mentioned that she was very eager to see it.”
Of course, she was. She was interested in everything, and she was everywhere, ensuring that he could not get her out of his mind.
Her lips curved in a teasing smile. “I expect you’ll win again?”
He gave a shrug. “The competition is fierce.”
“All right, I will see you later, then.”
He gave her a nod, and turned and walked away.
He did not look back, though he could sense her watching him.
He would beat these feelings he had for Lady Madison. He would master his own emotions.
She would be gone after Twelfth Night, and after that, he doubted he would ever see her again.
At the thought of it, a depression seemed to settle over him.
He just needed to work. Work was the answer to everything. It was what brought happiness, prosperity, and meaning.
An image of Lady Madison’s laughing face rose up within him.
He tried to replace it with Juliana, and failed.
Mayhap he was truly his father’s son.
* * *
Madison spent the afternoon making prizes for the competition the next day.
Everyone was talking about it.
They discussed what to give out, and Madison mentioned that they might make medals for the winners to hang around their necks.
No one knew what those were.
Seriously, she just knew she was changing some sort of timeline, and messing with history.
So be it.
If Father Cuthbert hadn’t wanted her to do such a thing, he should not have left her here.
When she’d explained what a medal was, the ladies were a bit disappointed. “It would take too much time to order such items from the blacksmith,” Lady Ormonde said.
Everyone agreed.
“We have plenty of greenery and ribbons,” Madison said. “What if we made little wreaths?” She put her index fingers and thumbs together to show them the size she was thinking about. “We could hang them from the end of a ribbon. The winners could wear them around their necks, for everyone to see.”
“It does not seem as if bits of twig and ribbon would be much of a prize,” Lady Felicia said.
The other ladies murmured their doubts, as well.
“It’s a competition. Isn’t it more about bragging rights?”
They still looked doubtful.
“What if we just give it a try, and if they don’t look nice enough, we can come up with something else?”
They all agreed that it would not hurt to try.
Madison weaved very thin sticks, and used candle wax to bind them together.
First prize would be a blue ribbon, of course, and she cut the length long enough to go around a man’s neck. The little wreath was threaded with more blue ribbon, and a little bow on top.
It turned out very well, if she did say so herself.
At that point, everyone was on board, but they let her make the others.
The second prize was exactly the same, except for the red ribbon.
Third prize was yellow.
They were actually quite adorable, cute, jaunty, and the perfect size.
They ended up hanging the medals, as they were still calling them, near the door by the entry so everyone could see them and get excited about tomorrow’s prizes.
Word apparently got around, and a lot of people filed into the keep, just to get a look.
From the amount of bragging going on, it seemed like every man there was confident that he would be the one to win first prize.
Or second, or third.
Apparently, it didn’t matter, the men just wanted to win a medal.
Not that she was looking for Thomas, or anything, but she noticed that he didn’t show up until supper, and when he did come in, he didn’t have much to say.
She looked between him and Juliana, and once again, wondered at the relationship. Now that she knew about it, and was looking for subtle clues, she still couldn’t see it.
Yet one more reason she didn’t belong here.
She obviously had no idea what was going on.
Chapter 18
THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
Thomas had been anxious all morning.
It was a re
lief when the church service finally started.
As it was the last day of the year, Pope Sylvester I was being celebrated. Thomas thought that Father Benedict was rather long-winded over a saint that so little was actually known about. Even Father Benedict admitted much of it was conjecture.
But, of course, he also had to go into great detail about the gifts said to have been conferred upon the church by Constantine the Great.
Not that anyone cared.
He wasn’t the only one that was bored. The assemblage, well attended, fidgeted much more than usual. Thomas suspected Father Benedict was getting some sort of secret amusement over making them all wait. Finally, he announced the archery competition.
He raised his hands high and said, “As you know, ’tis the law that archery is to be practiced by all men between the ages of seventeen and sixty, on the last day of the year, after church. Should the king need to go to war, all archers will need to be ready and able.”
A cheer went up in the chapel.
“Also, this year, the ladies will be giving out prizes for the top three winners in the archery competition.”
Another cheer went up, and Thomas managed not to roll his eyes. As if everyone in the chapel, and in the surrounding countryside, did not know of the medals being given out.
Yesterday, after walking with his steward around the property, he’d finally come in for supper, and had gotten a glimpse of the prizes.
He hadn’t been able to sleep, and his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and driven him to take a torch and get a closer look at them in the middle of the night.
Regardless that those sleeping in the hall might see him.
He’d heard that the blue was for first prize, and he had every intention that it should be his.
Father Benedict closed in prayer, and they were finally released.
Thomas was determined to impress the ladies. Even as he thought it, he pictured Madison, smiling and proud.
He always entered the competition, feeling that as Lord of Riverdale he should set the example. It also showed that he was capable of defending the keep should the need arise.
More times than not, he won.
But today, he was actually nervous, and the longer it took for everyone to come together, the shakier he felt.
Which was absurd.
He’d faced off challenges, won tournaments, and had battled for King and country after his service at Westminster.
And he was nervous about an archery competition?
Still, he was glad when everyone arrived, and noted that his grandmother had all three medals wrapped around her arm, the colorful circles swinging as she came to a stop.
The blue one would be his.
“Best-of-three!” He announced.
They had set up four coiled-straw targets, and each had a bow, and a quiver full of arrows placed the same distance apart.
Four men, including Thomas, stepped forward and picked up bow and arrow, and took careful aim.
Thomas let fly.
Dead center, a perfect shot.
He tried not to let the triumph rising within him show in his expression, and gave way to the next man in line.
He looked at the other three targets, and noted that Sir Hugh had done as well.
They exchanged a nod.
They all waited as several squires removed the arrows and ran off to one side.
He knew where his competition lay, and also knew he had the skill to win.
It took a while for everyone else to get a turn, and Sir Hugh went before him, a second perfect shot.
That put some pressure on Thomas for exactness, and he shook his hands out, before he checked the split pheasant feathers, the banding, and took a moment to steady himself.
He took careful aim, and released his breath as he released the arrow.
The shaft of the arrow quivered within the target, and relief rushed through him.
Another perfect shot.
There was applause among the audience, but Thomas did not dare look in Lady Madison’s direction.
“Oh, ho!” Father Benedict and his clerics kept careful score. “Lord Thomas and Sir Hugh hold the lead, with the blacksmith coming in third!”
His blood pumped in his veins, and he kept his expression steady as he passed the bow to the next in line.
Smitty, a big man, his muscles hard from labor, took aim at the far target. His arrow hit too far to the right, keeping him firmly in third place.
His shoulders slumped as the crowd groaned at his misfortune.
There was another long wait, and in his line, Sir Hugh was first once again. He put arrow to string, aimed, steadied himself, and released a breath.
The arrow pierced the target, dead center.
As the crowd cheered, Thomas reminded himself that this was nothing new. He’d proved himself before, and had come from behind, many a time.
He did not look at Madison, and though every eye was upon him, he felt her gaze.
He stepped forward, took aim, and fired almost in one motion, as he had so many times before.
A direct hit.
The crowd exploded into cheers.
He tried to hide his relief as Father Benedict and his clerics rushed forward to measure the distance of Sir Hugh’s arrow, and his own, on the separate targets.
Father Benedict conferred with his clerics, and finally raised his hand as the crowd quieted.
He took a breath, and then announced, “We have a draw!”
There were cheers, clapping, and laughter, as everyone agreed the decision was a fair one.
Finally, he met Madison’s gaze, and she was looking right at him, just as he’d expected.
She had a small smile on her face, and looked amused, and happy about the outcome. He experienced a strange shock of awareness as pride, and pleasure, welled with in him.
“Ladies,” Father Benedict looked around. “I believe you have prizes for our gentlemen.”
“Is it a kiss?” Someone yelled out.
Everyone laughed.
For his own part, he would like that prize, but only for himself.
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” The crowd started to chant.
Father Benedict shook his finger. “None of that, now, or I’ll have the lot of you doing penance at the Feast of Fools!”
The crowd laughed, and then quieted.
Lady Philippa turned to Madison and said, “Lady Madison, you may award the prizes, as you created the medals.”
Something within Thomas flared to life.
He watched as Lady Philippa handed the medals over, and when Madison came forward to where Thomas, Sir Hugh, and Smitty were standing, he drew in a steadying breath.
She stood in front of the huge blacksmith first, and said, quietly, “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”
“’Tis Smitty, my lady.”
“Well,” she said, in a louder voice that carried. “Smitty, you did well, and missed the mark by such a short distance that I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say, well done, good sir.”
She extracted one metal from the bundle and lifted it by its yellow ribbon. “If you’ll just bend forward a bit,” she said.
Smitty looked confused, but did as she asked, and she hooked the ribbon over his head until the medal settled on his chest. “We’ll call that second place, shall we?”
Again, the crowd cheered.
She moved a step to the side to stand in front of Thomas and Sir Hugh.
Thomas took in everything about her: her dark hair, smooth skin, and ready smile.
His foolish heart pounded double-time.
“As for these two,” she announced, looking out over the crowd for a moment. “We shall pronounce them both first place winners today. Gentlemen, do you have a preference for color?”
“Blue,” Thomas was quick to say, but did not add that it was because it was the color of her eyes.
“Blue, it is,” she said with a smile. She lifted the ribbon, and he bent forward, and
when she placed it around his neck, he was but a hair’s breadth from her and his heart beat even faster.
He inhaled, drawing the scent of her into his lungs, and it went straight to his head.
His throat tightened.
When her cold hands touched the side of his neck as she straightened the ribbon, he shivered, and was convinced it was not from the chill, but from her touch alone.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and he could not take his gaze off the slight reaction.
Did he have the same effect upon her as she did on him?
The thought of it sent heat surging through him.
She turned her smile on Sir Hugh, and waited until he bent his head, and then looped the red ribbon over him.
As the crowd applauded once more, she said, “I present to you, our winners!” and lifted one hand in the air.
She was good at this, good at speaking, and at ease with his people.
If not for her slender hips, she would make him an excellent wife. The thought popped into his head without his permission.
He glanced over at Juliana who was looking off to his left, and his heart sank.
He did not take his honor lightly, and was not sure what to do.
* * *
They had more challenges, and activities, and when it started to snow the timing was perfect.
Everyone was in a good mood for the feast, and Madison had eaten peacock for the first time in her life, as the others teased her.
It was interesting to see how the great hall was used. When they were eating, the tables would be laid out, and afterword they’d often stack them, leaving only a few tables and benches to sit at.
People would come and go throughout the day, some of them coming in to warm up, and get something to eat, before they went on with their day.
The more people present, the more tables and benches would be laid out.
At the end of the day, all of them were stacked out of the way, so people could unroll pallets to sleep on.
She supposed it made sense to keep one room warm and lit during the winter months.
But it was interesting to see how much the community came together.
She was also curious about how the different seasons played out.