He dropped a kiss on her eyebrow, and then her cheek and finally her mouth, gentle, undemanding kisses.
‘I like that very well,’ he breathed, and he felt her chuckle. Then her hand slid up his jaw and she gazed into his eyes, serious once more.
‘We have to go to Rome, Baldwin, and I didn’t want you delaying because of me. I am perfectly well, and now I know you still want me, I am happy to go whenever we can.’
He kissed her lips again softly. ‘We don’t have to wait, my love. Ralf tells me King Lotha has a friend who will allow us to stay at his palazzo in Rome while we petition the Pope. So you will be well looked after and be able to travel in comfort.’
‘It was Ralf that told you?’
Baldwin snorted a laugh. ‘I have never seen the man so embarrassed. He overheard the conversation between the King and his Lady, and presumed we had asked Lotha to arrange the sojourn in Rome. Before the child was born.’
‘So now you know there is going to be a child, Baldwin, how does that make you feel?’
‘Like a king, my love. A blind king, because I should have seen what was before my eyes.’ He laughed again, and took a huge amount of pleasure from watching Judith blush at the heat in his expression. He pulled the linen from where it was tucked beneath her arm, brushing the tops of her breasts with his lips and deliberately tickling her with his beard.
‘So now I will investigate the changes in your body, my love. And I swear I will notice…..everything.’ He captured her lips and felt her giggle as her arms lifted to encircle his neck.
With a wet slap, the linen fell from her hair to the floor. Neither of them noticed.
***
Chapter 118
Ralf leaned disconsolately on the paddock fence, watching the horses gallop around the enclosure. The sound of their hoofs reverberated in his head, chasing his thoughts and his humiliation around his mind. How could he have been so thoughtless? The Princess would first have told Elin about her pregnancy, and Elin would have told him when it was proper for him to know.
After the Princess had told her husband.
He couldn’t believe he had been so stupid. The time he had spent away from the duplicities of the Wessex court, cocooned in the world of children and horses and sword-practice that comprised much of his life in Lorraine had made him careless. The mental discipline he had learned while serving King Ӕthelwulf, to hear everything and say nothing until asked for an opinion or strategy had been easily cast aside, and he must change his way of thinking.
A whisper of fabric made him turn his head, and the delicate scent of honeysuckle tickled his nostrils as Elin stepped up to the fence and slid smiling eyes up to his face. He took her hand and brushed his lips over her fingertips.
‘I am an idiot, my love.’ His voice was heavy with despondency, and Elin shook her head. Ralf watched as the wisp of veil she wore drifted with the movement.
‘Ne te préoccupe pas tellement, mon amour. Do not concern yourself so much, my love.’
‘But I am sworn to her service. What sort of oath-man does it make me that I cannot keep my own counsel? That I must say the first thing that comes into my mind? In Ghislaine, that can be excused, but not in someone of my age and experience.’
Ralf wove his fingers between hers, gently in and out until their hands were dancing and stroking together. Elin leaned her head against his shoulder for a moment, then gave a small shrug.
‘Neither Lord Baldwin not the Princess will think less of you, mon amour. If King Lotha knows, then it certainly won’t be a secret very long,’ Elin gave a soft chuckle, ‘because he will tell everyone he meets.’
They watched the horses in silence for a while, the beautiful beasts racing around their paddock, full of grace and enthusiasm for the fresh air and sunlight. In the distance, Ralf heard the clang of the blacksmith’s forge as the man fashioned or repaired the weaponry of the King, and Ralph wondered vaguely who Lotha expected to fight. Lorraine was very far away from any Danish threat, a peaceful oasis of green fields and prosperous villages.
‘But I think less of myself, Elin.’ He lifted her hand again and softly kissed her palm. She turned into his embrace, resting her head against his chest for a moment before turning her smiling green gaze to meet his worried one.
‘You mustn’t. And now Lord Baldwin knows, perhaps getting the blessing from His Holiness will become more urgent. The King won’t expect her to return to the convent if she is enceinte.’
‘Then let us hope the plans are hurried along, my love, and we have a chance of being able to settle somewhere in peace.’ He felt her nod against him, and he pulled her into a firmer embrace. He looked forward to a settled life, with a home of his own for him and Ghislaine.
When he would finally have something to offer a wife, and he could ask this beautiful, modest, gentle woman to marry him.
***
Chapter 119
The wheels of the huge carriage rumbled and jolted in the ruts of the cart-track leading from the port of Ostia towards Rome. The shrieks of the gulls faded as they moved away from the bustle of the port, the cries of the street vendors and barks of dogs diminishing as the carriage moved inexorably forwards.
Judith was grateful for the arrangements her cousin had made for them, despite the length of time that had taken. Not wanting to risk transporting Judith and her ladies through the mountains, Baldwin had asked if they could sail towards Rome, and Lotha had sought to locate a ship of suitable size that could accommodate their belongings and their horses. Endless letters to and from Lotha and an amenable friend of his had resulted in the promise of an ancient Roman palazzo that they could use as long as they wished.
‘My friend Guillermo is an ambassador of sorts between His Holiness and many royal courts. He is being dispatched to Castile to negotiate with some of the Spanish monarchs, so will be away for several months,’ Lotha had told them with a satisfied smile on his round face.
‘You will be able to make use of all his servants and the amenities in his house, and his steward Giovanni, who has lived in Rome all his life, will know the best way to approach His Holiness with your petition, I’d hazard. And if it isn’t too much trouble, I will send with you some of my own entreaties for His Holiness to relent and allow me to marry my dear Waldrada.’ Lotha beamed at them and pressed several rolls of parchment into their hands.
‘In case you are there for a few weeks. I shall want to send one plea every month, so if you take those, you have at least three months’ worth to present,’ he shrugged and clicked his tongue, ‘by which time my darling will have presented me with another of her wonderfully fat babies.’
Judith had been able to do nothing other than smile sympathetically. The Lady Waldrada was alarmingly huge towards the end of her pregnancy, and Judith wondered if she herself would grow so big. The thought concerned her, as she didn’t know how she would walk around if her hands and feet swelled like those of her hostess.
Now they were aboard a swaying, jolting carriage, and Ghislaine was looking decidedly queasy, despite not being sick on the boat. Judith felt her own stomach begin to roil, and the babe gave a hefty kick into her side that made her blink in astonishment.
Just as she was about to ask Elin to call out to Ralf and have the coach stop for a while, she felt the wheels begin to slow down, and she heard the sound of hoofs outside the window.
‘The main road into Rome is crowded, my love.’ Baldwin’s voice drifted down from his mount and she smiled up at him with a nod.
‘The ride is smoother now, Baldwin. If we are almost there, I think we will manage to wait rather than ask for a stop to stretch our limbs.’
Baldwin trotted forwards, and Judith peeped out of the wind
ow, seeing the hills of Rome rise before her, grass interrupted by stonework and houses and trees, and hordes of people. Pilgrims with wooden staffs helping them to walk, families leading donkeys laden with goods to sell, herds of geese honking crossly at those who tried to break their formation, and even a small flock of sheep driven by a ragged shepherd, all made their way towards an enormous gateway set into a large wall of golden stone.
The gate led to a wide open space, from which spiralled like the threads of a spider’s web a myriad of narrow streets, paved with large stone slabs. The carriage rumbled along for several hundred yards and then entered yet another open space bordered by random columns and tumbled walls obviously built by the Ancients.
Another narrow passageway caused the light in the carriage to dim almost as if it was night, and Judith wondered if she should ask for the lamps to be lit. The coach turned abruptly, and Judith saw huge studded gates standing open as they passed beneath an archway. She felt the wheels roll downwards on a gradient, the horses snorting and pawing the stone in their attempts to slow the carriage as it travelled down the slope.
The slice of sky they could see from the window widened and suddenly they were in a large, airy courtyard, generous stabling on one side and a large tinkling fountain in the middle, with grassed areas, a hidden rose garden accessed through an iron gate and many seats and benches on which to enjoy the sunshine.
Golden stone walls reached high above them, supported by an arched cloister and beneath one of the arches, a small bald man, clad in a dark belted robe, bowed and beamed at them from under snowy white brows.
The carriage came to a halt, and Judith heard the clatter of the horses hoofs as they strode gingerly down the cobbles from the gatehouse. The little man scurried forward, opening the carriage door and letting down the steps with an inclined head and a wide smile. Judith reached out her hand and allowed him to assist her descent, a gesture he repeated to all the occupants of the carriage.
‘Principessa. I am Giovanni. Your cousin King Lotha told you about me, yes?’ His Latin was very precise and Judith had no trouble understanding him.
‘Yes, Giovanni. He told us you would help us during our stay.’ Judith rubbed the small of her back, relieved to be out of the coach and able to walk around. The babe settled within her, no longer cramped in one position, and she felt relieved that her child had released the pressure on her bladder.
‘Yes, yes, Principessa. Anything you desire. You have but to say.’ Giovanni bowed again, beaming at all the ladies. Judith’s gaze passed to Baldwin, just dismounting and handing his rein to Adal.
‘My husband, Lord Baldwin, will no doubt have many questions about the stabling and accommodations for our troops, Giovanni, as well as information about seeing His Holiness. My ladies and I would like to retire to our rooms for a while and freshen ourselves.’
‘And use the pot, Princess,’ whispered Ghislaine, and Alys nodded worriedly.
‘We have room for many soldiers here, Principessa, and His Holiness holds open audiences every day except the Sabbath. Your rooms are this way,’ he swept his hand towards the door at the end of the cloister, ‘and you all have your own private loggia.’
Ghislaine frowned at Judith, not recognising the word, and Judith shrugged helplessly. Neither did she.
‘Loggia, Giovanni? We are unsure what that is.’
They followed the steward into the palazzo, astonished that behind the small door at the end of the cloister another enormous room opened before them, with fluted columns and marble floors leading towards a huge curved staircase. Giovanni chuckled.
‘Forgive me, Principessa. I forget our architecture is that of Ancient Rome. A loggia is what you might describe as an upstairs terrace, where you may sit in the fresh air and watch the world go by in the street below.’ He began to make his way up the shallow steps, closely followed by the four ladies. Beaming at them as they climbed, he spoke again. ‘And beneath the palazzo is a Roman bath, Principessa, where your party might bathe, should they choose.’
‘The palace is built over a river?’ asked Ghislaine in a shocked voice, and Giovanni chuckled and shook his head.
‘No, no, Signorina. The Ancients used to enjoy…..’ he paused, trying to find the words, ‘celebrations, shall we say? At which they all used to bathe in the warm spring below the palazzo. There are seats, a tiled floor and a proper stone-lined pool,’ he grinned and bowed his head again respectfully, ‘for your comfort and that of the gentlemen in your party.’
‘They bathed together?’ Ghislaine’s shock had turned into a strident screech and Judith had to swallow a laugh at the expression on her demoiselle’s face.
‘Men and women? Together in the same water at the same time?’ Ghislaine blinked rapidly at the steward, being rewarded by a nod and a serene smile.
‘Yes, Signorina. That was their way.’ Giovanni opened the door on the gallery and showed them inside. ‘Your suite, Principessa. Salon, bedchamber, dressing room,’ his voice lowered, ‘private facilities.’ Judith nodded in gratitude and Giovanni spoke to the others. ‘You will have the next four doors along this gallery, and I was told to provide rooms for two more gentlemen. Their rooms are at the end.’ He bowed to Judith and withdrew slowly.
‘I will have some food sent up immediately, Principessa, and then you can let me know what time you wish the evening meal to be served.’ He closed the door behind him, and Judith hurried towards the dressing room and her “private facilities”. Her bladder was almost bursting, and she had been struggling to politely listen to Giovanni list their accommodations. The wooden commode behind a dressing screen was a welcome sight.
Judith could hear Ghislaine’s shocked voice as she spoke to Alys while they looked around the salon and bedroom. ‘I don’t know about the Ancients, Alys. I have enough trouble meeting Gozfrid’s eyes now, let alone if he were naked in the water with me. The Lord alone knows what I might look at then!’ Judith smiled to herself as the two young maids collapsed into helpless giggles.
Perhaps she and Baldwin would enjoy investigating the warm spring bath while they stayed here.
***
Chapter 120
Weeks into their sojourn in Rome, Judith sat on the loggia with her ladies, trying to stitch a straight seam on the cotton gown she was fashioning for the baby. Although her hatred of sewing never abated, she had been determined that her child would wear at least some things she had made herself, despite the delightful garments Elin and Alys seemed able to produce almost daily.
A tiny scratch sounded at the door of the chamber, and Ghislaine shrieked a response, making Judith start slightly, and the babe give a hefty kick, as if woken from a snooze.
‘Principessa,’ Giovanni’s soft voice was soothing after the surprise of Ghislaine’s shout. ‘A monk to see you, Principessa. He says he is your brother.’ The old man bowed again and then gazed at her, waiting for a response. Judith nodded brightly.
‘Ask him to join us, Giovanni. And bring some wine, if you please.’
‘And some fruit,’ asked Ghislaine hurriedly before the major domo’s back had disappeared out of the door. Turning to Judith with a shrug, the girl smiled, ‘Your brother might be hungry, Princess. Monks are supposed to deny themselves nice things, aren’t they, so perhaps we should ply him with food and drink that he couldn’t have in his monastery?’ Ghislaine’s smile was cheerful and Judith smothered a laugh.
The girl was fascinated by the different varieties of fruit available in the warmer climates, instead of the hard apples and pears of Wessex, and never passed up an opportunity to eat grapes or oranges. As Judith’s own appetite for fruit had increased during her pregnancy, she was happy to indulge Ghislaine’s weakness.
A slightly uneven slap of leather on the woode
n flooring made her look up to see a tall, slender youth walking towards her, clad in a habit of soft grey wool and limping considerably less than she had expected. Judith beamed and held out both her hands in greeting.
‘Sister!’ He bent and kissed her cheeks, and then her knuckles as he clasped her fingers to his lips.
‘Lothaire! How do you come to be here?’ Judith pulled him down to sit on the chaise beside her, heedlessly stuffing her needlework down the side of the cushion.
‘I have come from the monastery to be affirmed as Bishop of Auxerre by His Holiness. Louis wrote and told me you were here, and in one of Lotha’s endless missives, he let me know where you would be staying. So I thought to greet you.’
Judith grinned at her brother, surprised at how much he had grown since last she saw him. She wrinkled her forehead questioningly. ‘You are twelve! How does it come to be that you are a Bishop already?’
Giovanni entered the chamber with a tray laden with a jug of wine, some pewter cups and a large basket piled with fruit. Ghislaine’s eyes lit up and she hurried over to the old man so she could bring the cups of wine to their guest. Handing one to Judith and another to Lothaire, she returned to carry across the basket, offering it to Lothaire first before she made her own selection. Elin and Alys continued to stitch, but Ghislaine munched on a small bunch of grapes and listened to Lothaire wide-eyed.
‘I’m well over thirteen, sister. And you were a Queen when you were younger than I am now. Your condition has made you lose track.’ He took a swallow of wine, and regarded Judith with a raised eyebrow. ‘And Father’s money endows the Abbey, so who else would they ask?’ Lothaire shrugged and glanced down into his cup of wine, and Judith had the feeling that he was avoiding her gaze. ‘And I will get older.’
‘You look older than thirteen, Lord Prince.’ Ghislaine spoke around a mouthful of fruit, and Lothaire laughed ruefully.
Judith, Twice Queen of Wessex Page 38