Hoodsman: Queens and Widows

by Smith, Skye

  He filled his head with Cristina's tune so that he would not be tempted to change the rhythm of how he was caressing and licking her. Once a woman was so close, any change would lessen the intensity. A moment later she was there, writhing in sexual rapture, and again he did not change rhythm so as to keep it building and going on and on and on.

  She grabbed at his long hair and pulled his face hard into her, but he did not change rhythms. She bucked and curled and spasmed again and again, and finally she let go of his hair and pushed his face away. She was panting hard and barely conscious and in a dream like state while the physical sensations eased and the mental ones began. He pulled the linen over her so she would stay warm. It was hard not to touch her when his own body urged him to take her, but it was his gift to allow her to drift through her dreamlike trance unmolested.

  Quietly he rolled off the bed to peer through the crack of the shutters at the weak sun lighting the glistening water of Southampton harbour and the rivers and all the ships. So many ships. More than he had ever seen in one place. This was his first visit to Southampton, and now he understood why Wessex had always been the richest shire of England, and why Winchester was the capital. Whoever controlled Southampton, controlled Wessex. From Winchester you could control both and yet have plenty of warning about the dangers that may come so quickly on foreign ships.

  A hand closed around his cock and tugged him back to the bed. A princess of Wessex had a gift for him. It was his turn. He lay down on his side with his head well up the pillows in case he needed to use them to stifle the woman-like moans that she would certainly arouse from him. She was on her side facing him, and kissed her way down his body as she squirmed down the bed. When she was halfway, she used her tongue on him slowly and with great subtlety and restraint. He pushed his face into the pillows as wave after wave of delight made him want to make animal noises.

  She slapped the cheek of his ass to warn him, once again, not to pump her mouth, and he tried so hard not to, but then he was there and out of control and she was giggling. She pulled herself up along his body and gave him a very messy kiss, and then they dozed in each others arms.

  Afterwards they took a stroll. They always took a stroll afterwards. He, dressed as a ships captain, and she as a captain's wife, would walk along the promenade that ran in front of a long line of captain's houses. The promenade allowed each house an unblocked view of the harbour below. He gave a small coin to an old woman sitting on a stool and knitting, so that they could sit on the bench that she carried there every morning.

  The winter sun was weak but pleasant and they allowed it to caress their faces. They had sat here many times and overpaid to make sure they were welcome, for this bench had the best view. It was here that Cristina and he talked freely about anything that came to mind, in French, of course, so that the old woman would not understand.

  She had told him of her rape in London by one of William's knights who had tried to claim her as his wife. The knight had not lived long afterwards. It was the continuous threat of the rape of both her and of Margaret that had decided her family to flee from London by ship with Earls Edwin and Morcar. "So you see, even during that long winter when you stayed with my family, oh so long ago in Northumbria, I was not a virgin, and I would have lain with you if you had asked me."

  "There is Robert and Judith,” he said pointing down the slope to another bench.

  Cristina had been relaxing but now she focused her eyes to view the Countess. "May the Lord be merciful with them for bedding a first cousin,” she turned to him "All of Matilda's children are here in Hampshire for the winter, even Richard. He has been living in England to learn about it, because he will inherit the crown."

  "So Robert is still not forgiven his rebellion."

  "It cost the family much, more than much,” she replied, "but there is more to it than that. Under the peace treaty with Philippe of France, Robert is to be the next Duke of Normandy, and by the same treaty, the Duke must not also be the King of the English. Richard is the next eldest. William apparently has sworn to his family that Robert will never inherit the crown of England. If Robert does not behave then the next son, William Rufus, will be Duke. Henry, the youngest, is being groomed to be a Bishop, for there are too many brothers between him and the crown."

  "Well, Richard will always be the favoured son. He is Matilda's second, but he is William's first."

  She looked at him with wide eyes. "No, you don't mean. Oh, my,” she looked towards Robert and Judith again. "So they are not first cousins. Now I understand."

  "I don't want to talk about the royals. The whole family sickens me. William has won an empire through unrelenting viciousness, and thereby has created a culture that rewards viciousness. His sons will inherit power and wealth beyond avarice, and for doing what? For being born, for doing nothing more than being born."

  He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I would gladly kill them all to kill the Forest Law.” It had been Much that had suggested that William's desire for good hunting, the same desire by which he was promoting his forest law, could be the death of him. While hunting he would not be protected by body guards, or by armour, and his own awareness would be on other things.

  "Shhh,” she said. She did not need him to speak what she already knew. She had seen his pack and his weapons. After he had escorted her back to Romsey and the convent, he would go hunting for men, a man, a king. She knew this already.

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  The Hoodsman - Queens and Widows by Skye Smith

  Chapter 24 - The Queen rules in Westminster in October 1103

  Though Raynar longed to relax in his own London rooms in the Travelers Domus in Holborn, it could not be. He must stay at Edith's side in the palace until she had more practice in controlling the court at Westminster. She and her two infants were certainly safer in London than in Winchester. It had been the English infantry based near Winchester who had gone with Henry to the West Country. The English infantry based near London was still more or less at full strength.

  Her sister Mary was preparing to leave London at the first spell of good weather, to get back to her own palace in Boulogne before the true winter storms began. Lucy and Maud, however, were more than pleased to stay on with Edith in Westminster. The palace was like a giant nursery, for not only were Edith's, Lucy's and Maud's young children there, but so were most of Henry's children by his mistresses.

  Edith had demanded this of the mistresses, for she wanted all of Henry's children to be properly tutored. Although Henry had mostly ignored these less-than-legitimate bairn of his, Edith did not. Her own children were too young to promise in marriage to cement alliances, however Henry had three other children who were approaching their teens. She would make sure that they could read and write, that they knew Latin, as well as courtly manners, deportment, and morals.

  So it was that not only did Edith have Henry's eldest son Robert and eldest daughter Mathilde from Normandy at her Westminster court, but also Henry's two most enduring mistresses, Ansfride and Sybyl, and their children.

  Raynar shook his head in wonder every time they met for meals, and hoped that Henry had the good sense to stay far away from Westminster while it was so filled with his past dalliances. There was no real friendship between Edith, Ansfride, and Sybyl, but then, neither was there any animosity ... that is ... so long as Henry kept his distance so they would not compete for his time.

  The situation was not without tension, of course. Such as the day when Maud, who knew much about healing, found the kitchen maids feeding the varied collection of children on honey cakes and ale for breakfast. Maud went into an immediate fury. Raynar, who had been walking with her in the herb gardens as she did her day break collections, stood back and out of her way.

  He had seen this kind of instant fury before, in her mother Judith. It was always best to back away, and not stand between the woman and the cause. As he watched, Maud took the closest kitchen maid by an ear with one hand, and the
ear of one of Sybil's eldest children in the other hand, and dragged them both screaming out to the kitchen shed.

  There was a tall English guardsman walking forward with a worried look upon his face about what were the duties of a guard in a situation such as this. Raynar grabbed him by the arm to hold his hurry back so that he did not get in the path of the furious Maud, and only then did they follow Maud cautiously towards the kitchen.

  The cook of a palace was a powerful woman in that household. She rarely touched a hand to dish or food, or fire, or pot, but she was on duty all of the time and controlled a hefty purse for paying the merchants and vendors who brought their best wares for her inspection. She was a big woman, with a loud voice, and a quick hand to cuff anyone who was messing up.

  By the time Raynar and the tall fair guard entered the kitchen shed, Maud already had the cook backed against a stout post and was about to lay in to her with angry words.

  "Maud, Maud, Maud,” Raynar yelled to get her attention. She turned to him and he softened his voice. "Maud, take a deep breath and say what you must without the anger. The cook is a good woman who likes to solve problems, not cause them."

  Maud, in deference to the man who had done more than any other to raise her, took a deep breath. It was then that she saw the tall and handsome young guard with him, and she smiled. He smiled back with big white teeth. She let go of the maid's ear and pushed her down onto a bench. The maid was happy to have her twisted ear back while it was still connected.

  "See this young man,” she motioned the guard forward. He towered over the women and she motioned him to bend down so that his head was at the same height as the cook's. "Look at his size, look at how healthy and strong he is, and now look at his teeth. See. Just as with horses you can tell how healthy a person is by their teeth. His are white and strong like his body."

  She pulled Sybil's child forward, and let go of his ear so that she could open his lips with her fingers. "Notice the blackened rotten teeth and the foul breath. Your maid was feeding him sweets and ale for breakfast.” She looked again at the handsome guard. "What did your mother feed you?"

  "We are of Danish heritage,” the man shrugged, "so I was fed garden greens, cheese, butter, milk, curds, eggs, and fish. Even if the nets were empty, there was pickled fish to eat."

  "Is it any wonder that the Danes are the tallest folk in the kingdom,” Maud shouted out to everyone in the kitchen. "They eat greens, dairy, eggs, and fish. From now on, all children in this palace will eat as if their mothers were Danes. Is that understood.” She purposefully looked at everyone except the cook, to save the cook the embarrassment of bowing to a countess in front of her staff.

  She looked again at the tall Dane and asked, "And what to drink. Did your mother feed you ale? The Danes love their ale."

  "No ale. Not until we were teens, though we often snuck some. We drank broth or infusions if there was no spring water. No ale."

  "Your grace,” the cook caught her attention. "My suppliers will beat me if I make such a drastic change to the menu of a palace, and change to such ordinary food. They are used to selling me rare and expensive things."

  "Then I hereby assign this guard as your protector,” Maud said pushing the comely tall man towards the cook. "Explain to your suppliers that rare and expensive things will still be eaten by any rare and expensive guests. As for the household and the children, and especially any mothers to be, it will be greens, dairy, eggs and fish. All of which can be bought at better prices at the markets."

  Raynar looked hard into the eyes of the cook. It was dangerous to make an enemy of your cook, perhaps even deadly, and he searched for the telltale signs of controlled anger that could spawn vengeance. He could see none.

  The cook curtseyed to the countess and said humbly, "Thank you for your guidance your grace. The queen is building a new and different style of court in this palace, and we were hoping that the kitchen would be given some clear directions."

  Maud gave her a nod, and was about to leave, but Raynar moved quickly to stand behind her so she could not turn away, not just yet.

  Maud felt him behind her, and took a breath and remembered her manners, manners that even a hired servant deserved. "Thank you for your time,” she looked around. "I am not often in this kitchen, but I am always pleased by how clean and well organized it always is. Thank you.” She looked around at the children who had followed her into the kitchen to see what was happening, and she shooed them out. Once they were on their way, she sat beside the maid and gently pressed a finger to her ear to see if she had injured it. She kissed it better, and whispered an apology into her ear.

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  Lucy and Maud, with the help of the clerk who kept the Peerage Scroll, had created a list of young noblemen who had their approval to become the future leaders of the kingdom. All on their list had three things in common. They were the obvious heirs to the Norman lords who held great honours in England, they were currently living on an English estate, and they had English mothers.

  They were mostly the progeny of the Conqueror's policy that invading Norman lords must betroth by rape all of the rich English widows. This mixed blood generation were all born after '67, and had long ago lost their elder step brothers to unfortunate 'accidents', and so were now the heirs to many English estates.

  They were the same age or younger than King Henry and now were men-in-waiting for their fathers to die or retire or return to Normandy, so that they could inherit. In other words, they were the next generation of the ruling class, but were of mixed Norman and English blood. Queen Edith personally signed letters to each on this list, to invite them to visit her at Westminster, not as a summons, but as an opportunity to meet others of their generation.

  When the noble wives of England learned of these invitations they were quick to offer their young daughters as ladies-in-waiting to Edith. Though the winter was grim and dark and damp in the villages of England, there was much good humour and companionship at the palace at Westminster. It was as if the palace had become a village longhouse rather than a palace. In the north, the village longhouse was where the folk gathered in for the duration of the coldest months, to stay warm and fed and keep each other company over the long dark nights.

  Luckily the dour and conniving Lord Chancellor, Waldric, was with Henry in the West Country. Unluckily when Henry's eldest son, Robert, arrived at the palace, he was accompanied by the Bishop of Lincoln, Roger Bloet. Roger was the sort of bishop that proved that the Gregorians now controlling Rome were right to be asking that Bishops be appointed by the church, rather than by kings. He was a general in priest's clothing, and worse, he was typical of the old style Norman lords who the two King Williams had used to slaughter, oops, 'pacify' the Danelaw.

  Raynar was seriously contemplating that the Bishop of Lincoln had lived too long on this earth, when relief from his overbearing presence came in the form of Robert Malet, who was a cousin of Lucy's mother Beatrice. Robert was the Lord Great Chamberlain, whose duties included the running of the palaces both at Westminster and at Kingsbury near to the imposing bailey fortress at Windsor. He had heard that Edith had moved the winter court from Winchester to Westminster, and so had come from his estates in Norfolk to fulfill his duties.

  Whenever young noblemen came to the palace in answer to the Queen's invitation, they were immediately invited to attend a welcoming dinner with the Queen and two of the grand Countesses of the North, the Chamberlain, and also a strange old man in the robes of a treasury agent. These private dinners were Edith's way of screening the young men before allowing them to stay at the palace, for not only was there the security of Henry's children to think of, but also the security of the many noble young virgins who were now also arriving at court.

  The virgins had been sent by their mothers to wait to be matched to a husband by the queen. They arrived with trunks of silk, only to find out that the costume of all women at this court was more akin to a convent than the fashionable gatherings that had their begin
ning with Henry's coronation. Edith was adamant that she would not wear silk again until the hunger crises caused by the Saint Lawrence Day storm was finished. Besides, there were obvious advantages to not having young virgins parading about in cloth that was as light and revealing and seductive as was silk.

  The young noblemen were endlessly pleased to have come. Not only did they escape their brutal old-style Norman fathers, and the boredom of country estates in the winter, but at Westminster they were but a short ride from the very friendly sinners who lived in London. Most had never before been allowed to visit London, the largest and most worldly city in the kingdom. Edith need not have worried about the virtue of her virgins, for the young men were more than satisfied to seek their pleasures with the endless selection of alewenches, doxies, and painted women that were freely available, or at least cheaply available in the city.

  A new and different type of court was evolving around the queen, and as word spread of it, others came to visit Westminster. This included foreign embassies for sure, but more exciting were the musicians. Edith loved music, a pleasure which had been forbidden to her while she grew up in a convent, and she welcomed and personally paid every musician who was acceptable to the Chamberlain.

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  The Hoodsman - Queens and Widows by Skye Smith

  Chapter 25 - News of Magnus in Westminster in December 1103

  As Westminster filled with the youthful nobility, Raynar withdrew further and further into the shadows and the back rooms. He remained living at the palace, to keep a protective eye over Edith and her children, but he now felt out of place, being so old and wrinkled and rumpled.

  There was another who also felt out of place, and withdrew into the shadows. Nest, the Welsh princess, was now showing how very pregnant she was with Henry's next child. It was natural that they would seek each other out, and spend the time keeping their Welsh grammar in practice. Sometimes they even slept together to keep each other warm over the long nights, but were careful to keep it mostly platonic, mostly. It was allowed. She had asked for, and received Edith's permission to keep his company.