"I feel conspicuously out of place," Keely whispered, feeling like a sparrow set down in a cage of peacocks.
"Don't fret, darling. Natural beauty like yours startles their artificiality," the countess said, smiling and nodding at a group of passersby.
When they finally stood outside the audience chamber, Keely began wringing her hands in anxiety and asked, "What will we do now?"
"Relax," the countess suggested.
"And wait," the duke said.
Long silent moments passed. Keely glanced down the corridor and saw two men, dressed completely in black, advancing on them. In their somber attire, they looked as out of place as she felt. It was as if two hawks had invaded an aviary of canaries.
Keely realized with a start that the taller of the men was Richard Devereux, his two blackened eyes matching the bleak color of his clothing. Though she refused to forgive him for tricking her, the sight of his battered face made her wince inwardly. She wasn't worth what he'd suffered. Her fingers itched to touch his bruises and vanquish his pain with her magic.
As the two men neared, Keely dropped her embarrassed gaze to the floor. That she knew of their presence became apparent in the telling blush that pinkened her cheeks.
"Good morning, Your Grace," Richard greeted them.
"Basildon." Duke Robert nodded. "Burghley."
"My dear countess," Richard said, bowing over Lady Dawn's hand. He turned then to Keely, kissed her hand, and smiled, saying, "Rising early enhances your beauty, dearest."
Richard turned to his middle-aged companion and said without any trace of shame, "Lord Burghley, I present Lady Keely Glendower, Ludlow's natural daughter and, I hope, my intended wife."
The earl felt no shame about her bastardy, but Keely did. She lowered her gaze in embarrassment and dropped the lord a curtsy.
"Good morning, young lady," Burghley said, giving her an appraising stare. As if satisfied by what met his perceptive gaze, Burghley turned away and nodded at the guards in front of the audience room, then entered the chamber and left the four of them standing in silence to await the queen's pleasure.
Uncomfortably, Keely felt the earl's gaze on her. She leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and implored the Mother Goddess to aid in the earl's recovery. Her lips moved with the silent chant.
"Are you praying the queen will refuse my suit?" Richard asked.
Keely opened her eyes and said, "My lord, I do pray for your health."
That admission brought a smile to Richard's lips. "You look especially lovely today. The pink of your gown enhances the maidenly blush on your cheeks."
Before Keely could respond, the audience chamber's door opened. Lord Burghley beckoned Duke Robert and Richard inside, leaving Lady Dawn and Keely waiting in the corridor.
"Relax, darling," the countess said. "You're the perfect mate for Devereux."
"Why do you say that?"
"Marrying you will give him the three things he desires most: you, a blood bond with your father, and a tour of duty in Ireland."
"What have I to do with Ireland?" Keely asked.
"Devereux has been forbidden to serve abroad until he sires an heir," the countess told her.
That information didn't sit well with Keely. Being used to get a son smacked of Madoc Lloyd killing her mother with myriad miscarriages.
"The earl is a handsome man," Keely said. "Dozens of women would gladly marry him and produce his requisite heir."
"Those dozens of women are not you."
Keely made no reply. The countess was kindhearted but illogical. Beyond her physical body, a penniless bastard had nothing to offer England's premier earl.
"Here comes trouble," Lady Dawn announced.
Keely glanced down the corridor. Two young women were hurrying toward them.
"Lady Jane is married but desires bedsport with the earl," the countess whispered in Keely's ear. "Lady Sarah, the blonde, is angling to get Devereux to the altar."
The two fashionably dressed ladies greeted the countess deferentially. Both women spared a curious peek at Keely.
"We thought we saw Burghley and Basildon headed in this direction," Lady Jane said.
"Have you seen them?" Lady Sarah asked. "We have something important to discuss with the earl."
"I'm sure you do," Lady Dawn purred, "but both men attend the queen. Even now, the earl is requesting the Duke of Ludlow's daughter in marriage."
Lady Jane could not have cared less, but Lady Sarah was unable to hide her disappointment. "How lucky Morgana is," she said forlornly.
"Not Morgana, darlings. The earl desires a union with the duke's other daughter," the countess told them, enjoying herself immensely. "Allow me to present Lady Keely Glendower, the Duke of Ludlow's oldest and prettiest daughter."
Humiliated but proud, Keely managed a faint smile. She could read in their shocked expressions what they were thinking: a bastard.
"Congratulations," Lady Sarah said.
"My very best," Lady Jane added, appraising her newest rival's charms.
Without another word, the two young women turned and walked away. They wanted to be the ones to spread the news that England's most eligible bachelor was marrying a ducal bastard.
"A bit of advice, darling," Lady Dawn said, watching the women leave. "At court, friends come and go, but enemies tend to accumulate. Trust no one but your husband and your family."
While the countess was imparting her knowledge about life at court, tempers flared inside the royal audience chamber. Irritated with her enraged favorite duke, Queen Elizabeth frowned ferociously at him while Lord Burghley, her most trusted minister, simply shook his head in disgust at the whole sordid affair. Only Richard appeared relaxed and placid, though shockingly battered.
"Either Devereux marries her," Duke Robert ranted, "or I'll be forced to kill him."
"Spare Us your dramatics, Ludlow," the queen snapped. "More pressing problems than your bastard's tarnished reputation require Our attention."
At the royal reprimand, the Duke of Ludlow clamped his mouth shut.
"Basildon agrees to the match," Elizabeth continued, "but We want to see the chit first."
"Keely is waiting with Lady Dawn in the corridor," the duke said.
"And what has Cheshire to do with this nasty business?" the queen demanded.
Duke Robert flushed. "When Keely arrived, the countess happened to be visiting and offered to help me get her settled."
"How exceedingly kind of her," Elizabeth said dryly. "Tell Cheshire to attend Us also."
Duke Robert bowed and marched the length of the enormous chamber to the door, then beckoned them inside. Smiling, the Countess of Cheshire held her charge's trembling hand as they walked toward the queen. Keely, white with fright, and the countess swept deep curtsies when they reached the queen. "Rise," Elizabeth bade them.
Keely looked up and became blinded by the queen's brilliance. Elizabeth's red-gold hair was the fiery color of the setting sun, and her sharp gray eyes resembled fine mist. She wore a bright yellow gown and a fortune in diamonds and pearls upon her person.
"She certainly has the look of you," Elizabeth remarked to the duke. To Keely, she said, "What have you to say in defense of yourself, child?"
Keely couldn't find her voice. How did a mere mortal converse with a goddess?
"Speak up," Elizabeth snapped.
The sharp command startled Keely. Her glorious violet eyes widened, and nervous tremors shook her whole body.
"I—I am honored to be in the presence of Your Majesty and regret this unnecessary annoyance to your peace," Keely said in a quavering voice. "I know you have important matters of state to ponder, and I apologize for wasting part of your valuable day."
"The chit may be a Welsh bastard," Elizabeth said to the duke, "but she's inherited your courtier's instincts." The queen looked at Keely and said, "Child, speak briefly and truthfully. Did my dear Midas compromise your virtue?"
"Your Majesty, I do freely admit that His Grace dis
covered his daughter and me in bed," Richard spoke up. "I am willing to wed her."
Too nervous in the queen's presence even to turn her head, Keely glanced sidelong at the earl. His bold words colored her complexion a vibrant scarlet. Stealing her innocence was bad enough, but how did he dare to announce their shame to the Queen of England?
"You randy, strutting cock!" Elizabeth shouted. "For corrupting this innocent, I should make you shorter by a head."
Frightened, Keely opened her mouth to cry out, but Duke Robert was faster. He snaked his hand out and covered her mouth in a gesture to remain silent.
"I will spend the remainder of October at Nonsuch," the queen said. "Both of you will return to Hampton Court on the tenth day of November and be wed at the Royal Chapel. I want an end to this absurd business." She turned to the duke and asked, "What of your other daughter?"
"Morgana has a list of possible—"
"Marry the chit to anyone you want—excepting a Darnley cousin," the queen interrupted, rising from her throne.
Duke Robert dropped to one bended knee. "I have one final request," he said.
Elizabeth's gray gaze narrowed on him. "You're pressing your luck, Ludlow."
The duke's expression became even more determined. His violet gaze never wavered from hers.
"Well, get on with it," Elizabeth snapped. "What is it?"
"I beg permission to wed the Countess of Cheshire," Duke Robert said in a loud voice. "That is, as soon as Keely is settled."
"Cheshire's already nagged three husbands into the grave," Elizabeth replied, "but I care not if you wed the lowest scullery maid. This marriage foolishness gives me the headache." With those parting words, she stormed out of the chamber.
"Fornicating fools," Burghley muttered, leveling a disgusted look on the lot of them. He hurried after the queen.
"I will call upon you at Talbot House to negotiate the contract this afternoon," Richard told the duke. He smiled at Keely and kissed her hand, then quit the chamber.
Shock at what had transpired kept Keely's anger at bay and fixed her mind on the trivial. As they left the audience chamber, she asked the countess, "Why did the queen call the earl Midas?"
" 'Tis her nickname for him," Lady Dawn answered.
"But what does it mean?"
"Midas was a legendary king whose touch turned everything to gold," Duke Robert explained. "So too does the earl possess the golden touch with his business ventures."
"Trust the king who wears the flaming crown and possesses the golden touch...."
Megan's prophecy came rushing back to Keely, the significance of it nearly felling her. Had her mother seen the earl in her visions? Was he truly the man in whom she should place her trust? How could she ever be certain?
"My lady?" whispered a woman's voice.
"Richard said her name is Keely," a second woman told the first.
"Lady Keely, time to awaken," the first called in a loud whisper. "Napping beneath an oak tree isn't at all the thing to do."
Swimming up from the depths of unconsciousness, Keely heard the voices as if they called to her from a great distance. Was she dreaming?
"She won't wake up," the first voice said.
"What should we do?" asked the second.
"Nudge her."
"But what if she's dead?" the second asked in a horrified whisper. Then: "Ouch! You needn't pinch me."
"She's not dead, you blockhead," the first voice said with authority. "Perhaps if both of us call her."
"Lady Keely," the women chimed in unison. "Wake up!"
Keely bolted up straight, startling the young women who cried out and leaped back a pace. Confused, Keely stared at their smiling faces and gazed at her surroundings. She still sat on the grass beneath her favorite oak tree in her father's garden.
Keely rubbed her eyes and then looked at the women. Holy stones! Double images of the same woman stood in front of her. What was wrong with her vision? She looked at them again. Twins.
Dark-eyed brunettes, the women appeared to be a year or two younger than herself. The twins were mirror images, the only difference between them a tiny mole above one girl's upper lip.
"Who are you?" Keely asked.
"I'm May," the twin with the mole answered.
"And I'm June," the other said with a smile.
That told Keely nothing. Her gaze narrowed on them. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
May and June looked at each other and giggled.
"We're Richard's kinsmen," May told her.
"Kinswomen," June corrected her sister.
May gave June a censorious glare, then smiled at Keely and explained, "Richard—I mean, the earl—invited us to be your tiringwoman."
"Women," June corrected her sister again.
May reached out and slapped her sister's arm.
Keely burst out laughing. Their bickering reminded her of Odo and Hew, who always seemed to be arguing with each other.
"I do not require tiringwomen's services," Keely told them.
"We'll never advance in life if you don't," June whined in disappointment.
"Being chosen made us so happy," May said. "Our sister Spring—"
"Born on March the twenty-first," June interjected.
"—is Lady Brigette's tiringwoman," May finished.
"Who is Lady Brigette?" Keely asked.
"Richard's sister," the twins chorused together.
"Our sister April was Lady Heather's woman," June said.
"Lady Heather is also Richard's sister?" Keely asked.
"Yes," the twins chimed.
"We hoped to be yours," May said, wearing a downcast expression.
Keely swallowed the laughter bubbling up inside her. Even by Welsh standards, these women were refreshingly candid. Leaning against the oak, Keely eyed them and remarked, "Four sisters named Spring, April, May, and June?"
"Mother named April for the month she was born," May told her.
"What about you?" Keely asked.
"Us too," June answered.
"But you're twins!" Keely exclaimed, making them giggle.
"I was born on the last day of May."
"And I was born on the first day of June."
Keely smiled at the delightfully bizarre sisters. "From where did you come?"
"Next door," they chorused.
Keely's smile became a chuckle. Their good humor and enthusiasm were contagious.
"Very well," Keely said. "You may be my tiringwomen."
The two sisters screamed with relieved delight, hugged each other, and jumped up and down with glee. Finally remembering themselves, they looked at their new mistress and smiled sheepishly.
"Forgive our happy outburst," June apologized.
"We'll be the best tiringwoman ever," May promised.
"Women," June corrected her.
May reached out and pinched her sister.
"There she is," a masculine voice said.
Keely looked across the garden and waved a greeting to Odo and Hew. "My cousins," she said to the twins, who stood gaping at the handsome giants advancing on them.
"We heard the happy news about your betrothal to the earl," Odo said, ignoring the two staring sisters.
"Why didn't you tell us yourself?" Hew asked, his hurt apparent in his voice.
Keely rose from the ground. She took a moment to brush the back of her gown with her hand, then leaned back against the oak and said, "I needed time alone to think."
"Why would you want to do that?" Hew asked, genuinely puzzled.
Odo cuffed the side of his brother's head. "You blinking idiot," he scolded. "The girl needed to ponder her forthcoming marriage."
May glared at Odo and then sidled up to Hew. She placed the palm of her hand against his head, asking solicitously, "Did he hurt you?"
Hew smiled, and there was no mistaking the gleam in his eyes when he answered, "I'll feel better if you stroke it gently."
Jealous of the attention being lavished upon his brother,
Odo scowled darkly and then glanced at June, who smiled at him with adoration in her eyes. He returned her smile.
"You're very strong," she complimented him.
Odo grinned. He rolled his sleeve up and clenched his right hand, then held his fist against the side of his head and made the enormous muscle in his upper arm bounce up and down in a dance.
Keely and June clapped with enthusiasm.
Not to be outdone, Hew rolled his own sleeves up and made both of his upper arm muscles dance. All three women clapped their appreciation.
"I can touch my nose with the tip of my tongue," Odo bragged.
"I can wiggle my ears and touch my nose with the tip of my tongue," a voice behind them boasted. "At the same time."
Keely whirled around at the sound of that voice. With his hands resting on his hips, Richard stood there.
"Show Odo and Hew around Devereux House," Richard bade May and June. "Introduce them to my staff."
At Keely's nod, Odo and Hew followed the twins down the path that led to the earl's estate. Watching them walk away, Keely said, "My cousins are warriors, not servants."
"From what I just witnessed," Richard countered, "they don't behave like any warrior I've ever seen."
Keely flicked him a sidelong glance. Much to her consternation, the earl leaned beside her against the tree. "They bested you in Shropshire," she reminded him.
"I would have beaten Hew," the earl told her, "but 'twas two against one."
"A testament to your virility," Keely replied, then regretted her choice of words.
Richard leaned dangerously close, so close that she felt his warm breath on her cheek, and promised in a husky whisper, "In no more than a month, my lady, you'll feel the full weight of my virility."
Keely blushed from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, but she refused any other acknowledgment of his sensual threat. "Do not let my cousins' lack of intelligence fool you, my lord," she warned. "Odo and Hew could get to the pope and live to tell the story. My cousins are near invincible as long as they understand and follow the orders of others."
"Mayhap they'll pledge themselves to me after we're wed," Richard replied. "I can always use a few more good men."
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