by Speer, Flora
“Dare I hope it’s almost over?” she asked, teasing back.
“Three more days and nights, if the weather holds,” he answered. “During this journey we will travel even on Sunday.”
“I can endure it,” she said, smiling a little. “Can you?”
His answer was a low, sensual chuckle that stirred a dangerous warmth deep inside her. It was amazing how he could warm her heart with a look or a word or a quick touch that no one else saw. It was almost as if he was using the journey as a means of slowly seducing her. If that was his intention, he was succeeding.
Nonetheless, by the time they reached the road that led directly into Regensburg, Gina was heartily sick of being on horseback and more than ready for a long, hot bath, followed by a long, hot night with Dominick.
The road curved, and they came out of the trees onto a wide, cleared swath of land. There before them lay Regensburg and the Danube.
“It really is blue,” Gina said, surprised by her first sight of the river. “I didn’t expect the town to be so large,” she added.
“It has to be,” Dominick said, “to accommodate all the people who are obligated to follow Charles from place to place. Everyone from the queen and her ladies and the royal children, to Charles’s closest advisors, to the teachers and students of the palace school, the counts who are presently in attendance at court along with their families and retainers, the scholars, physicians, bishops and ordinary priests, men-at-arms, cooks, seamstresses, and servants. They all come to Regensburg when Charles decrees it, along with the usual camp followers,” he finished, glancing at her as if to see how she would accept the last item in his long list.
She was about to say that she’d never understand how any woman could do something so unpleasant for a living, when it struck her like a thunderclap that she no longer thought of sex as unpleasant. With Dominick, it was wonderful. She stared at him with her lips parted, and what was in her thoughts must have appeared on her face, for she saw his eyes widen. He moved his horse nearer to hers and leaned toward her.
“Later,” he murmured. Then he nudged his mount and rode ahead to join Harulf, who was awaiting him with a question.
Feeling the need of a cooler subject to contemplate, Gina turned her attention from Dominick to the town they were approaching. Almost all the houses were built of creamy stone, and their red tile roofs were steeply slanted. There were lots of gardens; nearly every house in Regensburg had one. She had learned enough under Hedwiga’s tutelage to recognize cabbages, lettuces, the leafy tops of carrots and beets, and several kinds of herbs.
A strip of young trees was planted along the river’s edge for shade, and here and there she could see docks extending into the water with a few boats tied up at them. Men and women in bright clothing hurried along the dirt streets or gathered on the docks to watch the boats unloading. It was a colorful, attractive scene.
On a hill just a short distance from the river rose a large church dedicated to St. Peter, with two tall square towers and door arches that Gina noticed were curved, not pointed like later Gothic arches. The palace, which was close by the church and built in the same sturdy architectural style, was simply stupendous. It dominated the town. From what Gina could see while riding along, the palace was a series of connected buildings of differing heights, of towers and gateways and long colonnades that were open to the river breezes.
She was surprised to learn that Dominick kept a house in Regensburg, with a few servants always there to maintain it and see to his needs when he was in residence. It was a clean, orderly house in a quiet neighborhood near the river. Gina was given her own private room next to Dominick’s. Ella was to sleep in the female servants’ quarters, and she seemed content with the arrangement. Gina wondered if Ella harbored plans to spend as many nights as possible with Harulf. Since Gina intended to spend her nights with Dominick, she couldn’t criticize Ella for doing something similar.
As soon as they were unpacked the two young women retired to the small bathhouse at the rear of the building, where both of them washed away the grime and the aches of their week-long trip. Gina was back in her room, clad only in her shift while she dried her hair, when Ella hurried in.
“Dominick is in the bathhouse now,” Ella said. “He wanted me to give you plenty of notice. You are to dress in your best gown and paint your face. We are going to the palace.”
“What, now? The afternoon is almost gone. I thought we’d wait until tomorrow,” Gina cried, seeing her plans for a leisurely dinner and evening with Dominick evaporate.
“Dominick said you’d understand why he wants to talk to as many people as possible tonight,” Ella said. “I’m to attend you. Isn’t it exciting?”
“Thrilling,” Gina responded dryly. “I suppose it can’t be avoided. Go and dress yourself, Ella. I can see to my own clothes.”
“Are you sure?” Ella looked uncertain.
“Yes. Your hair is longer than mine. It will take you some time to dry and braid it. Come back when you’re finished and tell me if I look all right.”
What Gina really wanted was some time alone to brace herself to meet one of the most famous kings in all of history. She wished she knew more about Charlemagne, so she could talk intelligently to him. Then she decided he most likely wouldn’t pay any attention to her. He’d be too busy with Dominick and the other courtiers.
Gina had brought to Regensburg the hairbrush, makeup bag, and mirror that were in her purse when it landed beside Dominick’s bed a few seconds after she arrived in the eighth century. Small as the mirror was, she was glad to have it, for in this time and place mirrors were a scarce commodity. The few she had seen at Feldbruck were made of polished metal that barely reflected at all. Using her mirror, Gina applied powder, eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick.
From the supply of newly altered clothing Hedwiga had packed for her, she chose a dress of deep burgundy silk with gold embroidery at the neck and sleeve edges, because it looked to her like the kind of gown a lady would wear to meet a king.
After pulling it over her head and tying the gold sash, she brushed her hair carefully, making it curl as much as possible. Once her preparations were completed, there was nothing left for her to do but grow more nervous with each minute.
Dominick and Ella appeared at her door at the same time, and Gina learned to her dismay that she was expected to remount a horse and ride to the palace.
“Can’t I walk?” she asked. “Riding will ruin this lovely dress.”
“The streets are too muddy for walking,” Dominick said. “But I can take you up with me, and Harulf can do the same for Ella. You can sit sideways and thus spare your gowns from wrinkling.”
“I would like to ride with Harulf,” Ella said at once. Gowned in bright blue wool, with her blond hair in twin braids tied with blue ribbons, she was looking exceptionally pretty, her cheeks rosy with excitement.
“I wish I could feel as cheerful,” Gina said, watching Ella hurry ahead of her to meet Harulf. “Dominick, I assume you are going to insist on speaking alone with Charles, which means you’ll be leaving me to fend for myself.”
“I wouldn’t dream of deserting you,” Dominick said. “Nor can I request a private interview with Charles until I have unquestionable proof of the plot that’s being formed and names I can supply when Charles asks for them.”
“In other words, we are off to the palace to seek the very proof you need.”
“Exactly. Pay attention to everything you hear or see while we are there.”
As if Dominick had known what Gina was planning to wear, he was clad in a red wool tunic and matching woolen trousers just a shade or two lighter than her gown. His trousers were cross-gartered with strips of gilded leather, and he wore slip-on shoes instead of boots. His only other decorations were the gold chain and pendant of a count and a gilded leather belt with his plain, serviceable eating knife in its sheath at one side. Swords, he informed Gina, were not usually worn at court unless war preparations were under wa
y. With his sword or without it, he was the most imposing specimen of manhood Gina had ever seen, and just standing next to him made her shiver with pleasure.
While she was lost in appreciation of his masculine splendor, he caught her by the waist and tossed her lightly into the saddle. Then, before she could begin to worry whether she was going slide right off without a leg on either side of the horse, he mounted and put an arm around her waist, holding her securely.
It was a remarkable sensation to be sitting so close between his thighs, and it quickly became obvious to her that Dominick wasn’t indifferent to the position, either. Startled by his immediate physical reaction, she looked directly at him and found his eyes filled with laughter, though his face was perfectly solemn.
“I’d kiss you,” he said, “but it would be most improper to do it in public and would likely smear your face paint.”
“Do that, and I’ll bite you,” she retorted. She was rewarded by his hearty laugh.
Between Dominick’s teasing and her own yearning, by the time they reached the palace gate Gina was ready to turn around and gallop at full speed back to his house.
“Feeling better?” he asked as he lifted her down from the horse.
“You teased me on purpose, to make me forget about being nervous,” she accused him.
“Did it work?” he asked with a straight face. “Answer later, and punish me then if you want. When we are alone I’ll let you do whatever you like to me. For now, remember that you are a noblewoman. Take my arm. Just put your hand on my wrist. Harulf, Ella, stay with us,” he ordered over his shoulder.
This time his teasing wasn’t enough to calm her nerves. Though intensely aware of Dominick at her side, Gina still couldn’t forget where she was and what she and Dominick were trying to do. With her knees shaking and her heart beating double-time, she entered the great hall of the palace to meet Charlemagne.
Knowing he’d had four wives and several concubines, Gina expected the king of the Franks to look like a movie version of the similarly licentious Henry VIII, all beefy and bloated and missing a few teeth. She wasn’t prepared for the tall, handsome man who stood in front of the throne set at one end of the long hall. Charles was simply dressed in a blue woolen tunic and trousers, with no jewelry and no crown. His hair was silver-blond, cut just below his ears, and he was clean-shaven except for a droopy Frankish mustache similar to the facial hair worn by many other men in the room.
Dominick had told her that Charles was past forty, and middle-aged spread was catching up with his midriff, though no one could have called him fat. In his mature features Gina could detect an older, slightly fleshier version of Pepin s more delicate face.
What impressed her most was the personal warmth that Charles radiated and the way his smile made her feel he was her friend when Dominick brought her forward to present her. This was no cold and distant royal personage; Charlemagne was a hearty, plain-spoken man who stooped to pick up the little girl who suddenly ran to him and threw her arms around his leg.
“My daughter, Theudrada,” Charles said, and kissed the child. “Pretty ‘Drada, yes, Papa loves you. Have you children, Lady Gina?”
“No, sir, I’m not married,” Gina responded. She was a bit surprised to notice at least a dozen other children standing about or playing near the throne. Most of them resembled Charles, so she assumed they were his.
“Perhaps your situation will change soon,” Charles said, and he winked at Dominick. “I’m glad to see you back at court, my boy. We’ve missed you, haven’t we, Fastrada, my dearest?”
Charles turned to the woman who sat in an ornately carved chair next to his throne. The infamous queen of the Franks appeared to be in her early twenties, and she was incredibly beautiful, with dainty facial bones. Her long hair, which she wore loose beneath a gold circlet, was a lovely honey shade, and her complexion was perfect, if a bit too pale for vital health. Her eyes were sapphire blue under the delicate arches of her neatly plucked brows.
Only on a careful second look did Gina see the lines of discontent near Fastrada’s pretty mouth and the cold expression in her eyes when she regarded Dominick. A whiff of heavy jasmine perfume drifted to Gina’s nose as the queen moved restlessly.
“I am glad to find you well, my lady,” Dominick said politely to Fastrada. “I note that you are more beautiful than ever.”
“I am surprised to see you here at all,” Fastrada retorted. She leaned back in her chair, sticking out her lower lip and looking for all the world like a sullen, sulky teenager. Transferring her attention from Dominick to Gina, she asked, “Is this your latest concubine?”
“Lady Gina is my guest at Regensburg,” Dominick responded mildly.
“Indeed?” Fastrada’s elegant eyebrows rose. Her voice took on a mocking tone. “I do believe I recall that dress. A friend of mine wore it the last time she was at court. A certain Lady Hiltrude. Really, Dominick, can’t you afford to have a new dress made when you reward a woman for joining you in bed? Or, better yet, give her a piece of jewelry?”
“You are mistaken, my lady. I am no man’s concubine.” Gina spoke up loudly, too offended to tolerate the queen’s rudeness another moment. Words tumbled from her lips in an angry rush, offering an explanation that was far from accurate. “In fact, Count Dominick has been extremely kind to me. I was set upon by robbers, and all my
belongings were stolen. That’s why I have no jewelry to wear and why I was forced to come here to court in borrowed clothes. It’s also why my hair is so short. The robbers left me by the roadside wearing only my shift, and I caught a chill that quickly developed into severe chest congestion. Of course, the only thing to do was cut off my long hair to preserve what little strength I had left, and then pray I’d recover. I’m very grateful for the good care that Count Dominick and his housekeeper gave me. Together they saved my life.”
“Gina,” Dominick cautioned her when she paused to catch her breath, “you have said enough. Your praise is embarrassing me.”
“Yes, Gina,” said Fastrada, her lips curving into a nasty smile. “You have said more than enough to tell us that Dominick has been remarkably lax about seeing to the safety of the roads in his county and, no doubt, in apprehending and punishing the robbers who apparently flourish around Feldbruck. Such neglect of the land entrusted to him by his king is a serious matter and ought to be looked into promptly.”
The threat in Fastrada’s voice was unmistakable. Too late Gina recalled Dominick saying that the queen had once tried to ruin him. Now, in her eagerness to stop the unpleasant woman from continuing her public rudeness toward Dominick, Gina had provided her with ammunition to use against him.
“There are no more robbers left in the vicinity of Feldbruck,” Dominick said to Fastrada. “They’ve all been caught and hanged.”
“Really?” Fastrada shifted in her chair, thrusting out her shapely bosom until her nipples were outlined against the fine silk of her gown. “I wish I’d been there to see it. I am passionately fond of witnessing justice done.”
I just bet you are, Gina thought. I’ve got your number, Queenie. You get off on hurting people. But what’s a nice guy like Charles doing with a wife like you?
Chapter 10
“Fastrada, my sweet love,” Charles said, “I thought you’d be glad to welcome Dominick back to court.”
“Whatever made you think that?” Fastrada exclaimed. “He broke my dear friend’s heart, then sent her off to a convent to repine. Who knows what misery your precious Dominick inflicted on poor Hiltrude while she lived at Feldbruck, or what disgusting demands he made of her?” Fastrada squirmed in her seat, the motion sending another cloud of perfume in Gina s direction.
“Hiltrude was Dominick’s wife,” Charles reminded her. “It was her duty to submit to his wishes.”
“As you well know, my lady,” Dominick said with quiet dignity, “it was Hiltrude who left me, claiming she could not bear to live any longer with a bastard. Since ours was an arranged marriage, and we
’d not had time enough to grow fond of each other, I do not believe her heart was affected in any way.”
For Dominick’s sake, Gina hoped Fastrada did not detect the dangerous note in his low voice. Charles had noticed. He was staring at Dominick with a puzzled expression, and his mouth opened as if he wanted to say something.
“Charles.” Fastrada leaned forward and reached toward her husband, wrapping her arms around his thigh the same way Theudrada had done. But Theudrada was a child, no more than three years old. Fastrada was a woman grown, and a queen. Surely she knew better than to touch a man so intimately while in public. Her slender arms were like pale snakes about Charles’s thigh, and her face was pressed against him. When Charles smiled indulgently and tried to move away, Fastrada stroked one hand across his crotch.
Gina smothered a shocked gasp. All around her Charles’s nobles were either staring at the paneled walls or gazing at their own feet. The crowded hall fell silent as everyone there pretended not to see what Fastrada was doing.
“I don’t feel well,” Fastrada whined. “Oh, Charles, help me to bed.”
“I’ll call a servant.” Charles gestured to the elderly woman who was looking after the children. He gave Theudrada into her care and bent to untangle Fastrada’s arms from around his leg.
“No.” Fastrada tightened her grip on him. “I want you, Charles. I need only you.”
“Very well, then.” Charles put an arm around his wife’s slender waist, and at last Fastrada released his leg, allowing him to lift her till she was on her feet. She leaned against him as if unable to stand on her own.
With the weary air of a man who knows he has barely managed to avert a wild emotional scene, Charles spoke to his courtiers.
“My poor wife has overtaxed her frail strength,” he said. “Her devotion to me and to her duties as queen deserve our admiration. I will see her to her bedchamber and make sure she is resting peacefully, and then I’ll rejoin you for the remainder of the evening.” With that, he began to guide Fastrada toward a door at the rear of the hall.