A Kiss of Love and Dreams: Multi Genre Historical Collection by Kathryn le Veque & Jennifer Ashley & Tanya Anne Crosby & Suzan Tisdale

Author:Kathryn le Veque & Jennifer Ashley & Tanya Anne Crosby & Suzan Tisdale [Le Veque, Kathryn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Collection, Historical, anthology
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing
Published: 2016-05-17T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Ionian scale in C – Lyrics to May God Keep You

May God’s good grace be upon you:

May He grant you the strength to stand tall.

May God keep you embraced to his bosom:

Until we meet again in this life or within his Holy Hall.

Never have I adored as much as I do now:

Never have I seen such light.

Never have I know such serenity.

Never have I cherished such a knight.

—Iseobeau de Shera de Wolfe, 15th c.

Titus’ burial in the small chapel of Wolfe’s Lair had been a somber and intimate affair. The crypt behind the altar that Rosalie de Wolfe was buried in contained another one next to her, meant for Solomon, but Solomon chose to put Titus there instead. Therefore, Titus was laid to rest next to his mother and infant sister in the great, stone de Wolfe vault. The entire mass had reeked of the scent of fresh rushes, dirt, and decay, making it a rather odd and somewhat nauseating experience.

Isobeau had remained surprisingly stoic through the mass as the tiny priest had intoned the burial service. Dressed in a dark blue surcoat and matching cloak of heavy, blue wool, she sat upon a small stool that Atticus had brought for her. She was calm and sedate.

The real issue had been Solomon. He had no idea who the strange woman was entering the chapel on Atticus’ arm and when Atticus introduced Isobeau as Titus’ widow, Solomon wasn’t sure if he should shun the woman or embrace her. They could all read his indecision in his expression. He knew of Titus’ marriage, of course, but he’d not been able to travel to the ceremony down near Coventry. Now he was finally meeting Titus’ de Shera bride and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. It was nearly too much for him to comprehend and, overwhelmed, he’d simply greeted the woman and walked away.

So the service had been conducted with Solomon quietly weeping over the crypt where his wife and daughter and eldest son lay and everyone else stood near the altar. Isobeau hadn’t listened to the priest at all; her attention was on Solomon as the man mourned his family. She very much wanted to stand next to the crypt, too, and whisper final farewells to Titus, but she felt that by doing so she would be intruding on Solomon’s grief. Not even Atticus was standing near the crypt, perhaps to leave his father alone to grieve. Therefore, with an aching heart, she allowed Solomon to grieve alone as well.

As the priest droned on, Isobeau found her thoughts wandering to the last time she had seen Titus. It had been a cloudy day, cold and windy, and she had stood upon the steps of Alnwick’s keep, watching the army assemble in the inner bailey. Titus and Atticus had been walking among the men, issuing orders and making sure everything was prepared for departure.

Whereas Titus would offer a kind word or even a smile to the men, Atticus would remain serious and stern.

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