The Falcon and the Flower by Virginia Henley

Author:Virginia Henley
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780440204299
Publisher: Dell
Published: 1999-12-31T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Gloucester Castle was the most wel -appointed and

comfortable stronghold Jasmine had ever seen. No wonder

the king had kept it in his possessive Norman fingers when he

had divorced Avisa. The household chamberlaine ushered her

to her own spacious room, high in the castle with a

breathtaking view of the Black Mountains of Wales. Behind

these rose some of the highest peaks in the world, the

Cambrian Mountains.

She hung Feather's cage by the window and gave Quil a little

pan of water and an old slipper. It was only after she was

unpacked and settled in that she learned her chamber was

just a short distance from the apartment occupied by the Earl

of Chester. She decided that on the morrow she would have a

word with the chamberlaine and demand a room close to her

grandmother.

Estel e needed to replenish her supply of medicinal herbs and

reasoned that she would be able to find most of them close by

along the banks of the great River Severn. Also Joan of Devon

wanted to learn how to make scented candles. Rushlights,

torches, and quarion candles, which were widely in use,

smoked and stank. Estel e had spoken of using beeswax

mixed with the oils of flowers, and the bride-to-be was quite

taken with the idea.

Jasmine was trying to decide what she would wear to the

wedding, which was only three days away. It must be

something demure, modest, perhaps even prim to discourage

men's eyes from feasting upon her, especial y those of

Chester and the king. The trouble was that Estel e had always

seen that she was dressed like a fairy princess. She thought

perhaps she would wear the shel -pink velvet because it was

plain and cut with a high

square neckline. Of course the underdress that went with it

was delicate as a spider's web, embroidered with silver

threads. She sighed, realizing no matter which she chose, she

would stand out. The contrast between her dresses and the

queen's was very marked, since Jasmine's were al in pastel

shades to complement her flaxen tresses, while the queen

wore jewel-bright tones that showed off her vivid darkness and

the ladies of the court al copied the queen's fashions.

Next morning Jasmine chose a pair of boots and a warm

cloak so that she could go out with Estel e to gather plants, but

before she left her chamber, a young page brought a

summons from the queen. Jasmine was puzzled that Isabel a

wanted to speak with her privately, and assumed it was in

connection with some card reading or magic she wanted her

to perform at the wedding celebration.

Isabel a was stil abed though the bedcurtains had been

thrown back to let in the pale wintery sunshine. Jasmine

noticed immediately that the queen's eyes were unnatural y

bright shining and glittering with suppressed excitement. She

licked her lips with anticipation before she spoke. "I want you

to prepare for a wedding tomorrow. Do you have a suitable

gown, Lady Jasmine?"

Jasmine was slightly confused. "I thought the wedding was

two days from now, your majesty. Has the date been

changed?"

"I am referring to your wedding, Lady Jasmine," Isabel a said, the corners of her mouth lifting with delicious malice.

"My wedding?" Jasmine repeated blankly.

Isabel a's eyes glittered with mischief.

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