Roselynde by Roberta Gellis - Roselynde Chronicles 01 - Roselynde

Author:Roberta Gellis - Roselynde Chronicles 01 - Roselynde [Gellis, Roberta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9780373836550
Google: qq_iEf-hR5sC
Amazon: 0373836554
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1979-01-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

It was fortunate that once the Queen decided to take Alinor with her, she began to make use of her. Only a very few of the ladies-in-waiting would accompany her. Some were too old; some did not ride well enough; most had husbands and children in England. Alinor was made responsible for the Queen’s personal effects, her dresses and her jewels, partly because her fifty men-at-arms could be used to guard them at no cost to the Crown.

In addition there were the letters to write, farewell notes, notes to old friends to say the Queen would be in a certain area at a certain time and inviting a visit, and notes to the Queen’s regular correspondents to inform them of where to direct future letters. Alinor had little enough time to consider her own clothing and jewels and furniture and none at all to spare on Simon’s intentions.

Her relative calm was encouraged after Simon’s return because he was, if anything, busier than she. Nor was he long at Court. After a day to determine the size of the cortege, he was off again to arrange shipping. Returned from that task, it was necessary for him to assign each group to a ship, determining how many men, how many horses, how much baggage each vessel could accommodate. Only twice did Simon and Alinor have any contact. On the day he returned, Simon sought Alinor out, ostensibly to ask how many men would accompany her. For the first moment, panic gripped her. There was so sweet a smile on Simon’s lips, so tender a glance in his eyes that Alinor turned her own gaze to her fingers while she answered his questions.

In the midst of a question, his voice checked and he said, “Alinor?” gently, pleadingly.

She did not reply nor look up, frozen more by her impulse to yield before he asked than by any continued panic. The moment had passed, however, both for yielding and asking. Simon’s question flowed on; he received his answer and took a polite leave.

Their second meeting was even more businesslike. A winter passage of the channel was always dangerous, and the Queen’s goods were to be divided so that if one ship foundered not all would be lost. In the largest and soundest vessel, the Queen, Alais of France, two of the Queen’s ladies, and all of their servingwomen would travel together with a small portion of their possessions, horses, and about half of Simon’s men-at-arms under his steady master-at-arms. The next best vessel would carry the remainder of the Queen’s ladies, including Alinor, the remainder of the Queen’s possessions, Alinor’s men-at-arms, and Simon. Lesser ships carried the rest of the men-at-arms, servants, and horses.

This time there was no need for Alinor to look at her fingers. As Simon arranged when and where he would meet Alinor and her people after he had seen the Queen safely aboard her ship, there was nothing in his manner to indicate he had ever met Alinor before. For the two days remaining before departure, a leaden weight lay on Alinor’s heart.

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