Page 19 of The Raven and the Rose
She replied, “It is a great wonder to me that Edward refused him; he is too easygoing.”
“Easygoing, perhaps, but a fool he is not. If Warwick got George for his son-in-law, the kingmaker would be at it again.”
Sir Neville was aghast. “You mean he would pull Edward from the throne and set up George as King?”
“Let us not even speak of treason,” warned Ravenspur.
“Warwick holds the North in the palm of his hand,” worried Joanna.
“That’s why I go north, madame. I have three strongholds. Ravenglass in the west, Ravensworth in the center, and Ravenscar in the east.”
“You wish the wedding that far north?” asked Joanna.
“Nay. The King goes to York shortly. I think York would be best,” he decided.
Joanna smiled complacently. York, Edward, and the King’s Court. How fitting!
Ravenspur turned to Sir Neville. “Allow yourself at least three days for the journey to York. I know you have ample men-at-arms, sir, but I will send thirty of my own men to assure safe escort.”
Ravenspur departed at dawn, so when Roseanna came downstairs to break her fast, he and his men were long gone. She let her mother and her women, including Alice and Kate, chatter on incessantly about the wedding details. An air of such urgency had befallen the household that they even seemed to speak more rapidly; their brains were even ahead of their tongues as they planned for the wedding.
Roseanna was totally unconcerned with it all, for she had no intention of going through with these particular nuptials. She cast Sir Bryan a devastating smile and knew he would follow her out into the orchard.
“Sweetheart, I’ve been nearly mad. Jeffrey has kept me informed as best he could, but last night when I had to sit and listen to Ravenspur’s wedding plans, I almost committed murder.”
“Bryan, Ravenspur’s wedding plans and mine have nothing in common,” she assured him.
“You daydream, Roseanna. Your parents have agreed to it all,” he said miserably.
“Bryan, do you wish to marry me or not?” she demanded.
“You know I do!” he swore with fervor.
“Then we’ll elope!” she said, laughing.
“Run away?” he questioned. “Where? How?”
“We will make plans. What did you intend we should do?” she prompted.
“I—I didn’t think. It seemed so hopeless.”
“You mean you were going to let me go to him?” she asked incredulously.
“Of course not,” he hastened.
“We could go to your home at Marston Moor. Oh, I know! We’ll elope across the border. It’s easier to get married under Scottish law.”
“Yes, yes. Then I’ll go back into service with the King’s brother,” he said, as if just coming to that decision.
“Jeffrey will help us. Don’t trust a note with anyone else,” she cautioned, “not even Alice.”
“Roseanna—Ravenspur didn’t touch you, did he?”
She wondered what he would do if he knew she had shared a bed with Ravenspur. Instantly, blushes suffused her neck and cheeks. She shook her head, and he was satisfied. Later, the errant thought came to her that Ravenspur wanted her, virgin or not; she wondered if the same could be said for Sir Bryan. She dismissed the thought as unmaidenly and vowed to put all thoughts of Ravenspur out of her mind permanently. But it proved to be more difficult than she had imagined, for it seemed that each night when sleep claimed her, Ravenspur was there, beckoning her, luring her, tempting her, and in her dreams she did not resist him. Of course, she had no control over her dreams, she reminded herself.
As Roseanna made her secret plans, she knew that the first thing they would need was money. She selected certain pieces of her jewelry to take into Nottingham to sell. She mustn’t go too soon or the goldsmith would recognize Joanna’s work, and he would have time to inform her mother that he had bought the pieces from her daughter. She patiently stood for hours while new gowns, underdresses, tunics, and tabards were designed and fitted. She tried not to take pleasure in the pale peacock silk with gray fox fur edging the sleeves, or in the mauve velvet embroidered with silver thread, for she knew she would have room to pack only one change of clothes for her furtive journey north.
She went to her brother’s chamber; she had a special request of him. “Jeffrey, I want some of your clothes.”
