Page 111 of Tempted
Howard laughed at the witty sally, but by the time he glanced across the bowling green, the young woman in question had moved on. Tina moved back to the edge of the spectators. She would have to wait until the king finished his bowls, then she would again take up the chase. Her eyes strayed to the women of the court. She could hardly tell one from another, for they copied each other’s fashions slavishly. None of them looked very young, and all of them were full-figured or matronly. Perhaps it was the clothes they wore that made them look like ships in full sail. The gowns were heavy and full, with large leg-o-mutton sleeves and frilled underskirts. They all seemed to be wearing matching headdresses that were embroidered and bejeweled in exquisite patterns but could never match the beauty of a woman’s crowning glory.
She stood upon a bench to look over the heads of the crowd and saw that the king had finished his game. He took a woman’s arm in a familiar manner and walked from the bowling green with her. The court trailed after, and Tina picked up her skirts and followed the courtiers. As it reached the gardens, the crowd thinned. Some went indoors, others to the awning where the food was laid out.
At last Tina’s efforts were rewarded by a glimpse of the king and the woman he escorted disappearing behind a yew hedge. She hurried after. Lord Howard, Earl of Surrey, caught up with his third son, Edmund. “Back at the bowling green the king saw you speak to a young woman. He seemed most anxious to meet her.”
“Prettiest piece I’ve seen at court in a twelvemonth,” said Edmund. “Unfortunately, I know not the lady’s name, and I wouldn’t share it with Henry if I did.”
“Don’t be a fool, Edmund—what’s a woman between friends?”
“You’ve dined with him often enough. You know how he consumes everything in sight with that voracious appetite of his. ‘Tis becoming the same with women. Elizabeth Blount allowed him a taste—now he devours her daily.”
“Good lord, if my eyes aren’t deceiving me, I think I’ve just seen Lady Valentina Kennedy. What the devil can she be doing here at Henry’s court, unless the queen sent her?” he shrewdly guessed.
“Where?” Edmund asked.
“She’s easy enough to spot, she has the most glorious hair, the color of flame.”
“That’s the one I spoke with. There she goes, following the king into the maze.”
“Oh, my God! Henry wants to meet her, but not I assure you under the circumstances I am visualizing.”
The courtiers trailing after Henry had discreetly gone their own way when they saw the king take Elizabeth Blount into the maze. Tina was so intent upon catching up with the king that she did not realize she had entered the labyrinth of a maze until she was inside. Boxwood hedged her in on all sides, and she became slightly disoriented because she had never before been inside a network of shrubs designed to confuse one’s direction. She turned a full circle on the path, found an opening, and went through it.
She found herself in a square space that held a sundial. Her fingers trailed over the words inscribed upon its bronze surface: I measure only the sunny hours. A small sob caught in her throat. How many sunny hours had she wasted when she could have been enjoying Ram’s love? Now perhaps all they both had left were dark hours. She passed through another opening, heard voices, and moved forward toward them. Suddenly, almost in front of her she heard an impatient voice demand, “Up with your skirts, Bessie. Why are we suddenly coy?”
“Please, sire, can we not go some otherwhere than here? In my bedchamber you could remove your clothes and be comfortable.” The woman’s voice begged, yet her tone sounded hopeless.
“Nonsense, Bessie! I can’t undress and dress every time I have need of a woman. What the devil do you think they designed the codpiece for?”
Tina put her hand over her mouth and shrank down against the bushes, trying to conceal her presence. Henry Tudor was about to satisfy his lust not four feet in front of her through the boxwood hedge. She could see two pairs of shoes facing each other. One pair were a woman’s slippers embroidered with flowers. The other pair were enormous, square-toed and bejeweled. Suddenly the slippers were turned in the other direction. “Lean over the bench, Bessie, and hike your damned skirts! Don’t think to play the cocktease with me!”
There followed such a rustling of garments, followed by grunts and gasps and strange mewling cries of a female in distress, that Valentina was thoroughly shocked and disgusted at the manner in which the amorous king handled a woman. He mounted her from behind exactly as a bull would a cow, standing in the field!
The woman gave a muffled shriek and began to cry. “No need to cry, Bessie, love. I know I’m big, and sometimes I hurt, but that’s a small price to pay for the great honor I do you.”
“Your jewels have scratched and cut my bottom cheeks, sire.”
Henry laughed. “Ah, so they have…. I’ve branded you right well, Bessie. What’s a little pain, compared to such huge pleasure? Stop your sniveling and help me fasten this damned codpiece.”
As the feet began to move, Tina pushed her way through the middle of the hedge where there was no opening, to avoid being discovered. She heard Henry say, “Make yourself available after the hunt,” but the lady’s reply was too faint for Tina to hear. After waiting a full quarter of an hour, Tina found her way out of the maze and vowed never to enter another as long as she lived. Her high hopes of the morning were evaporating. She returned to her chambers hoping to find Ada there, but instead she found a page waiting with a message from the chancellor It asked that she summon him the moment she returned. Tina sent the little page off to locate him and sat down on the edge of the bed to wait. Suddenly she gasped in fright as a dark figure swung open her casement window and stepped inside. “Heath! Omigod, Heath—you near frightened me half to death!”
“Sweetheart, what the devil are you doing in England?” he demanded, not pleased at all by her presence.
She flung herself into his arms. “Oh God, everything is in such a mess! Davie betrayed Black Ram Douglas to Lord Dacre. They were waiting for him aboard the Revenge. The English king put a price on his head.”
“The vicious little whoreson! He always did make me puke! If they bring Ram to London, they’ll probably lodge him in the White Tower.” He did not add that the scaffolds were just behind, on Tower Hill.
“The king himself sent a protest, and the Earl of Angus gave me letters from Queen Margaret to her brother saying they have the wrong man, but I haven’t been able to get near the king yet.”
“Lord Howard, the Earl of Surrey, is probably the most influential man at court at the moment. Does he know you, Tina?”
“Yes, he once tried to seduce me.” She lifted her shoulder in a helpless shrug.
“Old lecher! He can certainly find out where Ram is. Speak with him. Seduce him into letting you visit your husband. I’m sure he has enough authority to arrange it for you. If he asks more than you are willing to give, tell him your brother is here with you to protect your virtue.”
She looked so wobegone, he reached out a hand to ruffle her hair. “Cheer up, Firebrand—most of the things we worry about in life never come to pass.”
When a knock came upon the chamber door, Heath swung his legs over the casement and disappeared before she opened the door. It was the king’s lord chancellor. She dropped him a pretty curtsy, and he raised her immediately. “Forgive me, dearest Lady Kennedy. I had no notion you were here as an ambassador from His Majesty’s beloved sister in Scotland. The chamberlain has treated you most shabbily. The king hunts this afternoon, so it will be our opportunity to move you to chambers more fitting to a lady with your high connections.”
