Page 119 of Tempted
Tina prayed that Ram had not been followed. Then she thought of Heath. They were not supposed to know each other, yet any moment he could be climbing in at her casement window while being followed by one of Tudor’s watchdogs. Her blood slowed in her veins. Spine of God, the king indeed intended to anchor her to his side. He must have sensed she was ready to bolt. Henry Tudor was insatiable—he would devour her.
Much to their relief the luggage was gone when they went to their rooms. “I’m going to bathe and change now rather than later,” Tina said decisively. “Don’t call for hot water. I’ll just use what’s in our water jugs.”
Ada emptied the jugs from both rooms into the slipper bath, and Tina sat down in two inches of tepid water. She was out again within five minutes, and Ada helped her into the lovely white gown Ram had bought her. As she fastened the emerald and diamond necklace with trembling fingers, she wished that Ramsay could see her in the beautiful things he had selected for her. Then an unendurable thought came to her: He would see her! She would be watching with the king while Ram masqueraded as a Gypsy!
Chapter 35
Before Tina had time to voice her worries to Ada, a knock came upon the door. The king had sent the Countess of Surrey to fetch her to the lawn where they were about to play blind man’s bluff. Tina thought it a game for children until she watched the courtiers at Greenwich play their version. The game was purely and simply an excuse for the gentlemen to fondle the ladies and touch the intimate parts of their bodies as they feigned ignorance of the identity of whom they had captured.
Whichever man was blindfolded was aided and abetted by the other men, who pushed, pulled, and shoved the ladies into hands waiting to feel them. Tina’s quick wits kept her out of the roaming, grasping hands of the men, but when it was the king’s turn to be blindfolded, she did not stand a chance. Thomas Seymour and Charles Brandon delivered her up to Henry, who managed to caress every part of her body as he guessed each woman’s name of the court save hers. She wished with all her heart she had not chosen the lovely white gown, for before he was finished with her, the King’s fingerprints falsely branded her as his property.
Tonight’s feast was to take place outdoors since it was the last time until next spring the climate would permit such an undertaking. Oxen, venison, lambs, and kids were turning on their spits above outdoor pits of blazing coals. Barrels of October ale, apple cider, and wine from Spain were rolled from the cellars to the courtyard, then stacked about the trestle tables that had been set up at the edge of the great park.
The bacchanalia was Henry’s idea to celebrate the bountiful harvest and was a great excuse for revelry and riotous drinking. The tables were decorated with huge cornucopias overflowing with fruit, and the dining area was encircled by golden sheaves of wheat cut from the fields that very morn.
To give the festival the atmosphere of a country fair, vendors had been allowed to set up their stands in the striped pavilions to hawk roast chestnuts, hot black peas, tripe and trotters, jellied eels, cockles, mussels and winkles, treacle toffee and spotted dick, a sticky jam pudding.
The Gypsies had set up their fortune-telling booths, and by late afternoon were already doing a brisk business. A Punch and Judy show entertained the gathering crowds and Gypsy musicians strolled about, filling the air with their strange, stirring strains.
The citizens of London had gathered about Greenwich to watch the court indulge itself and marvel at the excess spread before their eyes. The river was filled with little boats and punts, and its banks were crowded with picnickers until the sun went down.
The ladies and gentlemen of the court were arrayed in their finest this evening. The men put the women in the shade with their costly clothes and jewels, and the evening was just cool enough for them to show off the latest fashion—a sleeveless, embroidered coat worn over the doublet and falling to the knee. It was a full garment that swung from the shoulders and added girth to every male figure.
Henry strolled through the park sampling all offerings of food and drink. Lady Valentina was his chosen companion for this celebration, and she forced herself to laugh and respond to his every witticism. Ada trailed after, carrying her lady’s green velvet cloak, and one of the king’s gentlemen performed a similar service for Henry.
Tina knew she was still being watched. She felt the tension rising until she wanted to scream. Even when he dined al fresco, the king insisted his table be raised higher than the others, and as a servant pulled out the ornately carved chair for her, Tina knew she was the center of attention, sitting high on the platform surrounded by dozens of lit torches to illuminate His Royal Highness.
As they were served one course after another, acrobats and rope dancers performed for their entertainment and the King’s gentlemen were instructed to throw coins. Next came a dancing bear. It kept one wild eye on the whip of its trainer and looked to Tina as if it were only performing until an opportunity for escape presented itself. She imagined she knew exactly how it felt and was sorry it was so tightly muzzled. She would have enjoyed seeing it maul someone.
Next came two Gypsy girls with troupes of performing dogs. Their tricks vastly amused the audience of courtiers, but this time instead of throwing coins, the gentlemen threw morsels of meat and scraps from the table. It caused pandemonium. The Gypsy girls lost control of their animals Tricks were forgotten as the dogs snatched food from each other, snarling and biting and lashing their angry tails. The crowd was thoroughly amused as one or two serious dog fights broke out, and Henry and his gentlemen placed heavy wagers with each other on the outcome.
When enough food and drink had been consumed to feed half of England, the tables were pushed aside so the king could have an unimpeded view of the entertainment. The court roared its appreciation at the caperings of a fire-eater who chased the king’s dwarf about trying to set fire to his derrière. Whenever it did manage to catch on fire, the dwarf’s arse was so close to the ground, he simply rubbed his bum in the dirt to extinguish the flame.
Jugglers tossed about lit torches with dizzying speed. Live coals were spread on the ground, and a Gypsy man walked across unscathed, but got no volunteers from his audience to duplicate his act.
“These Gypsies are sly fellows,” Henry told Tina. “Every last one is a charlatan. There is a trick to every performance—the fellow doesn’t really put his feet into hot coals.”
Tina hung on every word, assuring him that he was the cleverest man on earth.
“Here comes a bareback rider. Now this takes skill,” informed Henry as a dozen white ponies cantered into the circle of tables.
Tina froze. The swarthy man who balanced on the back of the lead animal wore tight black hose with a scarlet kerchief tied about his neck. She couldn’t believe it. It was Ram Douglas! How in the name of heaven had he learned to do such reckless things? His lithe body seemed to glide effortlessly to the ground, then up onto a different animal’s back every time. He leaped from pony to pony as they cantered beneath his agile feet, and Tina’s heart was in her throat lest he slip where he would surely be trampled beneath the painted hooves. Her attention was riveted upon him, and she saw that his dark eyes smoldered with anger as he saw her with the king.
Henry placed a possessive hand upon her knee when he saw her looking at the handsome Gypsy and said in a voice that carried, “I think the damned fellow envies me.”
Tina, afraid of both men at this moment, murmured, “All men envy the king, Your Majesty.”
“Come, sit on my lap. Let’s really give the insolent fellow something to covet.”
“Nay, Your Majesty,” Tina cried, shrinking back in alarm “Every eye is upon us.”
The king chuckled. “You are a shy little thing with a passion for privacy.” He bent close to whisper, “I should like to kidnap you and carry you off on my barge downriver to one of my other palaces, where we could be entirely alone.”
Tina glanced fearfully at the swarthy bareback rider as he jumped through flaming hoops. The look he returned was murderous. Henry’s attention, much to Tina’s relief, was transferred to the Gypsy dancers, who had just entered the circle. Every man present felt a stir of desire as the scantily clad Gypsy girls swirled rhythmically, going faster and faster, stamping their feet to show off slim brown legs as their red skirts flared from their tempting bodies. They had a wildness in their blood, and any male who watched the flashing white teeth and long black hair felt the wildness enter his own blood.
Henry’s hand was no longer content to paw her knees. It slipped higher and higher while at the same time he urged the small hand he held captive toward his own bulging sex. The Gypsy girls went around the perimeter of the tables, teasing the men with the beat of their tambourines, barely avoiding the outstretched hands groping to touch a thigh or a breast.
The music rose in a crescendo, then came to a dramatic halt as a bright red and black target wheel was placed down in front of the king. A hush fell over the crowd as Zara stepped forward like a human sacrifice. The king licked his lips as he watched the beautiful Gypsy girl have her wrists and ankles tied to the wheel in a spread-eagle position.
