Page 367 of Historical Hotties
After that, the Beast was unleashed.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
In spite ofBastian’s reassuring pat on her shoulder, Gisella watched her husband and Gloucester head off into a darkened corner of the hall with some trepidation. She wasn’t exactly sure why she should be nervous about a private conference, but she was. Perhaps it was because Bastian knew of Gloucester’s overtures towards her and she was afraid the subject might come up in spite of the fact that Gloucester told her not to tell anyone. But she did not regret telling Bastian. In fact, she felt better that she had. Now, she had someone to defend her against Gloucester’s lewd advances.
When Bastian and Gloucester disappeared from her view, she turned back to her pewter plate and tried to focus on her food. The music was lovely and people seemed to be enjoying themselves around her, and as she spooned a few boiled beans into her mouth, she noticed the young king sitting to her left. Bastian’s empty chair was between them. The king had eaten his share of meat-filledhattesand was now picking at his boiled apples. He didn’t look particular happy or even interested in what was going on around him. He appeared bored and lonely.Feeling sorry for the boy, Gisella scooted over to Bastian’s vacated seat.
“Your Grace,” she said softly. “It is rude of me to address you, I realize that, but I thought you might like to have someone to speak to. My husband said he shared a lovely conversation with you earlier today. He is quite happy to be here with you.”
Henry turned to her, startled that someone had spoken to him. He seemed rather nervous, as if he wasn’t sure he should talk to her, but there was no one to tell him not to, so he did.
“We… we went to look out over the river,” he told her.
Gisella smiled at the anxious boy. “It was a lovely day,” she agreed. “Tell me, Your Grace, do you enjoy playing board games or cards?”
The young king nodded. “Sometimes,” he said. “I play with John and Simon and I always win.”
Gisella cocked her head curiously. “Who are John and Simon, Your Grace?”
Henry looked around the table before finally pointing to two boys back behind the dais who were sitting against the wall, enjoying their meals while sitting on the floor.
“There they are,” he said. “We play games sometimes.”
Gisella nodded in understanding. “What is your favorite game to play, Your Grace?”
Henry was thoughtful. “I like archery,” he said. “But I do not play it too often. My nurses say it is dangerous.”
Gisella shrugged. “It is dangerous only if you are in front of the arrow, Your Grace,” she said, watching the boy grin timidly. “What else do you like to play?”
The young king thought seriously on the question. “I have played Backgammon, although I do not understand it too much,” he said. “I like Chess and Alquerque.”
Gisella feigned great interest in what he was saying. “Do you go outside and ride your horse, Your Grace?” she asked.
He shook his head. “My nurses say it is too dangerous,” he told her, somewhat sadly. “I have a pony that my uncle gave me but I have only ridden him once.”
I wonder if he even has a free will?Gisella’s own words echoed in her head as she listened to the young king speak. She didn’t have much to say about the dangers of pony riding but she wanted to continue the conversation, to give the young king an opportunity to express himself and speak his mind. He seemed rather gentle and mild-mannered, so she suspected he didn’t get much of a chance to make himself heard, if at all.
“What else do you like to do for relaxation and fun, Your Grace?” she asked politely. “Do you like your lessons?”
The boy was less nervous now as he spoke. “I read the Bible a great deal,” he told her. “There are many great stories. I like the story of Job.”
Gisella tried not to show her surprise to the fact that he liked a very sad and tragic story. “Job endured quite a lot,” she said. “Why do you like his story so much?”
Henry was warming to the conversation now, as he was on a subject he was comfortable with. “Because he had great faith and he did not complain,” he said seriously. “God appreciates men who do their duty and do not complain. I believe it is what He would like us all to do.”
Gisella moved to reply but she was interrupted by a loud voice off to her right. She turned sharply to see Thomas de la Pole standing on the opposite side of the table, already quite drunk for it being so early in the evening. His dark gaze was fixed on her, the rancor of his thoughts evident on his face.
“Lady de Russe,” he said loudly. “You had no right to say to me what you did. You said terrible things and it was not your place. Do you know why? Because your husband has had some terrible things said about him, too. No one here is innocent of gossip being spread about them.”
Gisella stiffened. “Get out of here,” she hissed. “You are drunk. Remove yourself from the presence of the king before I have you thrown out.”
Thomas slapped a hand on the table. “I willnot,” he said, eyeing the young king. “Forgive me, Your Grace, but this is between Lady de Russe and me. I do not mean to offend you.”
Gisella stood up, moving away from the king to divert Thomas’ attention away from the boy. She was seriously wondering if Bastian was close enough to hear any of this because she found herself praying that he would quickly return. Carefully, she resumed her original seat, her eyes never leaving the young lord. If she had learned anything at Lady Gloucester’s court, it was never to take your eyes off an opponent or a rival, and Sir Thomas was definitely an opponent.
“You are making a mockery of yourself,” she whispered harshly, looking to see if he had any men with him, which he seemed to. There were a few other young lords at the end of the table, watching everything closely but no one was making a move to stop it, which infuriated her. She returned her focus to Thomas. “Get out of here before I throw you out myself. You are unworthy to be at the king’s table with your wicked words and terrible manners.”
Thomas frowned terribly. “You have no right to speak to me like that,” he said. “Your husband is far more wicked than I could ever be. The stories about his brutality are legendary. Why do you think he is called Beast? Because he kills men without civility and he is hated throughout France. And then there is the matter of the Maid– he raped the woman, did you know that? He deflowered her and then he burned her. He is a man of pure evil!”
