simple dark brown gown wild a girdle of delicate copper links. Enit put a matching fur-lined cloak over her shoulders, and together the two young women hurried to the small church that was located within the castle's walls. There they attended the mass, and afterward the priest came forward to greet the girl who would be the castle's new mistress.
'You are rested now, my child?' bather John asked her. '1 was sorry we did not meet at table last night.'
'I was very wearied from my journey,' Rhonwyn explained. 'The prince was most anxious to deliver me lest the English think he had reneged on his promise to marry his daughter to King Henry's man.'
The priest heard the faint tone of mockery in her voice. 'You are content with this arrangement, my child?' he gently inquired.
'I am told I must marry, good father, if I have no calling to God's service, which I most assuredly do not,' she laughed. 'It is my duty and my obligation to my prince to accept his decision in this matter. The lord of this place seems kind and has been most considerate of me. I have never had a suitor, nor is there anyone who has captured my fancy. This match is acceptable to me.'
'Good,' the priest replied. 'I am happy to see what an obedient and dutiful daughter you are, Rhonwyn uerch Llywelyn. You will undoubtedly be an obedient and dutiful wife as well. The lord has asked that the ceremony be performed after the hour of None. Will that be acceptable to you, my child?'
Rhonwyn's eyes twinkled at the priest. 'I have only but to be there, good father, do I not?' she told him. Then she and Enit hurried off.
The priest watched her go, and he could not keep a small smile from turning up the corners of his mouth. The new lady of Haven Castle was a touch independent and headstrong, he could see. Well, she would need her strength. She was very much like her aunt, the abbess of Mercy Abbey. He had once served in the church there some ten years back. He sensed a disdain in his new lady for her father, and wondered why. Still, she seemed quite reconciled to her fate, so he had to assume that all would be well.
Because it was considered ill fortune for the bridegroom to see the bride prior to the marriage ceremony, Rhonwyn kept to her chambers until it was time for her to go to the church again. Enit dressed her in the gown her aunt had made for the occasion. It was cream-colored silk, the neckline high and rounded, the sleeves long and tight. Over it she wore a sleeveless gown of gold and silver brocade with a matching fabric girdle studded with tiny pearls. Her stockings were plain and gartered at the knee. Her shoes had a pretty painted toe. Enit brushed her hair, leaving it loose to signify her virginity. The servant set a small fillet of twisted gold and silver threads on Rhonwyn's head.
There was a knock at the door, and Enit opened it to reveal Llywelyn ap Gruffydd. She curtsied.
'Run along, lass,' he told her. 'I would speak with my daughter before I bring her to the church.' He gently pushed the girl from the chamber and closed the door behind her.
'What do you want?' Rhonwyn demanded of him irritably.
'To remind you that whatever you may feel toward me, you are still the daughter of the prince of all Wales and Welsh by your birth. Remember it, Rhonwyn uerch Llywelyn. I will expect you to write to me regularly, my daughter.'
'Can you actually read?' she mocked him. Then her look hardened. 'I have worked hard to overcome your neglect of me, my lord, and I have accepted your choice of a husband for me. I have done my duty by you; but once the priest says that I am Edward de Beaulieu's wife, my loyalty will lie with him. Do you understand me, my lord?
'Your duty…' he began to bluster, but Rhonwyn cut him short.
'I am doing my duty, my lord, but shortly you will no longer have charge over me. My English husband will, and I will not betray him. What more do you want than you already have, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd? You have Wales and a strong England is your overlord. If you do not deceive them and keep faith with your sworn word, what future difficulties can you have, my lord? And how dare you ask me to break faith with the man who will be my husband? My mother never broke faith with you. Do you expect me to be any less than Vala uerch Huw? Ah, I despise you, ap Gruffydd! Now take me to the church so I may be quit of you!'
'Your mother loved me and would have done whatever she had to to ensure my safety and well-being,' the prince said.
'I gave you life, wench!' he snarled at her.
'And until today, that is all you have ever given me,' she snapped back at him. 'I thank you for today, though, ap Gruffydd, for now I shall be free of you for all times!'
'There is no arguing with you, is there?' he said, suddenly amused. She was so like Gwynllian. And how had that happened?
'No,' Rhonwyn said quietly. 'There is no arguing with me, my lord, prince of all the Welsh. Now,' she repeated, 'take me to the church.'
Chapter 5
Edward de Beaulieu, dressed in a tunic of olive green and gold, awaited his bride in the church. He smiled with encouragement as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd led his daughter forward, placing her small hand in his. The bridegroom noted with pleasure how perfectly his wife spoke Latin as she made her responses and recited the prayers. When they were finally officially pronounced man and wife, he turned her face to him and gently kissed her lips. The startled look in Rhonwyn's green eyes surprised him greatly.
' 'Tis the kiss of peace between us,' he told her softly.
'I have never been kissed before,' she responded.
Then the reality of all the other things his convent-bred wife had never done rose up to assail him. The king wanted the marriage consummated immediately lest Llywelyn take his daughter back on some pretext or another to use her in a more advantageous marriage. Yet it was painfully obvious that his bride was a true innocent. Still, he owed the king his allegiance and would do what had to be done, although he would do his best to be gentle with the girl.
The day had been mild and sometimes sunny, but now as the evening approached, it was beginning to grow cloudy, and the spring rain was threatening. The little wedding party returned to the hall where a fine meal was served. There was lamb and venison and a lovely fat duck that had been roasted and garnished with a sweet sauce of raisins and figs. There was a blankmanger- chicken cut into pieces and mixed with rice boiled in almond milk, salt, and seasoned with sugar, then sprinkled with fried almonds and anise. Rhonwyn had never eaten it before, and she knew almost immediately that it would be a favorite of hers.
There was fresh bread, sweet butter, and a fine sharp cheese. A bowl of new peas was offered. The cook had made a small subtlety of colored almond paste and sugar, a couple in a cockle being drawn by a swan. It sat upon a silver dish surrounded by green leaves. It was admired and praised by both the bride and the groom, who drank a toast to each other afterward with rich red wine.
The day had waned, and the rain was beginning to beat against the shutters of the hall windows. Rhonwyn called for her mandora, and settling it in her lap, played and sang for her husband and the prince. She sang in both her own Welsh tongue-rich, mournful tunes her father translated for his son-in-law-and spritely, amusing songs in the Norman language that brought a chuckle to Edward de Beaulieu. He was beginning to believe that his bride was the most perfect creature on God's earth, and looked forward to being alone with her.
Finally when she had ceased her entertainment, he said, 'Perhaps my lady, you will want to retire now.'
She blushed, and ap Gruffydd chortled, saying, 'You could not have a purer maid in your bed tonight, my son, had God himself chosen you a wife, and not King Henry. Remember she is a virgin when you satisfy your lust.'
'My lord,' Rhonwyn chided him sharply, 'your words are unseemly and very indelicate.'
'And your caution unnecessary, for I see what my wife is,' Edward de Beaulieu told his father-in-law. Then he took Rhonwyn's hand, and raising it to his lips, kissed it tenderly. 'I will join you eventually, my lady wife,' he said
