Chapter 22

East Anglia

With all the festivities happening, Prince Joesph found a moment to slip away to his office. He sat at his desk. There was a candle burning brightly as he wrote. Once he finished writing, he folded the paper, melted some wax, and then added his seal.

He blew on it and smiled. There was a young man who stood by the door, “Come Randolph.”

The young man hurried to the desk. Prince Joseph stood and handed him the letter, “I need you to ride into Wessex and deliver this to the King.”

“What should I say, Lord?”

“You should say that King Henry and Prince Joseph send their best regards.”

The young man nodded and started to leave but the Prince stopped him.

“Oh, please do it discretely.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

He watched the young man hurry out. He smiled. Princess Agnes wasn’t as fair as Princess Winfred but she was of English blood and her father commanded a formidable army.

The men stood talking when suddenly, King Henry saw Lord Francois Delacroix enter with a few of his men. He smiled, “Ah, the French are here.”

King Oswald looked at the men as they approached wearing their fancy attire. He stopped and bowed, “Your Majesties.”

“Lord Delacroix, I wasn’t aware we had business.”

“Oh, no. I am here simply because I heard you had the company of the Portuguese writer, Joaquin Moriera.”

Joaquin smiled, “Lord Delacroix, I am flattered.”

They shook hands, “I have read a number of your works. You visited Frankia. I remember the meeting you had with my parents. You traveled with your beautiful family.”

“That was some time ago.”

“Yes. I believe your son was only eight or nine years old.”

Joaquin nodded, “Yes. Then it has been some time, this is Samba.”

He looked into Samba’s eyes. “Wow, you are a strong young man now!”

Samba smiled, “I am. I’ll soon be joining my uncle’s court in Lisbon.”

“As you should. And how is your lovely wife?” he asked as he redirected his attention to Lord Joaquin.

“With child and doing well. She stayed in Portugal.”

“Congratulations. And your lovely daughter?”

Prince Liam’s jaws clenched when he heard him ask for Yande. Joaquin pointed to where she stood speaking with Princess Winfred.

“That is her. My. She is a beautiful woman now. I am sure she is already promised to another.”

Joaquin chuckled, “Many have inquired, but she has not accepted any offers.”

“I’d love to throw my name—”

“Lord Joaquin, I have spoken with Yande. I have asked to court her while she is here.”

Lord Jaoquin nodded.

Lord Delacroix eyed Prince Liam, “And you are?”

“Prince Liam of Northumbria.”

“Well, Prince Liam, a woman can be courted by more than one suiter.”

“If she chooses.”

He nodded, “If she chooses. I suppose I will go and introduce myself and see if she chooses.”

Prince Oswald saw his brother’s neck get red, “Brother, come walk with me.”

“I do not wish to walk, Oswald.”

Prince Oswald took his arm and pulled him away. King Oswald smiled at Lord Joaquin, “My son is fond of your daughter. I would love to have her in the royal family.”

He smiled, “Thank you King Oswald that means a great deal. My daughter is very important to me.”

Standing away from the crowd, Prince Oswald stared at his brother who paced.

“Why did you drag me away?” asked Prince Liam in aggravation.

“Because. You needed to cool your head.”

“My head does not need cooling. I only wish to knock that fancy pants-wearing fool to the floor.”

Oswald chuckled, “There’s no need to be upset. I’m sure if the Lady Yande is interested in you—”

“Of course, she’s interested in me.”

Prince Oswald nodded, “So then, you are over Lady Darleen.”

He scoffed, “You are a riot, brother. As you can see,” he responded as they looked at Darleen holding onto Samba’s arm, “she has already moved on.”

He sighed, “Indeed. She has.”

He watched as his brother walked off. He had done about as much as he could to help Darleen and Liam get together for the sake of fulfilling his promise to Queen Godgifu. He shook his head. He already had his beautiful wife and a child on the way.

His mind flashed to Abigale. He was young. He did have good intentions toward her. He had no idea that his heart would open completely to Winfred.

He was older by ten years. He was handsome in every way. His skin had a dark tint, his eyes were a beautiful dark brown. His lashes could have been the envy of most women. After he introduced himself, he reminded her of their first meeting years ago. He had his eyes on her then but she was far too young.

As they danced, he spoke to her in French. He was impressed with her ability to hold a conversation in his native tongue. “You would love Paris. I have a beautiful chateau there. There is plenty of land. I remembered how you loved to play in the garden with my sister.”

She smiled, “You have an excellent memory.”

“The remarkable things. I tend to remember.”

The music stopped. Prince Liam walked up. Lord Delacroix nodded, “Prince, you’re still here.”

“I am a guest,” he replied smugly.

One of Delacorix’s men approached, “Sir, we must be on our way.”

He sighed, “Yes, I forgot we have business in the morning, but,” he said as he reached for Yande’s hand, “I shall return tomorrow evening. Perhaps we can go for a carriage ride?”

“She already had plans to go riding with me. We’ll be in Northumbria.”

“Well, then, I will see you another time.” He kissed the top of her hand, “Until then, keep your thoughts free from worry and on the possibilities of wonderful things to come.”

She smiled, “Safe travels, Lord Delacroix.”

“Call me Francios.”

“Francois.”

He left with his men. Liam stared at her, “I wasn’t aware you were into such lofty men.”

She chuckled, “Lofty?”

“Yes. Lofty.”

“Aren’t we all a tad bit lofty?”

His eyebrows lifted, “He’s by far the loftiest of all.”

She chucked, “Why do you seem vexed? I only have eyes for one man here.”

He blushed, “Will you accompany me for a walk?”

It was quiet. They stood on a balcony. He stared into her eyes, “It seems I have waited my whole life for this moment.”

“You are too kind.”

“I swear that I will be kind and gentle to you our entire lives.”

“And you are certain that you want me as your wife?”

He made a face, “Of course. I have dreamed about you for months.”

Yande chuckled, “How can that be? You have never met me.”

He thought about the woman who told him about the vision. He laughed uneasily and looked around, “This will sound mad. And I know it is far from reality.”

Yande watched him closely.

“I met a woman. She had to be drunk, out of her mind, or both. It didn’t make sense but she seemed to believe what she was saying. So, I entertained her. Then that night, I saw your face as clear as day.” He waited for a reaction.

She nodded, “Interesting.”

“Yes. It was. And It all seemed mad at the time. Yet, here you are. I do not know how to explain it. What do you think?”

She took a deep breath, “There are many fascinating things that have occurred throughout history and many times ... the scholars attempt to make sense of such events. When an explanation cannot be found, it is considered a miracle.”

He nodded as she spoke.

“There are people who have certain capabilities that are beyond human understanding.”

He tilted his head and then chuckled, “You mean like ... what? Seers and witches?”

She didn’t respond.

“Surely you don’t believe in those things?”

“I know enough to know that most things are possible.”

“Except that. Those things aren’t real. They can’t be.”

She smiled, “Are you sure that you want to court me, Prince Liam?”

“Court you? No.”

She gulped.

“I plan to ask your father for your hand tomorrow. Would you agree?” he asked as he stepped closer. He looked down into her eyes.

“Yes. I would.”