Chapter Nineteen

I sabella surveyed the extravagantly adorned feasting table. The guests had yet to arrive and servants were rushing around adding more loaded plates to the spread, pouring wine into ornate jugs, and lighting silver candelabras.

At the center of the table were the two suckling pigs Charles had picked out. They had rosy apples in their mouths and were surrounded by roast chestnuts and figs. Plates of sweet rolls, codfish, and chopped spinach were dotted around, and steaming meat casseroles were set over the fire to keep warm.

"The bread is good," Isabella said, nodding at a stack of fresh loaves that smelled divine. "As is the Manchego." She broke off a piece of the hard cheese to nibble.

"I am glad you approve, Your Majesty," Cook said. "The cheese is from a local farm."

"I approve heartily. You and your staff must have worked through the night to prepare all of this."

"Yes, Your Majesty, we did."

"And I thank you all for your service. It will be remembered when wages are delivered at the end of the month."

"I thank you." Cook bobbed her head, her soft chin wobbling. "Is there anything else I can add?"

"You appear to have thought of everything." Isabella turned at the sound of a lute string being plucked. "That will be all, and ensure the staff and their families get a meal from the leftovers."

"They will be grateful for that."

Isabella looked at the vast, arched windows in the banqueting room. It was dark outside and soon carriages would arrive with hungry guests looking forward to an evening of entertainment with the emperor and empress.

"Your Majesty," Luisa said. "You should dress for the celebrations."

"You are right." She took one last glance around then swept from the room.

Luisa followed.

"Are the children in bed?"

"Yes, Dona has seen to them."

"Good. I will bid them goodnight and then prepare. Do you have my new scarlet gown laid out?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"And I will wear my mother's cream, lace headdress. The one with the pearls sewn into it."

"I have that ready for you. Excellent choice. It will complement the gown perfectly."

*

It took two hours for Isabella to ready herself for the banquet. But when Charles entered her chambers to escort her downstairs she knew it had been worth the effort.

"My love," he said, holding her hands and looking her up and down. "You are a vision."

"I am glad you approve."

"I do, very much so." He smiled. "You will be twice as beautiful as every other woman in the room."

"And I'd wager you will be twice as handsome as every other man in the room." She let her attention drift down his body. He wore shiny, black boots, white breeches, and a brown, leather belt with a brass buckle and a dagger hanging from it. His tunic was heavily embroidered with gold stitching depicting the Habsburg coat of arms and had balled sleeves. Over it, he wore a ruby-red cloak, fur-lined and so soft, it seemed to shine in the candlelight.

"I had my hair cut," he said, removing his beret.

"About time." She smiled and ran her hair through the now short strands. "You were looking quite piratical."

He laughed. "I will allow you, and only you, to say such a thing."

"Your Majesty." Luisa was at Isabella's side. "Would you like to wear your new brooch?" She offered forward the snowdrop.

"I will not." She waved it away.

"I thought you liked it," Charles said.

"I do very much. But I expect we will receive gifts and if anyone is kind enough to gift me a brooch, I will put it on there and then as a sign of my appreciation."

"You are so very thoughtful." He kissed her cheek. "Shall we go and greet our esteemed guests?"

"We should."

The banqueting hall was a hum of conversation when they arrived. Guests milled around with goblets of fine wine and music played softly in the corner.

"Lords, ladies, and gentlemen," Alvaro called upon seeing Isabella and Charles in the doorway, "please welcome your hosts, the Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Charles of Habsburg, and his wife, the Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Spain, and Princess of Portugal, Isabella."

The room had become utterly silent. All eyes turned their way. Two guards banged the bases of their pikes on the wooden floor four times, and then Isabella and Charles stepped into the room.

Isabella kept her arm linked with Charles's as she took wine from a servant. She then smiled greetings, nodded hello, and tipped her head in acknowledgement as they walked through the crowd, who parted for them.

The room was warm and smelled of herbs, hot broth, and spice. When she sat on her throne, beside Charles, her stomach rumbled and she realized she was looking forward to the feast as much as everyone else.

"Your Majesties," Gabriel said, appearing before them and bowing deeply. "It is with great honor that I am received here as one of your humble and loyal guests."

"We are happy to have you," Isabella said. "My husband speaks very highly of you and appreciates your candor and wisdom."

"I hope I do not overstep the mark with my frankness." Gabriel looked at Charles.

"On the contrary, there are very few people who are utterly frank with me. It is refreshing." He reached for Isabella's hand and turned to her. "And it reminds me not to let my thoughts be the only opinions to consider."

She smiled at him. "It is a wise ruler who can listen as well as speak."

He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. His lips were warm and soft.

"I would like to offer the empress this gift," Gabriel said, holding forward a blue, velvet box. "If the emperor will allow it."

"And does this gift have significance?" Charles asked.

Isabella frowned slightly, unused to such a question from her husband.

"My love, Gabriel has thought behind everything he does." Charles gestured to his friend. "It is one of the things I like the most about him."

"Indeed, it does have significance." Gabriel offered the box farther forward. "It was my mother's. She will be smiling down from heaven if she sees a woman as beautiful as the empress wearing it."

"Oh, how wonderful." Isabella smiled. "Please show it to me."

Gabriel flicked open the lid and revealed a brooch. It was a fish, made of gold and the head and scales a deep red.

"It does not have precious stones and is not of the value of your other jewelry," Gabriel said. "But I hope you will find it amusing, if nothing else."

"Yes, it is so unusual." Isabella took the box. "I have never seen anything like it."

Gabriel grinned. "My father had it made for her, many years ago, in Milan."

"It is all the way from Milan." She took it and passed it to Charles. "I do love things from faraway places such as this."

"How extraordinary." Charles studied it. "A fish."

"Can you put it on, please?" Isabella tapped just above her right breast.

Charles stood and came before her. Very gently, he attached it. "A charming gift indeed, Gabriel." He smiled and sat. "We thank you."

"As I thank you for bringing me here with you." Gabriel bowed low then stepped back.

An old nobleman, Juan Gomez, approached holding a wicker basket that appeared heavy. "Your Majesties," he said, setting the basket down. "I bring you gifts."

"We thank you," Charles said. "What is it?" He nodded at a servant, who lifted back the white muslin covering the contents of the basket.

"Honey," Juan said. "Lavender honey, collected from my brother's hives. He also grows lavender and you will taste it in the bees' honey. They collect the nectar from the lavender fields."

"Really?" Isabella leaned forward. "I would never have thought such a thing."

"It is a fact, and I hope, Empress, it will be to your liking on bread and in tea."

"I am sure it will be because I like both honey and lavender." She smiled. "We thank you."

He bowed low and backed away.

The servant quickly removed the basket.

The wife of a general stepped forward. She was petite, her gown the color of buttermilk, and her hair was not far off the shade of a carrot.

"Adriana, we welcome you," Charles said. "And we wish Santiago a speedy recovery from his illness."

"He gains strength every day since he is returned from his travels."

"That is good to hear," Isabella said. "Please ensure you take some food home for him."

"I will, Empress, I thank you." She curtseyed. "And please accept this gift." She handed Isabella a small package wrapped in black silk.

It felt like a bottle of some sort and Isabella unwrapped it. Sure enough, it was a small, glass bottle filled with pale, glossy liquid. A skinny, black ribbon had been tied around the neck of the bottle.

"It is to drink?" Charles asked.

"No. No." She shook her head and came a little closer, lowering her voice. "It is one of a set Santiago picked up on his travels. It is not to be indigested, you understand."

"We understand," Charles said.

"So what is it for?" Isabella asked. "The animals?"

Adriana giggled. "Not exactly. It is for you." She held her hands out and made a slow circle. "It is for your skin, to make it soft and smooth and slippery. To rub and knead tiredness and aches from the body. It can go everywhere, and it smells of petals."

Charles reached for it. "It is not water?" He tipped it this way and that. It seemed to cling to the side of the bottle.

"No, it is oil for the body. I hope you will enjoy it." She didn't wait for an answer and backed away with her head bowed.

Charles leaned toward Isabella, an impish grin playing with his lips. "I am sure we will," he whispered. "This is most intriguing."

Isabella ignored him, though a tingle of heat went up her spine. Oil that went everywhere ?

Several more gifts were presented. They included a fine, lace shawl, a bottle of excellent fortified wine, a cushion with a golden, two-headed eagle embroidered onto it, and a gun case made of the finest oak.

"Are you hungry, my love?" Charles asked her.

"Very. And so are our guests."

He nodded and stood. "Our cherished guests," he said loudly, "we thank you for your company and now, please, let us eat and drink and be merry."

Isabella looked at the small crowd. There was a pause, just to be sure Charles had finished speaking, and then the conversation and hustle for plates and feast began.

Luisa appeared before her with a tray of food. "Your Majesty. I prepared your favorites."

"Ah, you are so thoughtful, I thank you." Isabella took the tray. It contained two plates, a small one with bread, butter, and honey, and another with ham, figs, pickled eggs, and spinach.

"May I get you anything else?" Luisa asked.

"No, thank you. Be sure to eat yourself."

"I will."

Charles also had food delivered by a senior servant. "Cook has excelled herself," he said, "and on such short notice."

"It is certainly a room of happy people."

There was laughter and chatter, and the scrape of knives and forks on plates. The music played and the fire crackled.

Isabella had a lovely sense of contentment. Here, in her home, all was well. Her children were upstairs asleep under the watchful eye of Dona. Charles was at her side. And there were guards at the doors, and loyal friends enjoyed themselves all around her.

It was certainly something she could get used to.

When she'd finished eating the tray was taken by a servant. She sat quietly and sipped on fortified wine.

"Soon we will dance," Charles said.

"We will?"

"Yes, the only question is: Will it be a Low Country dance or Spanish?"

"Spanish, my love, for that is where we are." She laughed.

"Some of the people here miss home. Perhaps the Carol?"

"I'd rather not. It is dreary in comparison."

"In comparison to your stamping and clacking." He laughed.

"Do not let your mother hear you say that." She raised her eyebrows. "The story of Princess Joanna performing flamenco in French court when she visited is still being talked about."

"Ah, yes, you are right about that." He kissed her hand. "As usual."

They sat for a few minutes and then when it appeared the guests had finished eating, Charles nodded at the musician.

He stopped playing.

Charles stood, turned to Isabella, and urged her to stand with him.

She did, wondering why the music had stopped.

The hum of conversation quieted and as they walked off the podium onto the wooden floor of the banqueting room, people stepped back to give them space. "Gentle noble folk," Charles said, instantly commanding everyone's attention, "I present to you my wife, Empress Isabella."

There was a gentle ripple of applause.

"Isn't she exquisite?" he said, smiling at her. "Isn't she the most beautiful woman to have ever walked on God's Earth? The heavens were smiling the day she came into the world, and the angels rejoiced."

"Yes, Your Majesty," a few people murmured. "Beautiful."

He walked around her, gently trailing his fingertip over her shoulder and across her nape.

A delicate tremor went over her skin. "Charles?" she said, starting to turn to him. "What are you—?"

"No, my love." He kept her in place with a slight pressure on her back. "Let your people admire you, for you are the closest thing to a goddess they will ever lay their eyes upon."

He stood before her again, his hand wrapped around hers. "And let it be known," he said, sweeping his attention around the room, "that the empress is mine and mine alone. This queen is my wife." He tapped his chest. "To be touched by no other man."

Isabella's breath hitched. Was he referring to their earlier conversation? She sought out Alvaro, who stood by the door.

His broad-brimmed hat shadowed his face and he held a pewter goblet. As usual, he was a few steps away from the crowd. She often wondered if he felt he didn't quite fit in at court. There was something a little wild and outdoors about him. A tamed animal who could turn feral again if the mood struck him.

"You all know that as emperor, I travel often," Charles went on. "Being King of Christendom requires these sacrifices from me and I am happy to give that to God and to Christ Our Savior, but…" He paused, sucking in a breath. "But while I expect my wife to be adored, tended to, and protected during my absences, I trust that everyone knows the boundaries."

"Your Majesty," an old clergyman said with a frown. "Your wife is a good Catholic and is surrounded by such. You have no fears."

"Any man with a wife as beautiful and intelligent as mine has fears." Charles's voice was a deep rumble. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty." The bishop lowered his gaze to the ground. "Accept my apology."

It was clear Charles was determined to have this very public conversation.

Though was it directed to anyone in particular?

Of course it was.

Isabella curled her toes in her shoes and pursed her lips. There had never been anything improper between her and Alvaro. He loved her deeply, she knew that. He showed it in his actions. It made him a loyal and constant support when she was a woman ruling on her own. But she didn't want him in her bed, or in her heart. That was something she wouldn't entertain. Her devotion to Charles was absolute. Always had been and always would be.

"So I will say this," Charles said, holding up his hand. He flicked his attention to the doorway, to Alvaro. "Any man harboring desires for my wife should either keep them locked deep inside forever, or leave not just this city, but also Spain and the wider empire. Because if I ever, ever find out that someone has indecent thoughts about my wife, seedy ambitions, hopes for clandestine liaisons, they will be hanging from the portcullis by morn, guts spilling to the ground for the rats to feast upon."

Isabella gulped. What a horrible image. "My love," she whispered. "Please."

He turned to her. His eyes flashed. "Do not upset yourself, my love." He kissed her cheek. "And forgive me for saying what needed to be said. For how can I punish a crime that has not been defined as such, by me, the emperor? Everyone must know how I feel about you. You are my one true love and it would be a dagger to my heart should someone try to steal you away."

"No one is going to steal me away." She touched his cheek. "You are also my one true love, which means we can never be parted." She smiled softly. "We were apart for many years, Charles, with never so much as a glance at another. That has to tell you something."

"It does. It tells me I want it to stay that way."