Chapter Thirty-Two

September 1142

E lysande's days continued to be busy. She still attended the empress although her duties had lessened somewhat now that she was a married woman. But her nights… Her nights were filled with bliss laying in Reynard's arms. Her husband had a voracious appetite as he taught her all the things he enjoyed in their marriage bed. She was more than a willing participant and she soon learned a trick or two of her own to ensure they were both satisfied. In many ways, she could never get enough of her husband and this, too, seemed to please him immensely. Some morns, they did not wish to leave their bed.

Lord Constantine returned to his home without a bride and in a way, Elysande was sad to see him go. He had become a friend. If someone had told her such might happen when they first met she would have sworn they jested with her. But he was content to have seen her happily married, or so he had informed her when he departed.

Gerold Morcant was not as lucky. After a brief audience with Empress Matilda, he and the knight who had taken her from her bedchamber were returned to their cells in Oxford's dungeon. They would remain there as a constant reminder of how close the empress might have been to her own abduction. Elysande was only too happy to see him dragged away in chains.

Another gift from the empress came when she told Elysande she would be sending masons to work on the walls in need of repair back at Blackmore. She had also said she would ensure the outbuildings would be repaired, the livestock restocked, and serfs and servants sent to work the land and castle. Come the winter, the majority of the work that needed to be done should be in place except for the curtain and battlement walls. Those could take years to complete but 'twas a start. Elysande was looking for the day they would be released from their service to the empress and she and Reynard could return there to live, but aside from a wish for home, she could not be happier.

But not everything was perfect—at least in the outside world. Elysande was privy to conversations between the empress and her advisers that Elysande never thought she would ever hear. Clearly, Elysande had earned the woman's trust and confidence to be entrusted with such sensitive information. The court moved from one location to the next, and Elysande and Reynard moved with her to her castle in Devizes in order for her to meet with her half-brother Robert and her other advisors. Reynard was ever vigilant in protecting not only his wife but his empress.

The envoys who had been sent to Normandy with a message to Empress Matilda's husband, Geoffrey, back in April finally returned in June. They did not bear good news as her husband refused to negotiate terms with anyone other than Earl Robert. With other news that King Stephen had fallen ill the previous month, the empress thought she would remain safe if she returned to Oxford since the stronghold was a stone fortress. The earl protested but eventually conceded to his sister's request, and he rode for Wareham in Dorset. The port was still under the empress's control and in the hands of Robert's eldest son, William. He then took a ship for Normandy.

Meanwhile, the empress and her people returned to Oxford Castle with the thought that she would be closer to London to claim the throne when Stephen died. News of his recovery hit the empress hard, and Elysande pondered to herself if the empress would ever sit on England's throne. It was beginning to seem unlikely.

A pounding of someone's fist on the table tore Elysande out of her musings. The scowl on Richard Grancourt's face more than told the mood of those in the room. "Stephen and his men have taken Wareham and the castle there," he snarled as he tossed the missive he had been reading onto the table.

The empress all but folded herself into a chair. "That will leave my brother without a port to land in once he finally returns to England."

Reynard picked up the parchment and scanned it before he passed it to the next knight standing beside him. "Stephen will not stop with capturing Wareham, especially if he is aware that the empress is without her brother, who has been her main supporter."

"I was a fool to send Robert abroad but what else could I do? I thought I would be safe without him," the empress said clearly worried about the coming months.

"You are safe here, Empress," Richard said, trying to reassure her. "We will not allow anyone to take you."

There were several here, here 's called out by the men present.

The empress nodded to her loyal knights. "You have been protecting me faithfully for some time now. I do not expect you to fail me anytime soon."

Reynard stepped forward. "We are your most humble servants," he declared. But when his gazed traveled to Elysande, she could tell that her husband was worried.

The conversations turned to preparing for the worst while hoping that nothing would come from their enemy. But based on her own past experience with Stephen's men, even Elysande could see that there was cause for concern. When the men began to disperse, Reynard asked to speak to his wife. The empress consented, and they went to their chamber. Reynard began to pace.

"Should I be worried?" Elysande asked in concern.

He watched her carefully and she went to stand near the window. She turned away to open the wooden shutter, hoping that a breath of fresh air might calm her nerves. It did not have the outcome she had hoped for even as she took several deep breaths. Reynard came and pulled her back into his chest whilst he leaned his chin on the top of her head.

"Aye," he finally muttered. "I wish we were far away from Oxford, but I cannot in good faith leave the empress now. Not when her life might be in danger in the coming months. Mayhap we should arrange for you to travel to Blackmore. You would be far safer at home than you are here."

"Nay," she sobbed. "I will not leave you and you cannot make me."

Reynard turned her to face him and ran a finger down her cheek. "I would rather have you safe at Blackmore than watch you starve if this castle comes under a siege."

Elysande put her arms around his waist. "'Twould not be the first time I went to bed with an empty stomach. Or did you already forget the fine meal I prepared for you the day you showed up at my castle?"

"Your attempt to put humor into this conversation is failing, my lady. How do you expect me to watch the woman I love go hungry?" he demanded.

She arched one of her dark brows. "And you think 'twill be any easier on me to watch my husband grow weak from lack of food?" she asked.

"You need not watch. I can easily have several trusted knights escort you home."

"I know you can, but I am not leaving. Not without you."

He threw up his hands in frustration and tried again. "Please go home to Blackmore, Elysande. 'Twould ease my conscience if I have one less thing to worry over."

"I can take care of myself," she declared in a firm tone.

"I have never met such a stubborn lady. Why will you not obey my commands?"

"If you wanted a woman to obey your every whim and always allow you to order her about, then you should have married another woman."

A heavy sigh escaped him. "I only wish to keep you safe… at Blackmore."

"Blackmore is no safer than any other place in England whilst Stephen holds the throne. I wish I could obey your suggestion but as I just said… not without you," Elysande replied, taking a seat by the hearth.

"You are a tenacious woman, Elysande Norwood," he muttered, coming to kneel down before her.

"You knew that before we wed. You had your chance to escape, but you chose to persist, so you are now stuck with me," she said and began to brush a lock of his dark brown hair back into place that had fallen over his forehead.

Reynard took her hand, pressing his lips to the inside of her wrist. His grey eyes met hers. "What am I to do with you?"

She gave him a smile that she hoped reached into his soul. "Why such a question is easy to answer, my love."

He gave her a roguish smirk as if he could read her thoughts. "And what is your reply, lovely Elysande?"

She leaned forward to place her lips upon his and then gave him his answer. "Just love me…"