Chapter Seven

“There is soap in my eye!”

Caledonia squeezed her stinging eye shut as a maid poured water all over her head and face, rinsing off the slimy soap that smelled of lavender and rose, something that had been scrubbed into her skin and hair until everything was fresh and tingling.

All of it under the direction of a rather dictatorial young woman.

After Thor had left Caledonia with a wink and a smile, he’d returned a short time later with a beautiful young woman at his side. She was petite, with luxurious red hair and the same bright blue eyes that Thor had. It didn’t take a genius to figure out they were related, even before Thor introduced her as his youngest sister, Lady Nicola de Reyne.

It was Nicola who took charge of preparing her brother’s bride, from dresses she brought with her to a bathtub that had been filled with hot water and floating rose petals. Nicola had brought three servants with her, women who moved efficiently to their mistress’ orders, and that had included stripping Caledonia of what she was wearing and nearly drowning her in the bathtub she currently sat in. Lots of soap, lots of scrubbing, and the final insult was rinsing her hair with flat ale that stung her eyes and did nothing to help her aching head.

Meanwhile, Thor must have been standing outside of the chamber door, because Nicola kept going to the panel and talking through it. It seemed that they were debating about what dress Caledonia should wear, as if she didn’t have a say in the matter, and when she was finally scoured within an inch of her life, she was pulled out of the tub and plopped in front of the hearth that had a steady fire in it. The wood crackled and popped as she was vigorously dried, all of which aggravated her aching head, until Thor passed something through the door to Nicola, who brought it over to a table near Caledonia. It was a basin that contained some kind of liquid, and Nicola made a compress out of the rag that was in it. She had Caledonia lean forward as she put a cold compress smelling strongly of mint on the back of her neck.

It was enough to elicit a groan of relief from Caledonia.

After that, she didn’t much care what Nicola did to her. Her head was forward, the compress was on her neck, and the servants went about drying her hair in front of the heat. Nicola gave the order to remove the tub, and it was promptly withdrawn as Thor stood in the doorway and supervised. But his gaze soon moved to his betrothed as she sat in front of the fire wrapped in several towels. It wasn’t improper because she was covered up, but Nicola kicked him out and shut the door in his face once the tub was removed.

She could hear her brother complaining through the closed panel.

“He asked me to help, so I am helping,” Nicola said as she approached Caledonia. “Now he wants to come in and bother us, but we do not need his help. He can wait until the final product is presented.”

Caledonia’s head was still down, but she assumed that Nicola was speaking to her. “You have been most helpful, my lady,” she said, though she felt as if she’d been beaten on a rock like a pile of laundry. “I hope it was not too much trouble for you.”

Nicola knelt on the ground next to Caledonia so she could look her in the eye. “It was no trouble at all,” she said. “I was already at Westminster.”

Caledonia could see her from the corner of her eye, as it was difficult to turn her head with the compress on her neck. “Are you visiting?”

Nicola shook her head. “I serve at court,” she said. “My mother sent me to the queen two years ago. I do not think I have ever seen you, my lady. I hear you are the Countess of Tamworth and Stafford.”

Caledonia’s initial impression of Nicola, aside from her being rather bossy, was one of kindness. Strangely enough, it was. The woman was decisive and gave orders, but she also had an easy manner about her. Even now, in speaking to a woman she didn’t know, she smiled and seemed very interested in her. That put Caledonia at ease somewhat.

“I do not travel in the same social circles that you do because my husband was not part of that crowd,” Caledonia said after a moment. “Do… do you like it at court?”

Nicola shrugged. “Mostly,” she said. “These days I help Lady de Dreux with her children, and I do like being around the children.”

“Who is Lady de Dreux?”

“Beatrice,” Nicola said. “The king’s younger daughter. She and her children have been at Westminster for some time and I have been tutoring the older children.”

Caledonia smiled politely. “How clever you must be,” she said. “Are you married, my lady?”

Nicola grinned, but it was an embarrassed gesture. “Not yet,” she said. “I am the youngest of eight children and the youngest daughter, so my parents are in no hurry for me to marry even though there is someone I am sweet on.”

One of the servants took away the cold compress to refresh it, and Caledonia sat up straight as another servant continued to dry her hair. “Ah,” she said. “Then I wish you well, my lady. I hope he is sweet on you, also.”

“He is,” Nicola assured her. “At least, he’d better be. A de Winter is very hard to tame, you know. They are notorious for dodging matrimony.”

“De Winter?”

“Aye,” Nicola said, rising from her kneeling position. “The House of de Winter. They are great supporters of the king, you know. They have an enormous army.”

“Where are they from?”

“East Anglia.”

“I do not know them,” Caledonia admitted. “But I also do not travel in military circles.”

Nicola’s gaze lingered on her. “When you marry my brother, you will,” she said. “But do not worry. I will help you all that I can so you know who people are and who are friends and who are foe. You will not be alone in this, I promise.”

Caledonia found those to be comforting words. She wasn’t used to anyone comforting her, or even being kind to her, so Nicola de Reyne was a new experience altogether. Long ago, when she fostered at Prudhoe Castle, she had friends there, young ladies she trusted, but once she married Robert, those friendships faded away. She didn’t stay in touch with them like she should have, mostly because her attention was on Robert and their turbulent relationship. Sometimes she wondered what became of Lady Carina and Lady Estelle, but in a way, she was glad they couldn’t see what had become of her.

It occurred to her, however, that her direction in life was changing. She was marrying a de Reyne, a man who said he wanted her by his side. He needed her help. That was still an astonishing concept to her. No one had ever needed her. No one had ever wanted her, but Thor evidently did. And Nicola, his sister, was being quite kind to her.

Was it possible her life really was changing?

Or were these people only pretending until the marriage was completed?

Caledonia pondered those very things as Nicola smiled at her and headed over to the bed where all of the dresses she had brought with her were laid out very neatly. Caledonia remained by the hearth as the servants finished drying her hair, but she could see the dresses on the bed. She could see yellow and blue and orange and even a red one as Nicola pawed over them. Nicola held up the yellow one, which was silk and quite lovely, but she evidently didn’t think that one was good enough because she picked up the blue one that was right next to her.

“Blue symbolizes purity,” she said, holding it up for Caledonia to see. “But that is usually worn by women who have never been married before, so mayhap this isn’t the right one for you.”

Caledonia was precluded by responding because Nicola was making the decision that the blue dress simply wasn’t appropriate. It was a very pretty dress, but it was off the table as the yellow dress and the orange brocade were held up for inspection. After a few moments of consideration, those dresses were put aside with the blue dress. That left the red dress, but when that was picked up, Caledonia could see another dress underneath it.

That dress was silver.

“This one,” Nicola said with confidence, picking up the silver dress that, upon closer inspection, was more an icy shade of blue than actually silver. “This is exquisite and very nearly matches your hair. I think you should wear this one.”

Yet again, Caledonia had no say in the decision-making process. Nicola seemed to know what was pretty and what was appropriate, so Caledonia let her select the wedding dress. Truth be told, she really didn’t care. As Nicola had said, she had already been married once. She had already been through a large wedding mass with hundreds of guests and had already been through an enormous wedding feast that her parents had paid for. Robert had only been mildly attentive to her for the duration, spending a few moments at the start of the feast with her, but he quickly retreated to his group of friends and proceeded to get drunk.

That had led to a disappointing wedding night.

As Nicola laid the silver dress back on to the bed and begin to hunt around in the jewel box she brought with her for the appropriate adornment, Caledonia’s thoughts turned toward her wedding night with Robert. He had been married before and had therefore taken little time with his new bride, who had gone to his bed a virgin. She’d had no idea what to expect because the only thing she’d been told about it had been by Lady d’Umfraville when she fostered at Prudhoe, but also by the silly gossip and speculation of her fellow wards. At that age, girls were curious about the act of intercourse and most of them tended to listen to the servants, who had spectacularly misinformed tales to relay. It had made the marriage night both terrifying and titillating, but in her case, it had been uncomfortable and embarrassing.

It occurred to her that she was about to face that again with Thor.

That very realization put Caledonia in a rather quiet and apprehensive mood as Nicola went about dressing her for her wedding mass. She remained wrapped up in the linen towels even after her hair was dry, because Nicola and the servants wanted to dress her hair before she donned her clothing. Caledonia sat and brooded in front of the fire as Nicola went to work.

The first thing Nicola did was heat up a hair iron in the hearth. That was used to roll Caledonia’s thick, rather straight hair into curls that were then gathered up and piled on the top of her head, like an enormous bun. Nicola had set aside a section of hair that was braided and wrapped around the base of the bun. The result was absolutely elegant because it looked as if Caledonia was wearing a silver crown. Nicola made it look clean and chic by rubbing a slight amount of fragrant pomade on her hands, made from almond oil, and ran that over the hair that was leading into the bun to tamp down any stray hair. The result was a very groomed appearance with a beautiful smell from the almonds.

After her hair was finished, Nicola focused on Caledonia’s face. Caledonia had never worn cosmetics in her life, but Nicola had brought some with her. Fashionable noblewomen wore rouge and lip stain, and plucked their brows. Caledonia had beautifully shaped brows with a natural arch, so there wasn’t much to do with them, but Nicola did put a bit of tint on her cheeks and on her full lips. Just a hint, enough to give her a bit of a glow.

After that, it was simply a matter of putting on the dress, so Nicola had Caledonia stand up as the servants peeled away the drying towels. A shift went on first, sleeveless and soft, and over that went the silver dress, made from the finest silk and embroidered with silver thread. It had a daringly low neckline, lined with white rabbit fur, and the long, belled sleeves were lined at the ends with the same white fur. Because of the silver embroidery around the neckline and bodice, Nicola put silver earrings on Caledonia’s earlobes that dangled, with a sapphire in the center surrounded by small pearls. After that, she stepped back to admire her handiwork.

“There,” Nicola said, smiling. “Now you look like the Countess of Tamworth and Stafford. Let me ask my brother to see if he thinks you look like a bride.”

With that, she sent one of her servants to the door to summon Thor, who was still standing right outside in the corridor. He immediately entered, taking about five steps into the chamber before his gaze fell on Caledonia. She looked at him, he looked at her, and the man came to a dead stop.

He simply stared at her.

“Well?” Nicola said. “What do you think? Does she look like a bride?”

Thor couldn’t answer her right away. His gaze was riveted to a woman in silver that, he was positive, was a figment of his imagination. He’d never seen anything so exquisite in his entire life. Lifting a hand, he pointed at her.

“Caledonia?” he said in disbelief. “It is truly her?”

Nicola laughed softly at his reaction. “What do you think?”

He shook his head in amazement, coming a little closer as his eyes drank in the sight. “I think she looks like an angel,” he said honestly. “She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Caledonia had been holding her breath when he came into the chamber, fearful of his reaction, but his unbridled response had her blushing furiously. She was suspicious of it at first, but from the expression on his face, she could see that he meant it. Having never been praised in her life, not by her mother or father or dead husband, hearing someone compliment her beauty was a new experience entirely. Embarrassed, she lowered her head so he wouldn’t see her flaming cheeks.

“Lady Nicola is to be praised,” she said. “This is all her doing.”

Thor came forward, a smile playing on his lips. “She had quite a bit to work with,” he said. “How do you feel?”

Caledonia shrugged. “My head feels a little better.”

“I meant about your appearance. How do you feel?”

Caledonia was going to shrug again until Nicola put a hand-held mirror in her grip. That forced Caledonia to look at herself, to see what Thor and Nicola were seeing, and she found a woman she hardly recognized staring back at her.

Thor was right.

She was beautiful.

And it scared her to death.

“This… this isn’t me,” she finally said, tossing the mirror aside and backing away from Thor and Nicola. “People will laugh!”

The smiles faded from Thor and Nicola’s faces. “Why would they laugh?” he asked. “Caledonia, you are an exquisitely beautiful woman. You should dress like this every day. It would make me the proudest man in England.”

Caledonia was becoming increasingly distraught. “Why?” she said. “This is not what I look like.”

“It is exactly what you look like.”

“People will think I am pretending to be something I am not!”

She was starting to tear up, and Nicola wasn’t sure why, but Thor did. He’d had a glimpse into her world and suspected what the trouble was.

It was going to be difficult to convince her otherwise.

“I do not think so,” he said with quiet firmness. “Caledonia, listen to me. You are the Countess of Tamworth and Stafford, only no one has allowed you to shine before now. They’ve kept your light dimmed, your beauty hidden behind those peasant clothes you wear, but that is going to stop now. You deserve to wear the finest clothing. You deserve to be respected, and I swear to you that I will do just that. You needn’t fear that people will ridicule you because that will not happen.”

“It will!”

“It will not because you are finally assuming the position you were born to assume. This is you.”

The tears were falling from her dark eyes as she looked at him, trying to determine if he was really telling her the truth. She felt terribly uncomfortable, but she also felt as lovely as she’d ever felt in her life. Wiping at her eyes, she picked up the mirror again with a shaking hand, studying herself in it. But after a few moments, she closed her eyes and set the mirror down again.

“God’s Bones,” she whispered. “I am so uncomfortable.”

Thor took a few steps in her direction and ended up standing next to her. “Why?” he murmured.

Caledonia shook her head, bewildered. “I… I am not sure,” she said. Then she snorted ironically. “Believe it or not, when I fostered, my mother made sure I had lovely clothing. I had some very pretty things. But once I married Robert, he did not want to spend any money on my clothing and there did not seem to be a need. I was never head of my own home, or the hostess of a great feast. There was no reason to have fine clothing, so I suppose seeing myself like this… It is a shock.”

Thor couldn’t help it. Reaching out, he put a couple of fingers under her chin and forced her to look up at him. When their eyes met, he smiled.

“You were born to look like this,” he said softly. “You are magnificent, and if I must tell you that every day for the rest of your life until you believe me, then I will.”

Her cheeks flamed again; she could feel it and he could see it. But she couldn’t manage to tear her gaze away from those piercing blue eyes.

“And this… this pleases you?” she asked, running a hand over her sleeves. “You do not mind that I dress like this?”

“After we are married, we will go into London immediately and I will commission a dozen dresses just like this for you,” he told her. “Then I am going to take the peasant clothing you wear and burn it.”

He chuckled. She chuckled. As they lost themselves in what was perhaps their first true moment of warmth, Nicola invaded their space and put her arm around Caledonia’s shoulders.

“I will go with you,” she said. “I will help you pick out the styles that are fashionable right now. We will spend all of my brother’s money!”

She said it so gleefully that Caledonia laughed softly. “I do not wish to make a pauper out of him,” she said. “I can pay for it.”

Thor shook his head. “You will do no such thing,” he said. “As your husband, it will be my pleasure. I will have the most beautiful wife in England, much to the envy of everyone. Let me be proud.”

Caledonia didn’t know what to say to that. Nicola hugged her, reassuring her that she was beautiful and that it was fine for her to feel beautiful, and Caledonia simply went along with it. Kindness had lowered her defenses, and she could feel herself being swept away by people who seemed genuinely interested in her.

It was an amazing feeling.

“Do you know that no one has ever asked me how I feel?’ she said, looking at Thor. “You are the first man that I can ever recall asking me that.”

He snorted softly. “It will not be the last, I am certain,” he said, his eyes glimmering. “Are you ready to be married? To me?”

For the first time since she met him, Caledonia felt confident in her reply. No hesitation. If this was to be her destiny, then it was time to get on with it.

She was ready.

“Aye,” she said after a moment. “I am ready. Are you?”

His answer was to extend an elbow to her. With a smile on her lips, Caledonia accepted. With Nicola trailing after them, they made their way over to Westminster Cathedral.

*

“Wait! Stop thismarriage!”

Thor, Caledonia, and Nicola had barely stepped into the vast cathedral when someone was shouting. Thor wasn’t even sure it was meant for them until Caledonia came to a halt and hissed.

“Damnation,” she muttered. “It’s them.”

Thor’s brow furrowed as he looked at the men coming out of the shadows, heading in their direction. “Who?” he asked.

Caledonia’s eyes never left the approaching pair. “My uncle and cousin,” she said with disgust. “Lord Dordon and his son Domnall.”

That had Thor’s expression cooling. It was nearing the nooning hour, when Henry had declared that a priest should bless their marriage at the noon mass, but they’d arrived a little early, so the king wasn’t present. His father wasn’t there, either.

Now, he had to face Caledonia’s uncle and cousin alone.

“Nica?” he said to his sister. “Take Caledonia away from here. Take her into the nave. Go, now.”

“Wait,” Caledonia said, grasping his arm. “I should be present. Please do not send me away.”

Thor looked at her, realizing he was about to do what her former husband had done—pushed her aside so he could deal with something he knew nearly nothing about. He’d asked for her help as he assumed the earldom.

Perhaps it needed to start here.

“Very well,” he said, putting his hand over hers as it grasped his arm. “We shall face this together, then.”

He could see that his response surprised her. She’d been prepared for him to deny her, to shrug off her worth. But he didn’t. She continued to grip his arm as Rotri and Domnall came to within a few feet of them. Before Thor could speak, she put out a hand to stop them.

“Come no closer,” she said. “You are not welcome here, Uncle. What do you want?”

Rotri and Domnall came to a halt, looking between Caledonia and Thor, but they were mostly looking at her.

“Praise the saints that we have this moment to speak,” Rotri said, sounding sincere. “We’ve not seen each other in a long time, dear niece. I’ve sent word to you, but you have never responded.”

Caledonia was hard. “There is a good reason for that,” she said. “I do not wish to speak with you, Uncle. I want you to leave me alone. Do you not understand that?”

Rotri extended his hands imploringly. “How can I leave you when your father asked me to watch over you?” he said. “It was your father’s wish that I become your guardian should anything happen to him. That is what I must speak with you about.”

Caledonia’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about?” she said. “I am a grown woman. I do not need a guardian.”

“You are a young woman with a vast fortune,” Rotri said. “Of course you need a guardian to help you manage it.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “You mean that you’ve found another way to try to get your hands on my money,” she said. “It will not work. I do not need a guardian and you cannot make me.”

“What’s this?”

The question came from behind Thor and Caledonia. Everyone turned to see people coming in through the cathedral entry, with Gage de Reyne leading the group. The question had come from him, but Henry and his courtiers, including Daniel de Lohr, were behind him. In fact, many people were coming in and Rotri looked a little startled by it, but the moment he realized the king was approaching, he began to call out to him.

“Your grace!” he said. “Your grace, I must speak with you! This marriage between my niece and this… this knight must not go forward. I have the right to forbid it!”

“He does not,” Caledonia said flatly, shouting because her uncle was. “He is only trying to gain control of the Tamworth fortune through his lies.”

“I am not lying!” Rotri shouted at her.

But Caledonia waved him off. “My father knew you were a liar,” she said. “Why do you think he kept you at arm’s length and only gave you a small allowance at the death of your father? You and Domnall spend everything you have and then some. And now you want the Tamworth fortune!”

“Me?” Domnall entered the conversation. “Why am I being dragged in?”

Caledonia turned on him but Gage was there, putting himself between her and her pestering relatives.

“Enough,” he said, putting out his hands in a gesture of silence to both parties. “You will not behave like common rabble in front of the king. Now… what is this all about?”

Rotri started to speak but Gage shut him up, turning to Caledonia instead. “My lady?” he said politely. “Would you enlighten us?”

Caledonia eyed her uncle angrily before replying. “When Thor and I entered the cathedral, my uncle and cousin were here,” she said. “I do not know how they knew we would be here, but they must have been waiting for us.”

Gage lifted a dark eyebrow. “And they ambushed you?”

Caledonia nodded briskly. “In a sense,” she said. “They have been trying to force a marriage between my cousin and me and have done everything in their power to push the issue. This is just another tactic in their latest war to gain the Tamworth wealth.”

Rotri started to protest, but Gage shut him up with a pointed look. “You will have your turn, de Wylde,” he said before returning his attention to Caledonia. “Why did they come this time, my lady? To stop the marriage between you and my son?”

Caledonia’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Rotri. “With more lies,” she said. “My uncle says that my father wished for him to be my guardian, but that is simply not true. My father would have never requested such a thing.”

Daniel came to stand next to Gage, listening to the situation. He knew Dordon distantly, but he’d never had any direct interaction with him. What he’d heard about him, however, wasn’t flattering.

“You are a little old for a guardian,” Daniel said, interjecting an unbiased opinion into the mix. “Women your age and older usually do not have guardians, so even if your father requested such a thing, it is a ridiculous suggestion. Moreover, your uncle would have to show proof. Does he have proof?”

“I do!” Rotri would no longer be silenced. “I have sent a servant to my seat to retrieve the missive. Until it can be brought back here and examined, there must be no marriage.”

“How old is this missive?” Daniel asked. “When was it sent to you?”

That had Rotri showing the first signs of hesitation. “A few years ago,” he said evasively. “But it clearly states my brother’s wishes when it comes to the Tamworth properties.”

Daniel and Gage looked curiously at one another. “A few years ago and she would have been married to de Tosni,” Gage finally said, returning his attention to Rotri. “It makes no sense that her father would have asked you to become her guardian if she was already married.”

Rotri was being backed into a corner by the logic. “I… I do not know why he sent it, but clearly, those were his intentions,” he said. “That means that she cannot be married without my permission, and I will not give it.”

“But she can be married with mine.” Henry, who had been listening to the argument, stepped forward, eyeing Rotri with disdain. “Go away with your false claims, Dordon. Be glad that I not have you arrested and thrown in irons.”

That seemed to settle it, but Rotri was nearly beside himself. He thought he’d had such a strong argument but the king didn’t seem to think so.

“This is unjust, your grace,” he pleaded. “The Tamworth wealth must be properly managed, and my brother wished for it to be managed by me.”

Henry turned to the guards behind him. “Take him and his son away,” he said. “I do not wish to see them again.”

To the symphony of Rotri and Domnall’s loud protests, both men were hauled from the cathedral by guards who were a bit rougher than they should have been, but Rotri and Domnall put up a bit of a fight. When they were clear of the cathedral, Henry turned to Thor and Caledonia, smiling weakly.

“Fool,” he muttered. “Now, shall we commence? I have arranged for a feast tonight to celebrate the uniting of de Wylde, a very old family, and de Reyne, one of my most powerful supporters. This is a moment to be celebrated. A moment that almost did not arrive.”

He meant the litany of vehement protests from both the bride and groom, who now seemed to be oddly agreeable. Caledonia looked like a goddess, and Thor seemed content about it. Even Gage seemed puzzled by the evidence before him but didn’t argue it. He was done with that. Henry got what Henry wanted and his son would become the next Earl of Tamworth. It wasn’t a bad deal, at least for Thor, and with all things considered, Gage knew he was gaining a powerful new ally in his son. Lose a knight, gain an ally.

He could live with that.

“But a moment that is here,” Gage continued, smiling at his son and the thoroughly radiant lady beside him. “My lady, welcome to our family. We are honored to be tied to the House of de Wylde.”

He took her hand and kissed her on the forehead, gently leading her toward the nave where everyone was starting to gather, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the very man that Rotri had been trying so hard to see. William Chillenden was a former monk who found himself in a very powerful position after the long tenure of Boniface of Savoy. Henry wanted William, but his son, Edward, wanted another man, so there had been a bit of a power struggle going on between father and son. Therefore, William was more than willing to do anything for his king, including this marriage.

As he prayed over the couple and intoned the wedding mass, Lady Caledonia de Tosni became Lady Caledonia de Reyne.

Much to the surprise of Henry and Gage and perhaps even Thor, she didn’t seem sorry about it in the least.