Hearts and Crowns by Anna Markland Read Free Book Online

but Gallien had no appetite.
    Dozens of multicolored boars’ heads made an appearance, the iron pans in which they reposed held aloft by brawny lads. He wondered if any boar still roamed Ellesmere’s forests. His father had forbidden his participation in the hunting he loved, as a penance.
    The Ellesmere signature dish of rainbow trout, handed down from a long-ago cook at Montbryce Castle, was the pièce de resistance, and everyone sighed as the succulent juices of the golden baked apple flesh of the pommes d’orées dripped from their mouths.
    Maud wrinkled up her nose in distaste when offered the renowned Montbryce apple brandy, brought from Robert’s cellars in Normandie. Gallien noted his father’s disgust at the insult.
    Sweat trickled into Geoffrey’s red hair under the weight of his cap. He guzzled his tumbler of brandy and promptly asked for another.
    Gallien watched with cold detachment.
    Definitely not the stuff kings are made of.
    But then what else to expect from an Angevin?
    ~~~
    For a sennight, Gallien struggled to hold his tongue, until Maud and Geoffrey’s entourage disappeared over the horizon. Standing on the battlements next to his father, buffeted by a chilly wind, he raked his hand through his hair, surprised it had not gone even whiter.
    “ Dieu ! The woman is a shrew—and Lady Ermintrude, what a battle axe! Geoffrey the Handsome is a spoiled child. His laugh is enough to wake the dead.”
    His father turned to look at him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You are absolutely right, mon fils . I tremble at the prospect of her and that boy on the throne. His disdain of Normans, especially his betrothed, was blatant. Their mutual dislike does not augur well for a peaceful reign.”
    Gallien gaped at this father. Before he could reply, Baudoin tightened his grip on his son’s shoulder. “For the moment we do nothing. Maud believes us loyal to her. I am proud of your restraint. Let us wait and see what the future holds. Henry will not live forever, but I urge you to be more discreet in future. We’ve had a narrow escape. Now I’m for the indoors, before I freeze to death.”
    Gallien was left alone to stare at his father’s retreating back.

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    “What have we here?”
    Peri came close to dropping the hateful receptacle, her heart racing as sweat broke out on every part of her body. She dared not turn around to see who had addressed her. She recognized the voice, though it had been a year since she had first set eyes on Geoffrey Plantagenet at Comte Fulk’s castle. At last he had come to Westminster!
    Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts on what to do with the offending pot. She thanked the saints it contained only liquid for once. Slowly, she turned. The contents sloshed alarmingly as she attempted to curtsey. “ Milord Geoffrey,” she rasped, feeling her face redden at the sight of his tight hose.
    Geoffrey stepped back, eyeing her burden with a smirk. “They would choose the Angevin for such an odious task.”
    He had remembered her.
    She fluttered her eyelashes. “You remember me, milord .”
    “Of course,” Geoffrey boomed, picking his teeth with his little finger. “How to forget? You were one of the prettiest things ever to visit my father’s castle. It was my suggestion you come here as Maud’s lady-in-waiting. I wanted friendly faces around me in this Norman court when I am obliged to be here on visits such as these.”
    Indignation pecked at her. It was thanks to Geoffrey she carried excrement around Westminster Palace. But then the full impact of his words dawned on her. Not only had he noticed her, he had wanted her near him. He held a tendresse for her.
    She was tempted to fling the chamber pot to the floor and rush to embrace him, confess her love, but at that moment Lady Ermintrude rounded the corner. Peri had to be gone before the dragon saw her or some penalty was sure to ensue. She bowed her head. “I beg leave to hasten away to complete my task,