Page 100 of An Ill-Made Match

“Fuck off the both of you,” said Roland without heat. He took a sip of water. “All is fine, but I need to spruce up the place now I’ve a wife to keep happy.”

“I’m very pleased to hear it,” said Oswald. “I knew you were the man for the job.”

“I never would have thought Eden Montmayne was the woman for it, though,” admitted Mason.

Roland found himself bristling.

“I disagree,” said Oswald. “Though I do wonder…” he turned to Roland. “Has it ever crossed your mind, little brother, that Eden looks set to become a very formidable female indeed, once she’s had a few years to adjust,” he added thoughtfully. “From the role of poor relation.”

Roland frowned cleared. “Oh aye,” he agreed absently. “You should have seen how she ripped into the wife of that Lelland fellow at Tranton Vale. Reduced her to tears. Not,” he added. “That she didn’t deserve it.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” murmured Oswald.

“You sound almost proud of it!” Mason observed, swigging his wine.

“So what if I am?” demanded Roland. “A man wants a wife who can hold her own, and defend his corner.”

“Very true,” agreed Oswald hastily. “And after all, our father always wanted you to marry a woman of character.”

“Did he?” asked Roland with a flicker of interest. “First I’ve heard of it. He always told me he judged a wench by the broadness of their hips.”

“It’s true he came to wisdom lamentably late in life,” sighed Oswald. “But he did achieve it in the end.”

“I predict your marriage will have never a dull moment, brother,” said Mason with a wry smile.

“Well it hasn’t so far,” agreed Roland. “But if you mean I’ll lead her a merry dance, you’re quite wrong.” He glowered at his brothers who were watching him with interest. “For I mean to be a very good sort of husband.”

“Do you?” asked Oswald. “Well, that’s an excellent start.”

“You don’t need to tell me that,” said Roland. “I’m already far and away ahead of the both of you in that respect.”

“How so?” frowned Mason, plunking down his cup.

“Well,” expanded Roland. “You intended to saddle Linnet with a couple of brats and carry on much the same as always. And as for you,” he said turning to Oswald. “You meant to send Fen into the country and forget you even had a wife!” Both his brothers stiffened. “It took you both a couple of months at least before you realized you wanted to keep them by your side.”

“At least we never nearly married the wrong one!” pointed out Mason defensively.

Now it was Roland’s turn to look pained, but Oswald gave a small cough. “No, no, he’s quite right. He adapted a lot faster to wedded life than we.” He regarded Roland curiously. “How long did it take incidentally? Before you were reconciled?”

“Soon as I woke up, of course, and found her in my bed,” replied Roland smugly. “Turns out I’m a lot smarter than we all thought.”

**

Eden had never felt so on display, as when she walked into the audience chamber the next morning, her head held high and her back straight. She had performed music, sung and recited and even danced for a viewing audience and felt less conspicuous, than she did now. Every head turned her way and a loud whispering rose up to the rafters, increasing in volume. The Queen was directly ahead of her, dressed in a gown of glittering emerald green. But it was not Queen Armenal that everyone stared at, it was Eden. She wore Lenora’s most dazzling betrothal dress of gold, festooned with pink roses. It was a ridiculous confection of a gown, but strange to say, Eden recognized she looked well in it. Lenora’s maidservant Hannah had been sent along to dress her hair, so it had been like old times. Instead of her customary hairstyle, Eden had instead requested the same arrangement she had worn at Tranton Vale, with a section of her long black hair left loose down her back, and only the front part taken up and braided into a coronet. Then, she had a gauzy gold veil attached to the back of the braided section to flutter at her middle back. Looking at herself in the glass that morning, although she had felt sick with nerves, she had thought, I am too young to wear black. It is right there should be color in my life.

As she marched after Armenal now, she caught Lenora’s eye in the front row. Her cousin clapped her hands together in delight to see her wearing the gold dress. Eden permitted herself a small smile of welcome at Lenora, ignored her uncles, and allowed the page to discreetly direct her to a seat at the front. The Queen mounted the steps to the dais to join King Wymer, who already sat in his throne, looking rather impatient to get proceedings started. Eden kept staring straight ahead, though of course, her heart thudded against her ribs and all she really wanted to do was scan the crowd in search of Roland.

“Well, well,” said the King raising his voice, and beckoning to a plump scribe who hurried over. He turned to Queen Armenal and they exchanged a few words. He gave a short nod.

“We are pleased to have arrived at this third and final day in deliberations over the marriage of Sir Roland Vawdrey and Lady Eden Montmayne,” he said loudly. “We have now heard several statements from witnesses and parties involved. My consort, Queen Armenal will now sum up our findings.

The Queen nodded portentously as she waited for the buzz of conversation to die down. “It is undeniable,” she began sternly. “That this marriage did circumvent the proper order here at court, where both parties occupied prominent positions. The correct applications to our royal personages were not made. I was deprived of a most valuable lady-in-waiting. The King was deprived of his champion. Such behavior is not to be tolerated. It could even be argued that such a hasty marriage constituted conduct unbecoming in a courtier, setting an undesirable tone for our court.” She let these serious words sink in, her gaze taking in the multitude of courtiers who had gathered to hear the judgement. “My feeling is that the Montmaynes did obfuscate the matter of which bride was requested, though whether that was done willfully or through genuine confusion is not so clear.” There was a loud murmuring at this and the King glared furiously at Eden’s uncles who immediately snapped their jaws shut. “It could therefore be justifiably claimed, that Sir Roland acted in frustration that night, finding himself pledged to the wrong Montmayne. The testimony of his two brothers, and Lenora Montmayne herself bear out his dissatisfaction for the way things played out at the betrothal feast.”

“Remember, my dear,” cut in the King peevishly. “That Vawdrey has already been punished, when I stripped him of his position as my champion.”

“That is true enough,” agreed Armenal looking thoughtful. “And there was no mention of a dowry being presented to him.” She looked to Sir Leofric for confirmation of this and he looked extremely uncomfortable before giving a quick shake of his head.

“I care naught for a dowry,” said Roland loudly, and Eden jumped to find him only a few seats away to her right.