Kingdom of Love, page 21
Helena laughed and curtsied. “You are truly a pleasure to behold, Your Grace. Would that your husband could be here.”
“Aye,” Arianne sighed. “I prayed it might be so.” Her words seemed sad, but still she smiled. “The day is not yet out. Perhaps Richard will arrive after church.”
“Let us hope so,” Helena replied.
They made their way to the bailey below with a crowd of others following and gathering around them. Easter was quite a celebration for the people. The villeins would be given time off to enjoy a rest from their labors, knights would test their skills against each other in mock joust, and nobility would survey all from amidst the revelry and deem it good.
Helena had been a part of Easter celebrations before but never anything so grand and glorious. They made their way to the church, finding smiling faces and happy greetings wherever they went.
“I truly love this,” Arianne stated as they walked. “I have enjoyed our own castle chapel, but the church in town allows me to be amidst all the people. I feel as though I’ve always belonged here.”
Helena grimaced, but did not allow Arianne to see her pain. The words only served to remind her that she did not belong here or anywhere and that only by Arianne’s kindness had she been allowed to stay. What would happen when the duke returned? Perhaps he would insist Helena reveal her identity and go home. What would she do then?
The pealing of the church bells brought Helena out of her stupor. It was impossible to be lost in such gloomy thought with such glorious sounds all around her. It made Helena want to sing, and in spite of her resolve to be quiet, she began to hum to herself. If Arianne heard, she said nothing. She was too busy laughing and greeting the people around her.
“Richard told me that the priest has arranged to present the Quem quaeritis,” Arianne said in a whisper to Helena. “It will come at the end of the Mass.”
“I have heard of this but never seen it,” Helena replied as they walked up the steps of the church and were greeted by the priest.
Ushered inside by two of Richard’s most trusted men, Arianne and Helena stood upon the straw-covered floor and awaited the procession of the priests and choirboys. With a song of celebration, they entered the church. Helena watched in complete captivation as the cross was brought out from the mock sepulcher and laid upon the altar.
At this, they knelt in the straw and bowed their heads as the priest offered up a Latin prayer. The service progressed in a series of prayers, songs, and ceremony. At the end of the service, the priest stepped behind a screen and then reappeared with three other men for the Quem quaeritis, a reenactment of the resurrection story.
One priest, dressed in white vestments and holding a palm in his hand, represented the angel at the tomb. “Quem quaeritis in sepulchro?” he questioned. “Whom do you seek in the sepulcher?”
The others, representing the three Marys, answered in unison, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Helena’s breath caught. It was a moving play, and in her mind, she could very nearly imagine it was all real and happening for the first time. “Whom do you seek?” a voice seemed to question within her soul.
Tears came to her eyes. For all of her life, she had been raised in the beliefs and understandings of the church. She had never once questioned the existence of God or of His Son Jesus Christ. She practiced with the utmost reverence the requirements of her faith, yet in all that time she could not say in honesty that it had been God whom she sought.
“He is not here, He has risen,” the angel-priest was announcing.
With this, the three Marys turned to the choir and replied, “Hallelujah, the Lord is risen today!” Then, the choir joined in a chorus of praise.
The angel-priest moved to where the cross had been placed in the wall. He lifted the veil that now covered the opening and said, “Come, see the place.”
The Marys crossed to peer inside, while two men representing the apostles Peter and John appeared from behind the screen. John was in white and holding a palm, while Peter was dressed in red and carrying keys.
John reached the sepulcher first, but Peter reached inside. He pulled out the gravecloth in which the cross had been wrapped on Good Friday. “He is not here.”
“He is risen as he said,” the angel-priest announced.
Helena felt the tears flow down her cheeks. “Quem quaeritis? Whom do you seek?” She thought of Tanny and the love that might have been given to the hope that she would one day find him. “Whom do you seek?”
She watched the play continue with the exit of two of the Marys. The third, dressed in red and representing Mary Magdalene, stood weeping. For some reason, this made Helena cry all the more.
“Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?”
The voice went straight to Helena’s heart. She knew that God had been with her through all the years of anguish and lonely heartache. Now, it seemed as though this simple trouping of the resurrection story had brought a realization to Helena’s soul. God wanted her to seek Him, Him alone. Not Tanny and not a home or place where she’d feel safe. God wanted her to seek only Him.
“They have taken my Lord,” the man playing Mary stated in a sobbing voice.
The miracle unfolded, and the man playing Jesus revealed himself to Mary, much as God was revealing Himself to Helena as she stood and beheld the story.
“Rabboni,” Mary said, falling to the ground. “My master.”
“Rabboni,” Helena whispered, knowing in her heart that God had truly taken control of her life.
The performance ended with a glorious hymn sung by the choir. “Te Deum Laudamus—We praise Thee, God.” Overhead, the bell pealed in celebratory announcement. “He is risen. He is not here.”
Helena left the church a converted woman, much, she imagined, as Mary must have left the garden. Just the knowledge that she was no longer bound to her fears gave Helena the first real happiness she’d known since her beloved had gone away.
All around the revelry was evident. There was dancing and singing, feasting and gifting. The tenants of the land brought eggs in payment to the castle, while in return Arianne had planned a great feast for all the people.
Arianne acted as hostess with Helena never leaving her side except to take baby Timothy upstairs in order to remove him from the noise of the castle bailey. Helena knew that Arianne scanned the horizon constantly for some sign of her husband, and when evening was approaching, the call that she had waited for finally came.
“The duke approaches!” one of the battlement guards called out.
“The duke!” Murmurs ran through the crowd, and people stopped their feasting to line the entryway into the castle.
Arianne glanced around for Helena and then remembered that she’d gone to take Timothy for his changing. “Matilda!” she said, beckoning the woman from the crowd. “Run, get Helena and Timothy. I would present him to his father and show Richard how much he has grown.” Matilda quickly went in search of Helena, while Arianne rushed forward to greet her husband.
Three horsemen appeared in front of the procession, and Arianne instantly recognized each rider. Richard rode slightly to the front, with Devon and Tancred bringing up the rear.
“Richard!” she shouted and hurried to his side.
Richard dismounted in a leap and pulled her into his arms. “I have missed you sorely, sweet wife,” he whispered and kissed her boldly in front of everyone.
Cheers below went up from the crowd, and Helena could only wonder at what matter had stirred them this time. There had been such cheering and shouting all day, and at times Helena had worried that the babe’s ears would be harmed from such noise. Nestling Timothy against her tightly, Helena moved through the happy people.
She knew from Matilda that the duke had returned, and no doubt his people were simply celebrating that fact. As the crowd parted for her, however, she found herself only a few feet away from the embracing couple and instantly flushed at the scene.
Arianne pulled back and saw her. “Richard, come see your son. He has grown wondrously since you last saw him.”
Richard smiled at Helena, who was now trembling. “Your Grace,” she said, as Richard reached out and took the baby.
“You are looking much better than the last time I saw you,” Richard said with a smile.
Helena nodded but refused to meet his eyes. Would he send her away? Again, peace washed over her, and Helena realized it didn’t matter. Lifting her gaze, she smiled.
“Much better,” Richard said, then smiled down at his son. “And you truly have grown.”
Helena noted the two men who were dismounting but gave them little thought until Arianne went to embrace each one of them. They had their backs to her, but Helena could see the smile of pleasure and something akin to relief in Arianne’s eyes.
Richard handed Timothy back to Helena and pulled her forward. “You must meet my brother,” he said firmly.
“It has been a long time,” Arianne was telling one of the men. “I am glad you have returned.”
Helena thought little of the matter, but when her eyes lifted to meet the man whom Richard introduced, she was stunned silent.
“Helena, this is my brother, John Tancred DuBonnet.”
Helena’s eyes were drawn to Tancred’s against her will. “Tanny,” she murmured so softly that no one understood her. Her arms began to shake, and she thought for a moment she might drop Timothy. Arianne noted her state and quickly took the baby from her.
“Helena, is it well with you?” Arianne whispered against her ear. But Helena only stared dumbfounded at the man before her.
“Milady,” Tancred said, with a slight bow. He was mesmerized by the huge blue eyes that refused to break their hold on him. She was clearly the most beautiful creature he’d ever beheld.
“Helena?” Richard said, noting the whiteness of her face. “Are you ill?”
“Mayhaps she’s just taken in by the charming faces of these men,” Arianne teased lightly. She was truly worried about her lady-in-waiting but refused to cause Helena any further embarrassment. “Helena needs to attend to Timothy’s bath. Come, no doubt my son will seek his feeding as well.”
Helena allowed herself to be led away by Arianne, but still she said nothing. How could it be so? Tanny, her own beloved Tanny, had come to her. Still, he knew her naught. She had been but a child when last they’d met, and now she was a grown woman. Should she go to him and reveal herself? Yet in revealing herself, she would also betray her true identity.
“Have you not heard me?” Arianne questioned with a gentle nudge.
“I am sorry,” Helena whispered. “I am just a bit spent from the celebration. It has been a most taxing day.”
Arianne nodded. “I asked you if there was something you wanted to tell me. Has the past somehow caught up with you?”
Helena looked panicked as her gaze met that of the concerned duchess. “May we speak of it another time?” Her voice was soft and pleading.
Arianned nodded. “Of course. Would you prefer I take care of Timothy’s bath?”
“Aye,” Helena replied. “I would like to lie down.”
“Then do so and know that when you feel better, I will be here for you.” Arianne reached out a hand to touch Helena’s slender arm. “Don’t be afraid, Helena. You have a home here for as long as you want one. No one will put you from Gavenshire.”
Somehow she knows, Helena thought to herself. Somehow the duchess had understood a portion of her fear. But what will the Duchess of Gavenshire have to say when the entire truth is revealed? Helena wondered.
Closing her chamber door behind her, Helena leaned heavily against the wood. He was here! Her heart quickened, and she crossed to the window, anxious to catch some sight of him in the bailey below. Darkness and shadows refused to offer up anything, however, and Helena felt cheated.
“Tanny, it is I,” she said softly in the silence of her room. “ ’Tis your Helena, whose heart has ever been and evermore shall be yours and yours alone.”
CHAPTER 10
Roger Talbot paced anxiously while awaiting his appointment with the king. It wouldn’t be easy to explain Helena’s disappearance, but if he handled the matter carefully, he was certain he could be convincing.
“The king will see you now,” a pious chamberlain announced.
Roger entered a room where the king sat in conversation with two other men. The chamberlain made the introduction, and Roger waited to be acknowledged. In time the king motioned Roger forward.
“You have requested an audience with me?” Henry questioned.
“Yea, Your Majesty.” Roger choked back bile. His nerves were raw, and this matter did not bode well with him.
“Then be at it, man. What matter did you wish to discuss?”
“ ’Tis my sister, Helena. As you will recall, her mother, Eleanor, was cousin to the queen.”
“Aye, I remember it, man. I remember it well. What do you seek?”
“I seek my sister. Helena disappeared from our home, and I have not found her, though we have searched the land far and wide.” Roger hoped he sounded convincingly worried.
“Helena?” The king spoke her name, and instantly the memory of Richard DuBonnet entered his mind. “I believe I know where your sister is.”
“You do?” Roger swallowed hard. Had Helena somehow managed to venture to London without his knowledge?
“Yes, yes,” Henry nodded enthusiastically. “She is at Gavenshire. Duke DuBonnet mentioned the presence of a young woman named Helena. She has only been with him a short time and claimed no memory of her family or home.”
“DuBonnet?” Roger questioned. He felt his stomach lurch again.
“Aye, Richard DuBonnet, Duke of Gavenshire. You know of the place, do you not?”
“Aye,” Roger replied between clenched teeth. “I know it.” The DuBonnets had long been known to him, especially Richard’s brother, Tancred. “I will seek her out immediately.”
“By my leave,” the king said, dismissing Roger Talbot as though there was nothing more that interested him about the man.
Roger seethed at the thought of his sister under the care of a DuBonnet. Tancred DuBonnet, once his most trusted friend, had dishonored Maude and refused to marry her. A scandal of outrageous proportions had been narrowly averted only when an aging earl had agreed to make Maude his wife.
He had thought himself well rid of DuBonnets when Tancred had been convicted of killing his parents. Roger remembered with great satisfaction the day he had learned of Tancred’s sentence. Would that it could have been his death rather than his exile.
With his mind made up, Roger called a messenger to him and paid the man well to take word to Maude. There was no point in putting off his journey to Gavenshire, and he had little desire to confront Maude before doing battle with Tancred’s brother. Mounting his horse, Roger grimaced and took the reins in hand. “Once again the DuBonnets cause me grief. This time I shall put an end to it.”
The days of Easter celebration passed in a mixture of bliss and pain for Helena. She watched with dedicated interest as Tancred moved about the castle. From behind carefully guarded eyes, Helena kept track of his every move.
From the first break of dawn and morning services, Helena’s eyes seldom failed to keep Tancred in their view. When they partook of the meals, Helena tried to react in a calm and collected way, but knowing that Tancred sat on the other side of Richard made her nervous and testy. How much longer could she stand being so near him and not confide in him who she was?
It no longer worried her that she would be sent from Gavenshire. Now what concerned her was that Tancred would not return her love. Her beloved Tanny had left her childhood days as a strapping young man of twenty. Now he was a brooding man of thirty-one years with a mission to find the true murderers of his parents.
Obviously, Helena realized, he had no time or inclination for romance. She thought of the hours she’d spent dreaming of the day they’d meet again. Now that day had come and gone, and it was nothing of what she’d dreamed about.
As they sat at supper one evening, the revelry of festivities in the village still going on in celebration, Helena picked at her food and listened to the conversation around her.
“What a difference this life must be from the one you spent the past eleven years,” Richard said to Tancred.
“Aye. The food is much better, the housing much drier, and the company preferable to any that I knew abroad.”
Arianne leaned forward. “Devon tells me of your philosopher Artimas. He sounds like a wonderful man. I would very much like to meet him one day.”
“He was indeed a great man, dear sister. I found the seeds you tenderly planted in my heart grew under his careful watering.”
Helena felt a twinge of jealousy rear within her heart. “Pray tell, what seeds does he speak of, Your Grace?”
Arianne smiled. “I but saw the potential in Tancred that he could not see for himself. I told him of his value in the eyes of God. Artimas apparently found a way to cultivate that meager planting.”
“ ’Twas far from meager,” Tancred said. His eyes were reflective of the deep emotion he felt. “I felt hopelessness such as I beg never to feel again, but even in the darkest moment, Arianne’s word of love gave me cause to hope.”
“Hope is often all that keeps us going,” Helena said softly, her eyes lowered to her trencher.
“Faith,” Arianne added. “Faith is hope at work.”
“Very good, sister,” Tancred said with a smile.
Later that night, Tancred stood in the quiet of his chamber, undressing for bed. He thought back over the last few days, but his mind could not let go of Helena. He saw her everywhere, even when he slept. It was as though he knew her, and yet there was nothing of recollection in his mind.
“She watches me with the eyes of a hawk,” he thought aloud. Yet lovelier eyes of crystal blue Tancred was sure he’d never seen. She was a most fetching woman, and he decided on the morrow he would speak to Arianne about her.
