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Anne's side on
     the dais.

The hall filled with nobles from the surrounding shires, Lord
     Mayors, Aldermen, judges, bishops, and their respective retinues.

After grace, a procession of servers entered the hall bearing
     trays of food, pantlers with bread and butter, and the butlers
     with the wines and ales.

Then came another course, and another, roasted swans and peacocks
     in full feather, boar's heads, suckling pigs, cranes, larks,
     roasted rabbits, venison, all spiced and seasoned with pepper,
     cloves, mace and other exotic spices.

There was blandissory, the rich soup full of ground almonds in
     beef broth and sweet wine, mixed with capon blended with almond
     milk.

Squires served them, assisting in carving their meat, pouring
     goblet after goblet of wine, putting out finger bowls of rosewater
     between courses.

The bride and groom shared their dish and cup as was the custom,
     and tasted the sweet pastries and ‘flowers of violet', pounded to
     a pulp and mixed with almond milk and sugar.

Denys forced herself to eat lest she seem ungrateful at all their
     friends had arranged for them. There were fruits, cheese and nuts
     galore, and after each course, a servitor brought in a fabulous
     confection of sugar, eggs and pastry, shaped to depict different
     subjects.

One was a replica of Middleham Castle, another was Saint George
     Slaying the Dragon, and the grand finale : perfect representations
     of the bride and groom themselves, shaped to the last intricate
     detail, Denys dancing in Valentine's arms, his heraldic device
     emblazoned on his tunic.

"Oh, it's lovely," she said, unable to help but admire the
     wonderful confection.

"Not as delectable as my bride, I'll warrant, but still, it would
     be a shame to mar its perfection by eating it."

Anne nodded. "It should do as a keepsake. The sugar shouldn't
     spoil."

Denys merely nodded, trying not to warm to the man by her side who
     was playing the attentive bridegroom as though he had been born to
     the part. He was nothing if not an adept seducer, but she needed
     to keep her wits about her.

So she ignored his pleasantries and banter as far as she could
     without appearing rude, and tried to focus her mind on the lavish
     wedding feast and the array of jugglers, mummers, fools and
     minstrels.

Though the entertainments were certainly lavish, at the back of
     her mind she knew her life was not going to be the same. Before
     the great hall would even be swept clean of the last remnant of
     the day that was supposed to be the most special of every woman's
     life, she would be facing who only knew what challenges as
     Valentine's wife. It was certainly a sobering thought, one which
     all the merriment in the world could do nothing to dispel.

After the celebration, Richard and Anne bid them Godspeed on their
     journey to Valentine's manor home of Lilleshal, two miles down the
     road.

"Remember what I said," Anne whispered into her ear. "Give him a
     chance to show you what kind of man he really is."

She nodded, then turned to Richard, who embraced her quickly and
     bade her farewell.

"He will be taking very good care of you. On my orders," he said,
     the hint of a smile creasing his cheek.

She tried to smile back, but her heart was heavy. How she wished
     they were young and unattached again, breezing over the moors
     astride their mounts, their hair blowing freely in the wind. How
     suddenly it had all changed. Their youth was truly at an end now,
     and duty called.

Nodding to him and to Anne, she mounted her steed, and a short
     time later, crossed the drawbridge with her new husband, thinking
     of Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon. She was married to
     Valentine Starbury. There was truly no going back now.

 

CHAPTER SEVEN

As she and Valentine rode side by side with their entourage, she
     hardly more than looked at her new husband, so lost in thought was
     she.

Her life now was certainly quite different from the future she had
     imagined for