Chapter 40
The threat of Mordrid was, at last, gone and Keelin felt as if the world were opening up to her. She would have thought she would be unhappy in France and was astonished to find that this was not the case. True, she longed for England and looked very forward to her return, but France had its own charms to claim her. The only thing standing in the way of complete happiness was the knowledge that she would yet have to wait a little longer before she and Rhain could be wed. Still, this could not dampen her spirits too much, for she was once again with him and could see him every day.
France's infrastructure was much worse than anyone had suspected, a fact that was very disturbing to Rhain. He was anxious to return home and expressed his regret most bitterly to her, but she soothed him with smiles and gentle words until his mood improved. He too lamented the necessity of their waiting to be wed but was resigned to the knowledge that it was for the best.
Rhain's time was in great demand and, though he spent some portion of every day with her, Keelin often found herself with a great deal of time of which to dispose. Initially, she stayed in the castle and did not do much of anything. She stitched and practiced playing the lute and read histories of England but was certain that her time could be much better occupied. It was in hearing Rhain's stories of the petitions that had been brought to him that she found her most satisfactory source of disposal for her time.
It began with a simple visit to a woman who had lost her husband in the war. He had not wanted to fight but had been dragged away from his home by the French army and forced to enlist. The livelihood of his family had been dependent on his remaining and home and working and, almost as soon as he left, his young wife fell into a desperate state. With two small children to feed and no income, their home had been lost and she had turned to begging in the streets. A petition had been brought to Rhain by the nuns of one of the local convents and when he had relayed the story to Keelin, she had felt her heart bleed.
"I shall take alms to her," she told Rhain, in a firm voice.
He looked a little surprised and perhaps a bit worried. "Keelin," he said, hesitantly, "I am not certain that is the best course of action. I will send aide to this woman, of course, but I do not know if it should be disbursed by you. The state of the country is yet uncertain and you may meet with some hostility…"
"My darling, I know you fear for my safety and that is only one of many reasons why I love you. But I cannot sit idly in this castle all the day long stitching useless cushions when the people are suffering. I have two capable hands and I wish to use them," she said, her voice gentle.
"I can see that you are quite determined. Only promise that you will allow me to take whatever measures I feel necessary to ensure your safety."
"Of course. I shall certainly trust your judgment on such a matter."
And so, two days later, Keelin set off from the castle upon horseback with a rather more extensive English guard than she would have liked. The people gaped openly at her as she rode through the streets of Paris and the poverty, dirt, and despair that she saw tore at her heart. She smiled and waved graciously at them, calling hello to them in the only bit of French known to her.
She was received by Claudette, the unfortunate woman who had lost her husband, with a great deal of gratitude and tears of thanks. The young woman chattered at her in French and Keelin's translator did his best to keep up but Keelin felt the inadequacy of the exchange. It made her feel good to do such a small thing for the woman and she left knowing that there were two things that she must do. She must devote her time to improving the conditions of the poor in France and she must learn how to speak French so that she could communicate with them without having to rely on a translator.
Her French lessons commenced the very next day and, to her surprise, she seemed to have a natural aptitude for it. She learned the language very quickly and it was not long before that translator was not needed at all as she went on her missions of mercy. The nuns of the local abbey became very well known to her and she turned to them for advice on who needed help most desperately and in what form that help could be given. As Rhain concentrated on rebuilding the backbone of France's economy, Keelin concentrated on rebuilding its spirit.
Court life in France was also easier and Keelin knew that this was because she did not feel the need to impress the members of the French nobility. She did not feel the same sense of responsibility for upholding traditions as she felt when she was in the presence of the English nobility. In England, she was anxious to please. In France, she wished not so much to assert her authority but to convey to the nobility that there was a new order in their kingdom that they would need to learn to live harmoniously with it.
In consequence, she felt more open hostility from members of the French court than she had with the English court, but she resolutely ignored it. In spite of what the peasants felt, the French court was not pleased to be subject to English rule for they did not enjoy the same liberties they once had under the French king. In spite of this, Keelin was able to befriend one member of the court, a woman one year younger than herself who was named Marguerite.
Marguerite's father had once been a duke but he had fallen out of favor with the former French king, who had been his cousin. Andre had been disgusted and outraged at the excesses he had seen in King Lucien's court and when he had openly expressed these sentiments to his cousin, the king had stripped him of his title and sent him into banishment. When Andre had received news that his former cousin had lost the throne to England, he had set out on the long journey from the small Belgian town in which he had taken up residence during his banishment in order to plead his case before Rhain. His concern was not for the wealth or the property or the title he had once held, but for his young daughter. Their state had been much reduced since their banishment and Andre was anxious to see her well placed before he died.
Rhain had talked about the former duke at great lengths with Keelin. He was seasoned enough not to take everything at face value but they agreed that Andre seemed sincere enough and so Rhain had invited him to remain in the French court for a time, so that he could better observe the man to ascertain his level of honesty. In the meantime, English spies gathered as much intelligence as they could about the dispute and it was not long before Rhain and Keelin understood that Andre was every bit as sincere as he appeared. Rhain reinstated the duke's title and told him to send for his family immediately. Andre was overjoyed and thanked Rhain over and over with tears streaming down his face.
"I believe he will prove a valuable ally to you," Keelin had told Rhain when the man had left.
"Aye, but it pleases me more to know that I have righted the injustices committed against this man," Rhain told her.
The duke's wife had died the year after his banishment and all that was left to him was his daughter and one faithful servant who had remained with them. When they arrived, they were met by Andre with great joy and promptly introduced the Rhain and Keelin.
Marguerite was a beautiful, shy, and well-learned girl and though Keelin felt an immediate kinship with her, she was wary. Alinda's betrayal would sting for the rest of Keelin's life and she was not eager to trust another for fear of the same betrayal. Yet over a short time, Marguerite's sweet manner and stimulating conversation warmed Keelin's heart and she found herself falling into friendship with the young woman. Marguerite taught Keelin a great deal about French language and culture and was just as eager to benefit from Keelin's knowledge of England. She began to accompany Keelin and her ladies on their charitable expeditions and it was not long before the French public was enchanted by the sight of them. They referred to the two young women as "Les belles dames"—the beautiful ladies—and crowds gathered whenever they appeared in public.
The state of France began to improve, thanks to the hard work of the English and the Germans. Finally, it came time for Rhain and Ludwig to talk of a regent to watch over France and they came to an agreement to send for Rhain's cousin, Stephan, the Duke of Canterbury. Keelin had met him once back in England and soon remembered why she had liked him so well. He was a very warm, just, and forward-thinking young man who was unswervingly loyal to Rhain and had always been, no matter what some of the other members of the nobility had once murmured about him.
Stephan spent a great deal of time with Rhain and Ludwig as the two kings helped him establish an advisory board and educated him about the state of France but he was always present for the evening's entertainment and, as Keelin came to known him better, her esteem for him grew.
Yet it seemed that hers was not the only good opinion of Stephan in France, for Keelin often saw him in whispered conversation with Marguerite who listened to him with rapt attention and blushed at his compliments.
"I believe your cousin is in love," she told Rhain one night as they dined alone together.
"I am not surprised that you observed it as well," Rhain told her, with a smile. "Stephan is very open with his affections, but he is not foolish."
"He has conducted himself beautifully," Keelin agreed.
"In truth, he confessed his love for Marguerite to me today. He wanted to be certain that he would have my approval to apply for her hand." It was standard practice for the nobility to seek approval for their marriages from the king, though Rhain disliked the practice.
"And what was your response?" Keelin asked, laying her fork aside.
Rhain smiled once more. "I gave him my approval, of course. If she were not a worthy maiden, you would not spend so much time with her. Stephan intends to ask her father for her hand this night."
Keelin clapped her hands together and smiled broadly. "Oh how wonderful!" she said. "And how lovely for there to be a match between an English duke and the daughter of a French duke!"
"Aye indeed," Rhain agreed. "I would have been glad to leave France in Stephan's capable hands at any rate, but I am particularly glad to do so now that he will have a French wife at his side. I know that the duke is still out of favor with a good number of the nobility but a union between two such prominent families of England and France can bring about nothing but good. And, better yet, once they are wed, you and I may leave for England at last."
Keelin felt a small pang at the thought of leaving her good works behind, but she knew that Marguerite would carry on with them once she was gone. More painful was the thought of leaving her new friend behind, though Keelin felt certain that her friend would be very happy.
But whatever sorrow she would feel in leaving France behind would be replaced by the great joy she would feel in returning to her homeland. She had greatly missed the kind queen and would be very happy to see her once again and she would at last become Rhain's wife. There was a joy in that thought so powerful that it was a bit frightening.
Stephan's proposal was gladly accepted by both father and daughter and the couple had only to wait a fortnight for their own wedding to take place. Rhain insisted on having the affair at the castle and he would hear of their having nothing but the finest in honor of the occasion. There was a great deal of happiness at the announcement of the impending union and where there was not happiness there was at least a level of curiosity that made the event interesting to all.
The day of the ceremony, Keelin stood in Marguerite's chamber as her maids dressed her in her wedding gown. She was so lovely in the pale blue satin with her pale blonde waves arranged under a delicate blue veil that Keelin felt tears in her eyes. The bride's color was high, brought about by a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
"Oh mon amie, I am glad you are with me," Marguerite said, seizing Keelin's hands and addressing her friend in her thick French accent.
"As am I," Keelin responded, pressing Marguerite's hands warmly.
"But I am so sorry that I should be married before you. By rights, you should have been first," Marguerite said, her voice sounding fretful.
"I will hear none of this," Keelin said, firmly. "Today is your day and you should think of nothing but yourself and your handsome bridegroom."
"Thank you, Keelin. I shall miss you when you go back to England."
"I shall miss you too," Keelin said, her tears threatening to spill over. She embraced Marguerite warmly. "Come now, off to the cathedral with you! You do not want to be late for your own wedding, do you?"
And a beautiful wedding it was. Everyone looked beautiful, especially the bride and bridegroom and everything was perfect, from the food to the dancing to the wine.
"Soon, my darling, soon," Rhain murmured to Keelin as he swept her across the floor in a dance. "Soon we shall know such happiness as well."
"I find it difficult to believe that there could be a greater happiness than what I feel right now," Keelin said, sincerely.
"Why do you say such things in the presence of others, when you know that I cannot kiss you for saying them?"
Keelin laughed softly. "It must be my cruel heart," she told him.
"You have not a cruel bone in your body," he assured her. "Nay, it must be due to your sweet nature."
"And so you return my kindness with one of your own, for I cannot kiss you either," she said to him, with a laugh.
He chuckled and pulled her closer for a split second, embracing her warmly in spite of the crush of people that surrounded them.
The night wore on; the celebration continuing long after the happy couple was sent off with some rather lascivious words of encouragement from those present. Keelin leaned wearily against Rhain as he escorted her back to her chamber at the end of the night.
"'Twas a beautiful wedding," she told him. "You did your cousin a great kindness in having such an affair for him."
"'Tis no more than they deserved, either of them," Rhain told her. "'Tis also a fitting end to my stay in France." They were to leave in two days and Keelin felt a mixture of happiness and sorrow at his words.
He left her outside of her door with a very fond kiss upon her hand a look in his eye that spoke of his desire for more, which made Keelin blush. As she closed her chamber door behind her, she thought of all that had come to pass since she had first met Rhain and could not help but marvel at how very wonderful her fate had turned out to be.
