Chapter Two

Nearing the end of his ride for the afternoon, Richard slowed his horse at the approach to the castle. The extensive gardens were resplendent this sunny day in late April, with thousands of flowers in many varieties and colours, water features and sculptures - and he enjoyed taking his time returning to the stables, choosing the most beautiful route there with intention.

As he came to an open lawn framed with large shady trees and rose beds, he heard a jovial shout.

"Richard! Come! Join us!"

Henry, leaning casually on an elbow as he reclined in the grass, reached his free arm out towards his friend in invitation. He looked relaxed and carefree, dappled sunlight peppering his features as he grinned broadly. Richard could see why, as he rounded the curve of trees. His breath caught in his throat as a blanket covered with the remains of a splendid picnic and some freshly cut roses came into view, magnificently embellished with Henry's beautiful new wife of six months.

Catherine sat, a vision of beauty to Richard's adoring eyes – why must he fall so hard for someone so unreachable?! – with her hands folded in fine silk skirts of vibrant blue, her hair cascading over her shoulders in strawberry-gold curls accented by little flecks of sunshine. Her lips curved in a warm smile, and as she lifted her chin, her sapphire earrings twinkled in the light. God, Henry was a lucky man.

He was brought back to earth by a sudden chuckle.

"Has our presence startled you so much?!"

Fumbling with the reins, he averted his eyes from Henry's treasure hurriedly.

"Yes, I – uh, I was lost in thought, and didn't expect to cross paths with anyone." Richard feigned an easy laugh, "Looks like you've both enjoyed your afternoon! Any left for me?!" and he dismounted and roped his horse to a nearby tree.

"Have some wine my friend." Henry leaned over, pouring him a goblet of red wine. Richard took the goblet and drank from it gladly.

"There are some grapes and cheese left…" a soft voice suggested, and turning to Catherine, he accepted the offering from her hand, trying not to show how much it affected him when his fingertips brushed hers. He thanked her, and turned back to Henry, who was eyeing him with amusement.

"What amuses you so?!"

"Nothing, nothing," his friend dipped his head to sip his wine, "Just that you seem distracted lately, and I know what it is!" Richard would have choked on his own wine had it not been for the fact that Henry seemed delighted with his own discovery, so it couldn't be that he knew of Richard's feelings for his wife.

"Oh?" he ventured, with as much apathy as he could muster.

"Since Lady Christine set her sights on that Baron, you've been missing her company – am I right?"

"Well, er – I… it – she wasn't the lady for me, so it's of little consequence."

"Ahh, au contraire my friend, au contraire!" Henry smirked with an air of mystery to his smugness and sat up. "We've been friends forever – trust me, I know your thoughts!" He paused to sip again. "There are some nobles visiting tomorrow from Rouen, aaand… I have arranged for you to dine with the delectable Lady Jeanette, the day after her arrival!"

Richard's heart sank. Little did Henry know that he himself had put the distance between he and Christine, not the other way around, because he knew it was unfair to her to draw her interest when he could think only of Catherine, however inappropriate it was. He had no heart for anyone else, and he did not relish the thought of an arranged encounter with another young lady. Glancing at Catherine, he realised that he would have to be careful to appear uninterested, and that meant he must appear interested in other ladies. He straightened his shoulders and smiled.

"Thank you! How fortunate I am to have such an influential friend with my best interests at heart!" He clapped Henry on the shoulder and reached for the bottle of wine to refill his glass. "I can't wait to meet her."

He felt brave enough to give Catherine a friendly grin, and she dipped her head with her shy smile in return, caught off guard. Her sweet dimple flashed in her cheek, and a ringlet slipped over her shoulder and brushed across her collar bone. Watching her retrieve it and curl it absent-mindedly around her finger, he forgot everything else around him. She was more beautiful and captivating than anything he had ever seen – even the hundreds of roses and rhododendrons adorning the royal gardens beyond her seemed pale and colourless in comparison to the most perfect flower in the garden sitting before him.

He was thoroughly smitten.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The summer was warm and pleasant, and the days stretched long. Evenings for the young nobles were spent outside the castle walls, so enjoyable was the evening light and climate. Boating on the lake, evening picnics until dusk overtook them and the servants brought out lanterns to see by, walks among the gardens. Henry and Catherine appeared so happy and in love, that all of society around them seemed to take up the sentiment. Of course, the young royals were very sociable, and frequently invited the young men of the court and their ladies to join them in their evening pursuits.

Richard attended every event, naturally, as he was both the young Prince's best friend, and half of a romantic couple with the recently arrived Lady Jeanette. She had turned out to be bubbly and sweet, and very pretty, and Richard enjoyed her company very much – though she could never compare to Catherine in his eyes. He was determined, however, to put her out of his mind, as much as was possible with her being ever-present at the castle. The routine of court and the proximity of their circles meant that he saw Catherine every day, sometimes several times a day, and the challenge to forget her was great. She seemed to Richard more beautiful than she had ever been, now that she was so clearly in love. All of court celebrated the happy marriage between Catherine and Henry, and of course there was talk that any day now, there would be a joyous announcement of a new royal baby. The sparkle in her eyes and the way she radiated joy… Her smile, which was seen often now, genuine and pure, was breath-taking. Hearing her laugh was, to Richard at least, like hearing angels sing. She was harder to ignore than ever. Of course, Richard did not mean to actually ignore her, but rather to be cordial and friendly whilst distancing his heart from her. It was an almost impossible task, but he pressed on regardless.

This particular evening, after the boating fun, as the light began to fade, the grass was dotted with couples strolling, and small groups of young people relaxing together and laughing, before heading back to the castle. Jeanette, who had spent the evening by Richard's side, her hand laid gently on his forearm, had been persuaded to join two of her friends for a stroll around the lake, and he could see them now at the curve of the lake, picking blades of grass out of each other's hair and laughing. He smiled, watching them.

"Jeanette seems very nice."

Catherine's voice startled him. She had been with Henry only moments before, further up the grassy slope, but glancing back, Richard could see that he and his brother, Francis, were engaged in a rather serious-looking discussion. He assumed that Catherine must have decided to give them some space. He both loved and hated the fact that Catherine was so much more relaxed around him than she had been at first. Being Henry's closest friend, she spent a lot of time with Richard, especially over these summer months, and it was only natural that they should become accustomed to each other's company. She no longer averted her eyes or blushed when he spoke to her, and she had lost that shyness that had so charmed him at first. She was friendly, and a wonderful conversationalist, and impossible to talk to without being struck by her beauty in all her mannerisms. It was both a blessing and a curse to Richard.

He smiled at her briefly, letting his eyes wander back to the ladies at the lakeside.

"Yes," he ventured at length, "she is. I am very fortunate that Henry thought to introduce us while she is staying at court."

"Will she extend her stay, do you think? Henry was saying that he is sure that permanent accommodation can be found for her, should you… should you have reason for her to stay."

Richard shrugged his shoulders awkwardly. "I – I don't know. I hadn't thought about it really."

"You haven't?!" Catherine's tone was amused. "Don't you think about such things, about your future?!" She gave a little giggle and hugged her knees slightly, eyeing Richard with a sparkle in her eyes.

"I do, of course I do!" Richard attempted a light-hearted laugh, as he tried to avert his gaze from the sparkling eyes of the one lady that he truly longed to spend the rest of his life with, whose presence had consumed his thoughts these past months like nothing and nobody ever had before.

"I have to be certain, though, don't I? You're fortunate to have had no choice in the matter, and to have been well-matched."

Catherine hugged her knees to herself more tightly. "Yes, I have been fortunate indeed." She smiled contentedly, gazing out over the lake at the colours of the fading sunset reflected on the water. Richard watched her relaxed expression as she took in the view before her, the silence between them comfortable for the few minutes that it lasted, before she spoke again.

"Don't you sometimes wish you could just make time pause?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I mean, look at this beautiful view!"

"I am." thought Richard to himself, as he watched her.

"The colours… it was such a marvellous sunset tonight. Just everything about the scene, the smell of the air, the sounds of happiness around us – even the birds sound contented, don't you think?" She smiled and breathed deeply, as though trying to breathe in all that she rejoiced in around her. "This happy time in my life, and this scene. If I could make time stop, and bottle it to enjoy forever, whenever I wanted to…" Catherine stopped short and shook herself slightly, laughing. "You mustn't mind me – I should never have let Henry persuade me to have that last glass of wine!"

She stood and brushed grass from her skirts. Richard smiled at her.

"I am very happy for you and Henry."

His beloved smiled back at him. "Thank you, Richard. I wish you equal happiness in marriage – to whomever that might be!" she added mysteriously, with a purposeful glance at the ladies making their return towards them from the lakeside. Then, with a final fluff of her skirts, she wandered back to her husband.