Chapter I: Part II
The shaky sigh that escaped Adelaide's lips echoed harshly about the high, chapel-like ceiling. She suddenly felt that the tower was no longer the place of safety it had seemed to be. Up here, separated from the strained courtesies of the castle ladies and the uneasy feeling of having intruded upon a higher family's home, she had been at peace, but the burn of the stranger's eyes had reached even this sanctuary. Hands to her flushed cheeks, she left the chamber.
The steps led down to a long corridor. As she walked, the soft voices of women sounded from around a corner. Like a fleet of ships rounding the cape, they entered her view: the two daughters of Malvoisin and their handmaids. They sailed towards Adelaide, tall and straight and beautiful, a king's navy coming upon a hapless fishing boat. A hushed whisper swept through them, and they came to a stop. Adelaide curtsied; she could not address her superiors first.
"Well met, Lady Adelaide!" the eldest daughter said, in a voice that was warmer than her eyes, "My sister and I were desiring to speak with you."
"Indeed, we were," the younger one added, "though we expected to find you in your room…"
As she spoke, a collective sound came from the others, a sudden rustle as a dozen hands lifted in an eloquent expression of horror. In a moment, the younger sister caught on to the reason behind their actions, and she fell silent.
"Oh, but Adelaide!" the eldest cried, "Are you well? Where is your handmaid? You are completely alone!"
Adelaide had one handmaiden; her name was Marie and she was very delicate. She had fallen sick from the cold and wet of the weather and had lain in bed all morning. When the fever broke, she fell into a deep sleep from which she had yet to awake. Adelaide explained this quickly to the castle ladies, determined that they should not think her so poor as to lack a handmaid. She could see in their exchange of looks that it was still an improper and ignorant decision to wander the castle halls alone. They had learnt their own etiquette well; it was manners, after all, that most distinguished the noble from the peasant. To be noble was to be courteous, generous, and hospitable - or at least, to pretend to be - and so it did not surprise Adelaide when the eldest daughter lent her one of her own handmaids.
"I thank you, Lady Felicia," Adelaide said as she accepted this gift. "Your courtesy does credit to you and your family."
"Think nothing of it," replied the lady, "It is my pleasure to see that the house of Malvoisin upholds its reputation for hospitality. May it never be said that any guest, no matter how unworthy, lacked anything while we can do aught to prevent it!"
The castle ladies voiced their agreement, praising Lady Felicia's commitment to the honor of her family. If there was an insult hidden in her words, none of them acknowledged it, and neither could Adelaide. When Felicia asked if she was in need of anything else - which, she explained, was her reason for wishing to speak with Adelaide - the visiting girl replied that she lacked nothing.
"However," she said, before the ladies could depart, "If you would be so gracious as to indulge my curiosity, there is one question I would ask. A while after sunset I heard a horn sound outside and saw Lord Malvoisin welcome more guests into the castle. I prithee, who are they?"
At this question, the handmaids giggled, and one of them, whispering into the ear of the youngest daughter, caused a deep crimson blush to suffuse her countenance. A teasing whisper rose among them, and suddenly, they were no longer great cedar ships but little sailboats, bobbing up and down with the waves. Only lady Felicia appeared unaffected, as she replied with dignity:
"They are my father's childhood friend, the Lord Henri de Bois Guilbert, and his sons, the knights Enrique and Brian de Bois Guilbert. They have always been the greatest of friends with my father and his family, and it is hoped that one day a bond stronger than this will unite both our families and our lands."
"Two bonds, perhaps," added the younger sister, speaking for the first time, and instantly a second and deeper blush covered the first one.
"Do not voice such idle thoughts, Katrine," Felicia reprimanded her, and her lip curled ever so slightly, "Only the eldest need marry, and it is the will of our father that decides to whom your hand shall be given."
"Yes, sister," the other answered reluctantly, "but think you not that a union twice done will be twice as strong?"
"Peace! That was a pretty sentence, but in reality it holds no truth. Have I not warned you to beware of fanciful and unsubstantiated hopes? A true woman submits her desires to the will of God; we are but humble pawns in His mighty plans. Will you be attending dinner, lady Adelaide?"
"Oh, yes, of course."
"In that case, farewell until then. Come, maidens, let us go prepare."
And with that, the Lady Felicia lifted her skirts and departed with an air of grandeur that did not fit one who claimed to be a mere pawn in the hands of God.
A/N: Ok, so kind of long author's note for this one. First, though I've taken a long time to get the rest of Chapter 1 up, I still do fully intend to continue this story. Life's just pretty busy, so I'm not going to be very quick about it. /em/p
Secondly, I actually had characters talking in this part, and I hope it sounds natural! I've done quite a lot of research for this and other medieval stories I've written, but I always try to balance realism with comprehensibility, so the speech of my characters is somewhat more modern than in Sir Walter Scott's writing. Hence, as much as I love them, I'm not going to be using thee/thou/thine etc, and I'm not going to enforce extremely proper etiquette, always sticking "Lady" or "Lord" before someone's name - my use of those will just depend on the context.
And finally, usually it takes me a couple of chapters to establish the tone of the story as well as the character's personalities, so with this being a WIP, it'll take a while. Despite all that, I hope you'll bear with it and find it enjoyable after all!
Until next time, farewell! - ScribeOfIvanhoe
P.S. Next chapter we'll meet Brian de Bois-Guilbert and some other main characters... :D