Chapter 18
Will watched her with a sidelong glance. Juliana’s eyes sparkled with excitement, though she tried to hide it.
“You see. I told you I’d have you home in time for Yuletide,” he said, in an overly bright voice as he took in his surroundings.
The room was sumptuous, and he couldn’t help but notice how right she looked in it. Her family’s home was a half-timbered townhouse. They’d gone up past the store on the ground floor to the residence above. The outside had been deceiving in its ordinariness. In truth, the inside was furnished more richly than his.
She spun around to face him, her cheeks flushed. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could speak, a door at the end of the hall opened. In no time at all, she was caught in the eager embrace of a young boy, who gave a shout of greeting as she enfolded him in her arms. The bond of love shared between the two was obvious to any onlooker.
The door opened again, and a tall, robust man in elegant clothing came in. A frail old man, indeed, thought Will as the man approached him.
“Sir William, I owe you many thanks for keeping my daughter safe from harm.”
“’Twas my pleasure,” he said, taking his hand in a firm grip.
“Your pleasure, eh!” Juliana snorted. “Father, I’m pleased to present my husband to you. Husband, this is my father, Charles Basset.” The small child had relaxed his hold on Juliana and stared at Will now with frank interest. “And, this little mite is John,” she said, giving Will a smile.
Juliana’s father held out a hand to Will. “After we sit down to dine, you and I have a matter to discuss. We must have a proper wedding, and there is the dowry to talk about. I know Juliana would like to rest a bit after your long journey, and John has something he’s been anxious to show her.”
“The dog had puppies!” the little boy cried out.
“Well, I must see them at once.” Juliana looked over her shoulder and winked at Will.
“Also, I made a wood carving for you.”
“Let’s go, then.”
When they left the hall, Will turned to Charles. “He doesn’t know who he is?”
“We think it best he doesn’t know of his royal parentage. Knowing such a thing could only breed discontent. He thinks his mother was one of our serving girls, and he’s been happy growing up as part of our family. He thinks he’s been lucky in life. No reason to put warring thoughts in his head.”
“And, you’re sure nobody suspects the king is his father?”
“One can never be sure, but I’ve never heard a hint of it. We hid my daughter’s pregnancy from everyone outside the family, telling all she had fallen ill, and kept her away from prying eyes. When she didn’t survive childbirth, we told everyone she died of a wasting disease.”
“What would you have done had she lived, I wonder?”
“Believe me when I say I wished I’d been faced with such a dilemma and that my daughter had lived. As fate would have it, one of our servants had just lost a baby, so she raised John as her own. But that was not to be, either. Before John was two years of age, his adoptive mother and father died of a fever within hours of each other.”
“And then, Juliana stepped in and raised the lad.”
“Yes, she’s been devoted to John. He was never out of her sight when he was little. She protected him as if he were her own. When he missed his parents in the beginning, he was inconsolable. He couldn’t sleep at night, and she’d hold and rock him until he quieted down. I worried for her health, at the time.”
Will thought of the boy and the shock he’d gotten when he first set eyes on him. “I knew the king when we were boys. John looks much like him.”
“Too much. That was why we needed to avoid having you show up here. When you presented your plan to take Juliana away, we welcomed your intrusion. It would put everyone’s attention on her and her flight, while keeping the boy safe from inquisitive folk, wishing to stir up trouble.”
Will smiled and shook his head. They played me. “I’m sure the king doesn’t know of the boy’s existence. He only wanted me to make Juliana safe. This may be small consolation to you, but he did love your daughter in his own way.”
“Thank you. John is a good boy. I want to see him live a happy life.”
“You’ll miss him when we leave.”
“Of course, I will. Both Juliana and John, but I have much comfort in knowing they are safe and in a loving home. I’ve worried she was sacrificing her own happiness to raise the boy. When I got her letter telling me you were to be married, I was overjoyed. I can see you love her,” he said softly.
“I do. That I do. With all my heart.”
The sound of her voice coming through the door at the end of the hall washed over his mind like a soothing melody.
• ♥ •
Juliana strained her ears, listening for the sound of Will’s voice. They had been almost constant companions since she fled to his house, and the blood in her veins was zinging with the desire to be by his side again. She’d never known so strong a love before.
Well, almost never had she enjoyed such love. She looked down at John holding the carving of a horse he made, looking at her for approval. “It’s magnificent!”
He beamed at her, but then his head drooped. “I’m to live with you. Will I like it there?”
“Certainly! I love it there. So, you shall, too. We’ll have a wonderful life together!”
Juliana hugged the boy to her. Her thoughts ran to Lettice and how unlucky she’d been in love. She was under the care of relatives now and rapidly coming back to herself. Juliana hoped she’d find a good man to love and marry after all she’d been through.
John squirmed out of her arms. “Can I show Sir William my horse?”
“Yes, let’s go find him,” she said, glad to have the excuse to rejoin him.
Will was still in deep conversation in the hall when, hand in hand, she led John into the room. When he raised his sights to her, his face transformed with love. Juliana crossed the room and slipped her arms around his neck. “Merry Christmas, my love,” she whispered through the curtain of golden curls over his ear.
His lips brushed her cheek. “My lady. Forever.”
Over his shoulder she saw the servants setting the table for the Christmas feast. Delicious scents of roasted meats and spices amid the evergreen boughs hung in decorations.
A finger under her chin lifted her face to his eyes again. Dancing, merry eyes. His knight. Her destiny. ’Tis good.