Chapter Thirteen
Terric was nervous. He could face a fully armed knight charging down the list, but the thought of standing in front of a priest, reciting his vows to the woman he loved, was downright terrifying. Having Edwin fuss over him was not making matters better. The boy kept pulling at his tunic, trying to make it sit just so.
Having reached the end of his patience, Terric slapped Edwin’s hands away. “Enough, Edwin. If you pull on my tunic any more, you will put a hole in it.”
Edwin stepped back and gave Terric a thorough inspection. “I just want you to look perfect is all. You do not get married every day.”
“You have done a fine job. Thanks to you, I will not shame Jacqueline by looking scruffy.”
How he was attired on this important day was all Edwin’s doing. As Lady Elizabeth and her daughter-in-law had labored over Jacqueline’s gown, Edwin had been busy selecting what Terric would wear. Though he had few items of clothing, he did have outfits that were appropriate for the feasts after the tournaments he attended. His squire had gone through it all and personally mended and cleaned the items he had picked.
The tunic was black velvet, embroidered with gold threads along the cuffs, hem, and neck. Even though it was acceptable to have gems sewn onto it as well, Terric was never one to be so ostentatious. His hose was black, along with his boots. The belt strapped around his waist was plain black leather with a gold buckle.
Terric poured himself a goblet of wine, hoping it would help to steady his nerves. He resisted the urge to quaff it down in one large gulp and made himself take a small sip.
After knocking once, a very agitated Lady Elizabeth entered his chamber. The expression upon her face made Terric assume all was not well. He put his goblet down and then stepped closer to her.
“What is wrong, my lady?”
“It is Jacqueline.”
Having only heard Jacqueline’s name, a flood of worry washed over Terric. In his anxiety, he grabbed Lady Elizabeth by the upper arms and inadvertently squeezed. “What? Is she hurt? Tell me.” The older woman cringed, he realized he was hurting her. “My apologies. I did not mean to cause you pain.”
Lady Elizabeth rubbed her arms and nodded. “I know you did not. Jacqueline is not injured. At least I hope she is not. It is just…she is missing. She is not in her chamber, and I cannot find her anywhere.”
“How can she have disappeared? Could she have gone to the chapel on her own?”
“Nay, I already checked. She was not there.”
Unable to accept Jacqueline just having vanished into thin air, Terric brushed past Lady Elizabeth and went to his intended’s chamber. Edwin and Lady Elizabeth followed. Seeing the empty chamber gave Terric an eerie feeling. Jacqueline was supposed to be there, happily preparing to pledge her love to him.
He searched her empty chamber, hoping to find a clue as to her whereabouts. The others joined in the search as well. They soon realized Jacqueline’s wedding gown was missing. Presumably, she had it with her. There was no sign of a struggle either. It looked as if she had calmly walked away. Feeling frustrated, Terric sat on the bed, leaving Edwin and Lady Elizabeth to continue the search.
Where could she have gone? He could not see Jacqueline leaving of her own free will. She knew how much he loved her. Now that he thought back on it, Terric sickened as he realized he had not once spoken those very words to her. He would have to rectify that error when they found her.
Leaning back on his arms, one of his hands slipped under a pillow. His knuckles brushed against what felt like a piece of parchment. He grasped it between his fingers and pulled out the folded missive.
Terric opened the stiff paper and read it. The more he read, the more his heart shattered into a million pieces.
His voice held no emotion when he asked, “My lady, is this Jacqueline’s handwriting?”
Lady Elizabeth went to the bed and glanced at the piece of parchment Terric held. “Aye, it is. Where did you find it?”
“Under one of her pillows.”
“What does it say?”
Terric wadded up the missive in his fist, then jerked to his feet. “More fool I for believing I would be able to keep her. It seems your daughter has had a change of heart.”
He threw the balled-up parchment into a corner of the chamber, then stomped out the door.
* * * *
Something was dreadfully wrong, she just knew it. Hoping to get some answers, Beth went in search of her mother-in-law.
She had waited at the chapel after making sure the servants had everything under control for the meal to be served after the wedding ceremony. Sir Guy was the only person to arrive at the appropriate time, which concerned her. As minutes ticked by and still the main participants had not arrived, she decided to see for herself what caused the delay.
Encountering no one in the hall, the feeling that all was not well increased. Only after she entered Jacqueline’s chamber and found Lady Elizabeth alone, holding a very crumpled piece of parchment, did she feel the full impact of uneasiness wash over her.
“She is gone, Beth.”
“Who? Jacqueline?”
Wearily, Lady Elizabeth nodded in affirmation. “Aye, she has gone. How could she do that to Terric? I never expected her to act in this way. She seemed so happy with him.”
“She was…I mean, is. How do you know Jacqueline no longer wants to go through with the wedding?”
The older woman held out the abused parchment for Beth to read. “She wrote this to Terric.”
Beth took the missive and read:
Terric,
I cannot marry you this day. I thought I could go through with it, but I cannot bring myself to be tied to a lowly knight for the rest of my life. I do not love you. I never did. You were just a means to an end. Now I have reached that end, making you an inconvenience. Do not look for me. I will only spurn you.
Jacqueline
Shocked, Beth read the missive once again. Even though it was written in Jacqueline’s hand, the words did not sound like her own. Jacqueline loved Terric. She would never hurt him so. There had to be a very good reason she would do that, one that made her act so rashly.
“Has Terric seen this?”
“Aye.” Lady Elizabeth sighed deeply. “I am afraid it was he who found it. He did not take it very well at all.”
The chamber door still stood open, and the sound of heavy booted feet descending the stairs could be easily heard. Beth raced into the hallway in time to see Terric disappear down the flight of stairs.
Edwin, who stood at his master’s chamber door, looked crestfallen. He sadly shook his head. “He has ordered me to pack his belongings. We leave this day.”
“Where has he gone?”
“To the stables to ready the horses.”
Beth picked up her skirts and rushed down the stairs. She did not slow her pace until she reached the stables. She stepped into the building and waited a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dim interior. Frantically, she searched for any sign of Terric. She did not see him at first glance. It was not until he walked out of a stall, leading his mount did she sigh with relief. He was still there.
He looked her way, but chose to ignore her as he adjusted his saddle. Not at all deterred, Beth went to stand beside him. “She did not leave you, Terric.”
He snorted in disbelief. “Funny, but I thought that was exactly what she did. What do you take me for? An idiot?”
“She loves you. You have to believe that.”
Terric pushed past her and led his horse into the bailey. Beth followed. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a halt. “Do not leave. We have to find her.”
None too gently, he plucked her restraining hand from his arm. “I have no intention of ever seeing Jacqueline again. She made her feelings perfectly clear in her missive. I am just abiding by her wishes.”
“Forget the damn missive! Just answer one question. In any way, has she ever caused you to doubt how she feels about you?”
Terric gave Beth the full force of his anger. “Enough,” he said with a snarl. “I will not listen to your nonsense any longer. She has made her choice.” He swung a leg up and over his horse’s back. “Tell Edwin to meet me at the ferry. I can no longer tolerate being at Carisbrooke. Give Lady Elizabeth my farewell.”
After adjusting his reins, Terric walked his horse through the castle gates. Not once did he look back.