Chapter Fourteen
They had been traveling a few days now, and Jacqueline had no inkling of their destination. Her father had stealthily taken her out of Carisbrooke and then had deposited her into a covered wagon, one he had arranged to have waiting for him. The two men-at-arms who had been sitting atop it were the earl’s men. They each wore his livery.
Once she was safely hidden from view, the earl had mounted his horse that had been tied to the back of the wagon. He had given a signal to the two men, and with a slap of the reins, it had lurched into motion.
Alone, Jacqueline had plenty of time to think—of what her father had forced her to do. She hoped Terric realized what she had written was a lie, but a small part of her knew he would not. Why would he? It was not as if she had ever said she loved him. Nor had he spoken those three simple words to her either.
The more time she dwelled on it, the more insecure she became about how Terric actually felt about her. Maybe he was happy she was gone. He could go back to the tournament circuit, free to flirt with all the available women who flocked to him wherever he went.
As the days went by and no one came to rescue her from the earl, Jacqueline felt her ponderings were more than just mere thoughts but actual truth. Terric was not coming. He was glad to be rid of her.
Feeling as if her worst fears were confirmed, Jacqueline grew morose. Where her father was taking her was no longer important. For if Terric no longer wanted her, life was meaningless. It mattered not what became of her. So when her father told her their destination, she could only feel it fitting. This would be the last humiliation. First, Terric’s betrayal by not coming in search of her and now this. The earl was taking her to Nunney Castle, the home of Forwin De La Mare, the Earl of Somerset.
* * * *
The last night before they were to arrive at Nunney Castle, the earl led his party to an inn in a small market town. Since they would be reaching their destination on the morrow, he wanted Jacqueline to look presentable, which could not be accomplished by spending the night sleeping out under the stars.
Jacqueline, so deeply sunk in her own misery, barely noticed the inn into which her father escorted her. The only reason she spared it a passing glance was the name of it. The Happy Bride. She could not help but sneer up at it. She was anything but that.
The earl paid the innkeeper for the two rooms he requested, then the man led them to the inn’s upper floor. The room to which she was taken was sparse, but it seemed clean enough.
After the innkeeper returned below stairs, the earl finally divulged his plans. “As you know, we will reach Nunney on the morrow. You will be respectful to Forwin. He is to be your husband. I want him to see what an obedient wife you will make him. He has graciously overlooked what transpired before.”
Only half-listening to what he told her, Jacqueline sat on the bed. There was no point in responding to the earl’s dictates so she remained silent. As the silence stretched between them, her father continued. “This door will be locked from the outside. I will be in the room next to this one. As well, one of my men will be standing guard just outside. So do not even bother to try to leave.” He headed for the door, but added one last demand. “I want you ready at first light.” He left her alone.
She had no idea how long she sat on the bed, staring at nothing. It only seemed a matter of minutes from the time of the earl’s departure until someone knocked on her room door. Once she bid them to enter, it opened to admit one of her father’s men, carrying a tray of food. He placed it on the small table next to the bed, then promptly exited. The lock turned on the other side.
She lifted the cloth that covered the tray and found a meat pie along with a couple of thick slices of cheese and a tankard of ale. She picked up the tray, then placed it on the bed before her and methodically ate.
The fare was simple but well-prepared. After finishing every last morsel, Jacqueline returned the tray to the small side table. She stripped off her gown to her chemise and looked at the state of her only garment. It showed the wear from days of travel. There was nothing she could do to remedy that, but she made use of the water provided in her room. She quickly washed some of the dirt from her body.
Jacqueline slipped between the bedsheets and hoped sleep would claim her. Surprisingly, it did come easily, and with it came a dream.
In it, Terric held her in his arms. He kissed her, holding nothing back. She kissed him in return with all the pent-up passion that had built inside her. She desperately clung to his muscular frame, afraid to let go. Afraid he would disappear and she would lose him forever. The dream shifted. One moment he was passionately kissing her, then the next he stood at a very great distance away. Jacqueline tried to reach him, but each step she took the farther away he seemed. In frustration, she called to him. He turned his back on her, moving into the thickening mist, which enveloped them. Before he disappeared completely, he spoke. His voice was muffled, but what he said turned her dream into a nightmare. He told her he could never love her. He could never forgive her for what she had done. With tears streaming down her face, she screamed his name, but it was no use. He still walked away, leaving her to mourn the loss of him.
Jerking awake, Jacqueline realized there were tears on her cheeks. She roughly wiped them away, then looked about the room, trying to get her bearings. Nothing had changed. She was still in the small rented chamber and Terric was not there to take her away.
She noticed the faint light seeping through the curtain-covered window. Dawn had come. The earl would be fetching her soon. Before this day came to a close, she would be facing her real-life nightmare.
* * * *
Forwin had been expecting them, which did not surprise Jacqueline in the least. Her father would have arranged this meeting prior to taking her from her home. If Forwin had not been agreeable to the idea of making a match with her, the earl would have left her alone. Until another prospect presented itself, that is. Why expend energy on a useless cause?
Standing in the hall of Nunney Castle, Jacqueline held herself stiffly while Forwin circled her. As he poked her here and there, she bit her lower lip until she tasted blood. The urge to slap his face was great, but she was no fool. Any defiance on her part would be dealt with swiftly by the earl.
Forwin, seemingly satisfied with what he saw, nodded. “I find her acceptable.”
Smiling, the earl said, “She is yours then. I presume you have made the proper arrangements?”
“Aye, all is at the ready. The priest will perform the ceremony on the morrow.”
“Excellent.” The earl rubbed his hands together, apparently very pleased. “Now all that is left to do is sign the marriage contracts. If you can arrange a chamber for my daughter, we can get down to business.”
Forwin gave Jacqueline one last licentious glance, then clapped his hands. A young servant girl entered the hall a second later.
“Alice, take the Lady Jacqueline to her chamber.”
Meekly, the girl nodded, then not waiting to see if Jacqueline followed, she crossed the hall to the stairway. Quite happy to be out of Forwin’s presence, Jacqueline hurried to catch up.
The chamber was sumptuously appointed. A beautifully crafted writing desk was placed beneath the only window set high in one of the walls. The bed sat upon a raised dais. Its hangings were heavy velvet, colored dusty-rose. A matching cover was spread across the mattress.
The mental picture of what could possibly happen in that bed caused Jacqueline to shiver. If Forwin tried to consummate their marriage, she would fight him to the bitter end.
After making a full circle around the chamber, Jacqueline walked back to the waiting Alice. The young servant girl kept her gaze downcast. She was young. She seemed no older than three and ten, if that. Her fine brown hair was pulled back in a single braid, which fell to her waist. Her brown serviceable gown was made from homespun and looked as if it had been made for a much larger woman. It hung on her frame so loosely there was no way to determine the shape of her body.
The girl would not acknowledge her presence. Jacqueline asked, “Your name is Alice?”
Startled, the servant girl jumped at the sound of her voice, which did not go unnoticed by Jacqueline. “Aye, my lady.”
“What are your duties in the castle?”
Still keeping her eyes adverted, Alice answered, “I used to work in the kitchen, but now I am to be your maid. If you find me acceptable.”
There was a slight tremor in the girl’s voice when she had spoken. It was not hard to guess what would befall Alice if she was found unworthy.
Thinking it best to lay the girl’s fears to rest, Jacqueline said, “I will not reject you as my maid. It will be a learning experience for the both of us. You see, I have always made do for myself.”
Alice lifted her gaze to meet Jacqueline’s. Her eyes were hazel. “Thank you, my lady.”
Jacqueline smiled and received a timid smile in return. She had an ally now in the form of this young girl. She would not have to be totally alone, after all.
* * * *
As dawn broke over the horizon, it heralded the end of her freedom. For after the short ceremony that would be performed in the chapel, she would no longer be her own woman. She would be classed as chattel, a possession Forwin owned and could use as he saw fit. The thought sickened her.
A soft tapping on the chamber door forced Jacqueline to come to grips with what would happen to her this day. She sat up in bed and bade the person on the other side to enter.
Alice walked into her chamber with the gown her mother had made for her marriage to Terric. The servant girl had taken it away the evening before. She obviously had cleaned it.
“Time to get up, my lady. Your father will come for you soon. He bade me to tell you to wear this gown again.”
Jacqueline easily guessed the motive behind his request. What better way to remind her of all she had lost? He hoped to hurt her, make it a punishment for choosing to live her life as she wanted. He failed, though. It would not hurt her to wear the gown. It would be her cross to bear. Her penance for writing all those hurtful words to Terric.
During the long night she had done a lot of thinking. It was her words that had pushed Terric from her. He had not seen past them, had not trusted her enough to call them false. Now she had to pay the price by being locked in a loveless marriage to a man she detested.
Accepting the inevitable, Jacqueline arose and let Alice help her prepare for her wedding. There was no feeling of joy as there had been when she was to have wed Terric. If it had been possible, she would have worn mourning clothes.
After her father came to fetch her, the rest of the day’s happenings seemed to blur and run together.
During the ceremony, she stood beside Forwin and dutifully repeated her vows, not really paying close attention to the words. The feel of him sliding his ring upon her finger caused her a moment of clarity before she receded back into herself.
The wedding feast was a very small affair. The people present were Jacqueline, Forwin, and the earl. Forwin had no living family and was the last of his line. If, at his death, he produced no heir, his title and lands would revert back to the crown, hence, his need for a new wife after the death of each of the previous ones. He had tried to produce that elusive heir again and again.
The meal complete, Forwin summoned Alice to escort Jacqueline to her chamber. Jacqueline knew what was to come. With leaden feet, she followed the younger girl up the stairs, feeling as if she walked to her execution.
After helping Jacqueline remove her gown, Alice put her into bed and then left, leaving Jacqueline alone await her fate. She prayed it would be over swiftly.