The Jester

And he knew who had it.

A furor built in Stephen’s chest. His underlings were lathering on, blabbering about his holdings, his wealth. It was all rubbish-insignificant. He felt as if he were about to explode.

“Get out,” he stood and screamed. The bailiff and the seneschal looked at him, surprised. “Get out! Leave me be! You go on about this new tax, or a new flock of sheep. Your eyes are fixed on the ground. I am dreaming of everlasting life.”

He swept his hand across the table in front of him, and a tray of wine goblets clattered to the floor. Everybody scurried, fleeing their places as if the whole structure were about to collapse.

Only Norbert, his jester, remained, clinging to the base of his chair and shaking like a man in seizure, trying to make him laugh.

“It is no use, Norbert. Do not waste your jest. Let it be.”

“It is no jest.” Norbert shook, lips trembling. “Your chair is on my hand.”

Finally Stephen grunted back a smile and the loyal jester rolled away, shaking his swollen hand.

A servant nervously approached to clear the mess. Stephen waved him away. His eyes followed the trail of spilled wine until they came to rest upon someone’s boot.

Who is so presumptuous as to approach? Stephen thought. He looked up at the face of Morgaine, the leader of his Tafur guard. Black Cross.

“Have you come to taunt me, Morgaine, with news of another village laid waste without my prize?”

“No, I have come to cheer you, my lord, with news that I know where the treasure is.”

Stephen’s eyes widened. “Where?”

“Your cousin, the lady Emilie, has led me right to it,” Black Cross said with a pinched smile.

[269] “Emilie?” Stephen’s face twitched. “What has Emilie to do with this prize? She is in Toulon.”

“She is not in Toulon,” Black Cross said. He whispered close. “But in a little pisshole in the duchy of Treille, Veille du Père.”

“Veille du Père? I know that name. I thought you had already sacked-”

“Yes.” Morgaine nodded, seeing Stephen come to understand. “She is with the i

Chapter 90

TO MY AMAZEMENT AND DELIGHT, Emilie did not leave as soon as she had delivered her gift. She stayed on for the next few days. I was in heaven.

I showed her the work we were doing to fortify the town. The perimeter defenses of sharpened stakes, strong enough to repel a sudden charge; the battle stations high in the trees, from where we could rain arrows and stones on any attackers. She saw the passion with which I urged my friends and neighbors to resist. And she heartily approved.

In between, I treated her to the best sights of our village. The lily pond in the woods where I liked to swim. A field high in the hills where sunflowers ran wild in the summer. And she helped me at the i

I knew this fantasy would have to come to an end. Soon she would leave. Yet she seemed comfortable. So I allowed myself to pretend. That Emilie would not be missed and looked for. That it was safe here, free from attack. That something unthinkable was happening between us.

It was on a warm afternoon a few days later that I tossed down my tools before noon. “Come.” I took Emilie by the [271] hand. “It’s not a day to be working. I want to show you a beautiful place. Please, my lady.”

I took her up into the hills, past the knoll where Sophie and Phillipe lay. The sun beat deliciously against our skin. High above town, an open meadow stretched out, the tall grass golden under the blue sky.

“It’s gorgeous,” Emilie exclaimed, her eyes soaking in every burst of blue and flash of gold.

She flung herself down in the field and fa

I lay down beside her. Her soft blond hair fell off her shoulders, and I could see the hint of breasts peeking from the neckline of her dress. My blood was ru

“Tell me,” I said, propping myself up on my elbow, “what does the C stand for?”

“The C?”

“Your family name… It was on the box you gave me, and the initials we carved into the i

“Are you concerned,” she said with a laugh, “that I may not be a high enough match for you?”

“Of course not, I just…”

‘‘I was born in Paris, if you must know. I am the fourth child, with two brothers and a sister, all older. My father is remarkable, but not for the reasons you may suspect.”

“He is a noble, that much I know. A member of the royal court?”

“He is important; leave it at that. And educated. But sometimes his vision is as narrow as a fly’s.”

“You are the baby.” I winked. “And yet you have wandered away from the nest.”

“The nest is not always a welcome place.” Emilie looked away. “At least not for a woman down the pecking order. What [272] is there for me except to be educated in lofty arts and concepts I will never use? Or to be married off for gain to some old sod twice my age. Can you see me entertaining and receiving gifts from gassy old coots?”

“I have met only two duchesses,” I said, beaming, “and you outshine them in both beauty and heart.”

She put her palm against mine, and we held it there, for a moment, in silence. Then Emilie pushed me away. “Make me laugh, will you?”

“Make you laugh?”

“Yes. You were a jester. Quite a decent one.” Her eyes shined. “Come on. It shouldn’t be hard for you.”

“It’s not so easy,” I protested. “I mean, you just don’t blurt out a joke, in a place like this, and have it succeed.”

“Are you embarrassed, then? With me…? Come.” She pinched my arm. “It is only us. I will close my eyes. In all the world, it should not be so hard to know what will make me smile.”

Emilie closed her eyes with her chin raised. I stared at her face, the delicate yellow hair falling off her shoulder.

I felt my breath come to a halt.

She was incredibly lovely… And kind, generous, smart as a whip.

All of a sudden, there was nothing between us: no words, no barriers, just our two beating hearts. I placed my hand on her hip. Nervously-I prayed she would not take offense-I moved it up her side, over the curve of her waist.

She made no move to resist. I felt the strangest urge come over me. My breath was tight, my spine tingling. Had I felt this from the start? From the first moment I opened my eyes and saw her face?

I moved my hand over her shoulder and let it fall gently against the round of her breast. I felt her heart quiver. I had felt this only once before. Yet here it was again.

Slowly I placed my mouth upon her lips.

[273] Emilie did not resist, only moved closer, her mouth softly parting. Our tongues seemed to merge and dance as softly as clouds meeting in the sky.

She put her hand on my cheek, her breath as heavy as my own. Her skin smelled of lavender and balsam. In the warm rush of our kiss, I felt a new world open to me.

In a breath, we pulled away. She smiled. “You take advantage of me. I was warned of such country boys.”

“Tell me to wake up,” I said. “I know I am in a dream.”

“Wake up, then.” She placed my hand upon her heart. “And know that this is real.”

My own heart almost exploded with joy. I could not believe what was happening.

Then I heard the loud peal of church bells coming from town.