Chapter Six #2
Marion knew immediately which she preferred, the pale-blue brocade bodice with the highest neckline stood out to her straightaway.
“I agree, the red does not suit you, though the claret you wore yesterday was lovely on you. Let me see you by the rose one, and no, not that one either.” The third was a green gown but the color was almost murky, and Marion was certain it would not be flattering against her pale skin.
“Let me see you by the blue gown,” the queen said and raised the fabric against Marion’s hair and skin. “This one is perfect, and I have just the perfect accents for it.
With that, the queen left and the maids stripped off Marion’s robe and began the task of assembling the pieces of her gown.
First her shift, then her bodice, underskirts, then skirt, and finally the outer bodice.
Marion was sure she wouldn’t be able to sit down and nearly giggled to herself at the thought of eating standing up.
By the time the queen returned with her jewels, Marion was standing before herself in a full-length mirror, wondering who that person was in the reflection, for she had never seen herself like this before.
Truly, the effect was regal, and if that was what the queen had been working toward, she’d achieved it.
Now she truly hoped the earl liked it as well.
*
Alexander paced as he waited for Alain to return to inform him the solar was ready and he could at least go there and await Lady Marion.
He’d been deep in thought earlier when he viewed her and the queen strolling through the gardens earlier and he knew he needed to see more of her.
He constructed a plan and, with the king’s blessing, spent the afternoon organizing a private meal for them.
As the hour for their meal drew closer, Alexander became nervous for the first time in his life regarding a woman.
It was not that he didn’t know what to do with a woman or even be around one of Marion’s status.
He wanted this encounter with her to be without all the cacophony of the great hall and all its guests as he desperately needed to know if she was, in fact, different than the rest. He would then let himself give in to the passions she stirred in him.
And they ran deep. Alexander had tossed and turned the entire night thinking about her.
There was the definite possibility his sleepless night played a role in his mishap earlier, for which thankfully the bath and a tonic from the surgeon had remedied.
Now as he waited for their evening to begin, he took one more glance in the full-length mirror.
He’d opted to wear his dark blue brocade tunic with black trews and black boots.
He didn’t want to meet her all in black again, for certainly she would start thinking him a dark lord and that was the last thing he wanted.
If he had it his way, they would both wear their most casual attire, but he was well aware that with the king and queen’s involvement, this would be a lavishly set meal, and he would honor them for it.
“It is ready, my lord,” Alain said from the doorway of the chamber. The man’s expression was somber as he wore a slight frown.
“Is aught amiss?” Alexander asked him.
“Nay, my lord. But you look like a prince and the lady looks like a princess, and I fear I will lose my best friend after this night.”
Alexander shook his head. “No one will lose anything this night; of that I assure you.”
Alain seemed to shake himself out of his musings and then stepped aside for Alexander to exit the chamber. They walked to the solar which was not far, just down the hallway and around a corner. The sight that met him when he entered caused him to draw in his breath.
In the span of a few short hours, what he assumed was a relatively undecorated solar where the king conducted his business much like his own, had been transformed into an extension of the lavish decoration in the great hall.
A long table was dressed in beautiful floral arrangements and many platters of meats and cheeses and pies, along with ale and mead and red claret no doubt from the queen’s stores.
Near the main window, a smaller table was dressed in a gold candelabra, gold goblets, and gold trenchers. Two men he assumed from the kitchen stood by the food and drink, and as he passed by heard Alain tell them to pour Alexander a goblet of ale.
As he took in the decorations, he heard a sound behind him and turned to see Lady Marion enter with one of the queen’s ladies in waiting. His breath caught in his throat when he locked gazes with her.
She sparkled like a million diamonds between her shimmering pale blue dress, diamond earrings and necklace, and fine ribbon that danced through her hair from the floral wreath she wore on her head.
This dress, similar to the one she wore the night before, was modest in exposure around her breasts, but he could still make out their curvature and appreciate the shape of her waist.
He stepped toward her and extended his hand. “Will you join me, Lady Marion?”
“Aye, my lord, I shall.”
She took his hand, and from the moment they touched, his body hummed with heightened awareness of her.
“Would you like a goblet of the queen’s claret?”
She smiled and he stopped for a moment to stare at her mouth. “Aye, my lord, I would like that very much, for she has raved about it since I have told her how much I enjoy the mead she had made, which thankfully is less potent. I understand this claret is less potent as well.”
Alexander didn’t know that, but it made sense. His own stores of ale and mead were oft known to bring a grown man to his knees after consuming too much. It made sense to modify brewing to accommodate those who enjoyed the taste, but not the effect.
He poured a goblet then motioned for her to join him at the table. He placed the goblet down and moved her chair for her to sit then adjusted.
“I am very grateful you accepted my invitation,” he said, hoping to commence a conversation to avoid any awkwardness. Christ, why did he feel so nervous?
“And I am very pleased to see you recovered, my lord. Truly, watching you fall was something I do not wish to experience again.”
Was she even aware of the double meaning of her words? He had no doubt falling for her and losing her would be far more painful than landing on his head or his arse.
“It is not something I am in the habit of doing, Lady Marion, I assure you,” he said, trying to keep his tone light.
“May I confess something to you?” she asked, making his pulse quicken.
“Aye, you may.”
“I feel responsible for your fall. I should have insisted my favor be tucked into your gauntlet like her majesty suggested.”
“The fall had nothing to do with the position of your favor, Lady Marion,” he said and reached into the side of his tunic.
“I intend to keep your favor as a reminder of the honor from a beautiful lady,” he said as he pulled the fabric out to show her.
He’d insisted Alain retrieve it as soon as he woke from his sleep earlier, and thankfully the man appeared to read his mind and had already done so.
Lady Marion’s eyes went a little wide and her mouth formed a silent “oh”.
“So, you see, Lady Marion, you will not be permitted to blame yourself for a split second mistake on my part that landed me where I did for my own carelessness.”
She gave him a shy smile and took a sip of claret.
She appeared distracted for a moment as she tasted and contemplated the drink, giving him an opportunity to take her in.
By God, but she was glorious in every way.
And he was in big trouble when it came to her, as she did indeed appear a genuinely sensible young woman.
“Do you like it?” he asked her after watching her swallow and take another sip.
“I am not certain. ’Tis not as favorable to me as the mead, but I do think I like it.”
“You may have whatever you like, Lady Marion.”
She paused mid sip and then placed the goblet on the table. “You are very kind, my lord. Everyone has told me you are a good man.”
He wasn’t sure where she was going with that, but he would not jump to the same conclusion as he had the night before. It was not unreasonable for her to want to find a husband, and thus far she had approached the endeavor differently than everyone else.
“I should be glad to hear my reputation is such,” he said. “I have heard nothing but praise of you as well from your new friend.”
“It has been wonderful getting to know her over these past two days,” she said and cast her gaze out the window.
“Is aught the matter?”
She turned back to him with an almost sad expression. “I am not certain you are the person I should be having this conversation with, my lord.”
“Lady Marion, you may tell me anything.”
She sat back and placed her hands in her lap. “Very well,” she said. “I look at the situation of the royal couple and see that it was an arrangement made for them by others. I am in a situation where I feel I will not be permitted to have a say in a decision that will shape my whole future.”
Alexander knew exactly what she meant as he had narrowly escaped a similar situation before his father passed. That situation had ended in disaster, and he was determined for his own siblings to have a say in their futures.
“Your father would force his hand if you were not in agreement?”
“Nay, my father likely would not, but my mother can be very decided when opportunity presents itself.”
Alexander knew her sentiments all too well.
And so where would that leave them? He would have to be very certain of his intent with her before letting any attachment develop.
Even this shared meal could be perceived as such.
Aye, he would have to be very cautious where she was concerned, for both their sakes.