Which, if needed, I were sure would be formidable in her hands.
Her severe face folded when she saw me, breaking into a smile. “My dear,” she greeted. I saw one of her ladies cut me a glare for the endearment, but Eleanor didn’t care who knew of her like of me. She came to me and hugged me, and one of the women made a sound that sounded much like I had punched her in the belly.
“My lady Eleanor,” I greeted. “Can I attend you in any way?”
“Yes,” she said. She gestured with her cane to a lush fur cloak, and I picked it up from the coffer, draping it carefully on her shoulders. It attached with a long string of sapphires the size of my fist. “Oh,” she said. “That reminds me. I saw this piece and thought of you,” she said, casting about for it.
The lady who served us wine the night before handed her what looked like folded velvet. Eleanor nodded her thanks and slowly peeled back the layers of velvet.
It were the largest moonstone I’d ever seen, surrounded by small emeralds, strung on a long silver chain. It stole my breath. “There’s quite a bit more green in it than your eyes, but I think the comparison stands,” she said. She lifted the chain and slid it easily over my head, and the jewel sank down to sit between my breasts.
I picked it up, marveling. My mouth were dry. “E-Eleanor,” I stuttered.
She lifted my chin with her knuckles. “Not a word, my dear. It’s quite unbecoming to challenge a gift from a queen.”
Water pricked at my eyes, and I nodded. “Thank you,” I whispered, terrified of crying in front of her.
“You’re welcome. An early Christmas gift.”
I couldn’t care about jewels and finery, but it were her careless generosity what squeezed round my heart. She thought of me. Something reminded her of my eyes. I flung my arms around her, not minding the pain in my hand to do it. “Stay,” I said to her ear. “Please. Stay here.”
“Oh,” she said in my ear, and the noise sounded twisted and caught. “Oh, my girl, I wish I could. I will return. Very soon, as soon as I can. Things in London are … tense. John’s going and I cannot leave him … well, unattended.” She pulled back and pressed my face in her hands. “But you will be welcomed as soon as I convince you to come to London. And we will see each other soon.”
I nodded, gulping fast to keep from pouring out water like a spout. “I will come to London. Soon. I fear I may need your help with something.”
She smiled. “You shall have it.”
She took my hand and I gripped hers in return.
“Come,” she said. “Walk me to my carriage.”
Nodding again, I took her arm, and the servants made way for us to move.
Eleanor’s ladies were flapping orders, their arms flying like bird wings as they said this should go there, that there. Eleanor ignored it all as we walked together to the open carriage door. “You will write to me, of course?”
“If you wish.”
“I do. I like a healthy correspondence.”
We crossed the open courtyard, and I laughed to see Much and John stumbling from the Great Hall, long-eyed with sleep. They must not have made it to the barn at all.
“Your friends?” she asked.
I nodded. “As close as I’ve ever had to brothers.”
Much tripped and John caught him, and Eleanor chuckled. “It seems we are leaving Nottingham in very good hands.”
We were at the coach, and she embraced me once more. “I hope so,” I told her.
“I cannot say I regret your discovery, my dear, but I do wish it had happened in less dramatic fashion.”
I frowned. “Do you? You had plenty of opportunity to tell me, and you never said a word.”
She lifted a shoulder. “Well. I do wish you never found out at all. The secret matters less now that Richard is king, and married, but secrets are often better for staying such.” She smiled. “But now you know. And I’m not upset.”
“Neither am I,” I told her.
“Good. Good-bye, Lady Marian,” she said, her voice tripping a bit. “We shall speak soon.”
She swallowed and gave me a weak, fond smile, and she took her footman’s hand to climb into the carriage.
I crossed my arms around myself, trying to work out how to say good-bye to her, when a scream rang out.
My head jerked, then whipped back to John and Much. They were still in the courtyard, unharmed, looking toward the gauntlet to the lower bailey.
Everyone were. “Protect the queen!” I yelled at her guards. They flung open the carriage door to take her inside and I took off running, skating over the wet, heavy snow with a pounding heart to see what had happened. People were blocking the door to the gauntlet, but I wedged between them even before John started heaving people aside.