Rose’s eyes swam as she stared at the priest, the man who would declare them wed. His expression was solemn and his voice commanding. He asked, “Does anyone present know of any impediments to this marriage?”
His ominous words dried her tears immediately. She held her breath. What if it was all a mistake? What if she wasn’t really Lady Salomea, Wilhelm’s betrothed? What if the real Lady Salomea suddenly came forward and declared Rose an imposter?
Silence reigned. The priest cleared his throat, preparing to speak.
“Do you, Duke Wilhelm Gerstenberg, agree to take this woman, Lady Salomea Godehard as your wife?” Rose began to breathe again. She forced her mind to concentrate on his words.
“I do,” Wilhelm said.
“And do you, Lady Salomea, accept this man, Duke Wilhelm, as your husband?”
More tears flooded her eyes but she quickly blinked them back, glancing at Wilhelm. “I do.” How perfect he looked in his white, goldembroidered sleeves and blue doublet, which deepened the blue of his eyes.
“I now bless this union by the authority of God and in the presence of these witnesses.” He looked pointedly at Wilhelm. “You may present her the ring.”
Wilhelm turned to her and reached for her hand. She held it out and he slid the shining silver band onto her finger.
It was done. They were married. Wilhelm clasped her hands.
In a daze, Rose allowed him to pull her along behind the priest. They entered the church.
After celebrating mass, the whole procession headed back the way they came, as lively as they were before, obviously anticipating the feast and celebration awaiting them in the Great Hall.
Once they were seated at the tables and the feast began, Rose was able to see her parents—Thomas and Enid Roemer—and her sisters and brother sitting nearby. Tears of joy again filled her eyes as she realized she would be able to provide for their needs, to improve their lives, all of their days. Rose also caught a glimpse of Hildy and Gunther, and her friends looked almost as happy as Rose felt.
And Lord Rupert sat a few seats away with Lady Anne. They were smiling at each other. Only last night Lady Anne’s father had given his consent for them to be married. Rose sighed, thankful that everything had happened as it should have. She prayed they would be happy together, and that Lady Osanna would also be happily wed some day. And of course Duchess Katheryn was beaming. Her older son was marrying his betrothed and her younger one was marrying a wealthy duke’s daughter. She even seemed to have completely forgotten that Rose had been raised by a woodcutter.
Rose’s birth parents, the duke and duchess, sat talking with Duchess Katheryn, Rupert, Lady Anne, and Osanna. They all looked happy.
The entertainment included minstrels, jugglers, acrobats, and contortionists, but Rose hardly noticed any of it. So many people came forward to offer their well wishes and expressions of joy on their marriage that Rose hardly had a thought for anything except the guests.
But the men continued to drink and began to grow rowdy. Wilhelm nudged her elbow. He leaned down until his lips were almost touching her ear. “Shall we sneak away?”
Her stomach flipped excitedly. “A wonderful idea.”
While a group of acrobats performed in the center of the tables, raising cheers and shouts of astonishment from the crowd, Wilhelm and Rose slipped out a side door. Hand in hand they hurried toward the stairs and the life that had been planned for them since before they were born.
Dear Reader,
I’ve always loved the medieval time period. When I think of the Middle Ages, my mind is flooded with colorful images of flowing dresses, heroic knights in armor, castles decorated with banners and shields, forbidden love, betrothals, secret identities, and, of course, true love’s kiss. But since I want my stories to be historically accurate, I did my best to thoroughly research the fourteenth century and the Holy Roman Empire, or Germany, where this story takes place.
One of the things I learned is that most people could not read, especially women, and that most books, including the Bible, were only written in Latin. Only those who were highly educated were able to read the Bible. Since Frau Geruscha had come from a wealthy family and had been educated in a convent, she was able to teach her protégé, Rose, to understand and read Latin. Since I do not know Latin, and readers may not either, I used the King James Version when quoting Bible verses in this story. I know this translation was not in existence in the time of this story, but it is the closest I could find.