“Give her one day with me,” Chandra said, laughing.
“Perhaps by the time we reach Camberley, your belly will not be so flat. Your carrying my heir would make her more than pleasant toward you.”
“But there will be no privacy aboard our ship.”
“We will have sufficient privacy so you should not forget the pleasures of lying with your husband.”
“I like the sound of that.” Suddenly, she frowned and said, “Oh, dear.”
“What bothers you?”
“What will happen to me when we are home again?”
“I will bully you and love you. Can you ever doubt that?’
“No, but our life has been so different here.”
“When you are not heavy with child, we will doubtless argue about what is proper for you and what is not.” He saw that she was still frowning and added quietly, “I believe that at least you and I have learned that we can disagree, and not rant at each other. You may be certain, Chandra, that our children will know that my wife saved my worthless hide in the Holy Land.”
“I never wish to look upon blood and death again. I shall never forget the horror of it, and my fear for you.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her how pleased he was that she had finally come to her senses, but he was wiser with her now. Nor did he tell her that he loved to fight, if his opponents were soldiers, and not innocent women and children. Aloud, he said only, “Always fear for me, Chandra. It will make me all the more careful.”
“Have you decided what we will say about Eustace?”
“That he died honorably. There is no reason to let his treachery be known.”
“But it is Graelam who is now our friend. Life is very strange.”
“Aye, it is. I thank God that Mary birthed a daughter. Did you hear? Graelam will be the only noble to leave Palestine with great wealth. Al-Afdal’s treasure trove, what remained from the fire, was an unbelievable find.”
“You accepted the jewels he offered you?”
“Aye, and the rubies will adorn your white neck.”
“Look yon, Jerval,” Chandra said, pointing toward the open seaward gates of Acre.
“The Christians of the city are gathering to bid us farewell.”
It was probably the only time, Chandra thought, that Templars had stood next to Hospitalers in temporary truce, and Genoese next to Venetians. Now, thanks to Edward, they would have ten years to bicker and fight among themselves, without threat from the Saracens.
She saw Payn de Chaworth limp aboard his ship, Roger de Clifford at his side. Jerval laced his fingers through hers. “Lambert is waving to us, Chandra. It is time to leave.”
She looked one last time toward Acre and saw a veiled woman atop the wall, her hand raised. Beri? She could not be certain. Aye, she thought, smiling sadly to herself, I am the lucky one. I am free.
Chandra turned to see Eleanor smiling at her, the babe, Joan, in her arms.
“You will take care, Chandra,” Eleanor said. “It will be some time before I see you again. As you know, my lord has no wish to return to England immediately. We are to see more of the world.”
“I will write to you, Eleanor.”
“I pray that you will. My lord’s heart is heavy, and I will need happy news to cheer him.”
“I trust that I will have only happy news to tell you,” Chandra said, smiling toward her husband. She hugged Eleanor, touched her fingertip lightly beneath the baby’s dimpled chin, and straightened.
“Chandra.”
“Good-bye,” she said to the future queen of England, laughed, and ran to Jerval. When she reached him, she threw her arms around him, hugging him fiercely.
She stepped back, took his hand, and tugged him forward. “Let us go home, Jerval, to England and to Camberley.”
“Aye,” he said, kissing her ear, the tip of her nose. “Just think of all the warm evenings we’ll spend together on deck.”
She ran her fingers lightly over his chest. “You will hold my hand and tell me how beautiful you believe me to be?”
“Well, not exactly. I learned more about the stars from Sir Waymer, a Templar who studies astronomy. We will be on the deck of our vessel and I will tell you about the stars and how they all got their names.”
She poked him in the belly, and as he was laughing, hugging her, she whispered against his ear, “I believe I carry your heir now, my lord.”
And Jerval, who couldn’t even blink he was so overwhelmed, saw the gleam of laughter in his wife’s eyes, and said in a very bland voice, “It is a very warm day. The sun is bright overhead. Ah, do you think we’re ready to sail yet?”
“Aye, my lord, Payn is waving to us. We’re ready to sail. Both of us.”
She carried his babe. He felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. He grinned like a fool.
It was possibly one of the last times in her life that Chandra de Vernon had the last word.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Eleanor was the first English queen to be crowned with her husband shortly after she and Prince Edward returned from the Holy Land. The legend of Eleanor sucking the poison from Edward’s wound was first told by Ptolemy of Lucca a century later and has been debated since.
The treaty Edward achieved in 1272 at Caesarea with the Sultan Baibars guaranteed peace to the Kingdom of Jerusalem and its possessions for a period of ten years, ten months, ten days, and ten minutes.
The Saracens took Acre in 1291, and the remaining Frankish cities soon shared its fate.
I have taken the liberty of shortening the time the English spent in the Holy Land and ordering the events of the Eighth Crusade, including the death of King Louis, for dramatic effect, for which I beg pardon.
What a blind and noble venture,
Catherine Coulter
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
EPILOGUE
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Catherine Coulter, Warrior's Song
(Series: Medieval Song # 1)
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