CHAPTER XXI

 

The Year 1120

Lammas Night in the Forest

 

The forest rustled with the movements of nocturnal creatures. A shadowy fox darted into the moonlit clearing, startled to see Wandrille there. The fox vanished into the greenwood.

Wandrille hummed to herself as she danced in the night. She felt light and happy. Then he was there, leaning against a tree.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “I did not see you. I have been waiting for you.”

“Pray do not stop dancing,” he said softly. “You are so lovely and graceful.”

Wandrille held out her hand. “Dance with me, then, Thomas.”

He took her in his arms and they danced to the rhythm of the music in their hearts. He held her so closely she could feel his chest rise and fall with each breath.

“It is the end of our day, Thomas,” she said.

He whirled her around the clearing until she was dizzy, finally stopping to steal her breath away with a soft, sweet kiss.

“Oh, Thomas, I love you so. I never knew love could be thus.”

“And I love you,” he said. “I need you like I need the air I breathe. You have always been part of my life from my earliest memories. When I behold the woman you have become, I think I will burst from love. It shall be ever thus, for when I leave for England I shall leave part of my very soul behind.” He kissed her again. This was not the kiss of a lustful boy like the prince, but the warm passionate kiss of a man.

“Take me with you,” Wandrille begged.

Thomas turned away, his face in shadow. He lowered his head. “I cannot. Try to understand, my darling. I want you with a desire greater than any I have ever known, but I cannot return to England with you on my arm and flaunt our love in my wife’s face. Even though she wants no part of me or our marriage, I must handle the situation with tact and kindness. And there are the children to consider. Stephen is but a babe, but Ralph is another matter. I must talk to him, prepare him for a new mother and try to make his parting from Alice less painful.”

Wandrille sat on the grass next to the well. “I know you are right, Thomas, but my poor heart beats as if it would break without you near me.”

Thomas sat down beside her, drawing her into his arms. He kissed her hair, her face, his lips lingering longingly when they met hers.

“Thomas, make me yours now,” Wandrille whispered.

He moaned. “If only you knew how I ache to possess you. But when you give yourself to me it must be right. Not like this. Not without honor.” Thomas sighed raggedly. “If I take you now my ship will never be done, for I shall never have the strength of will to leave your bed. Be patient with me until I can work things out. I must fulfill my destiny. Please, Wandrille, I beg you to understand.”

When she looked into his eyes, Wandrille felt no hesitation.

“Fair enow, my love. I shall wait for you. Only tell me, Thomas, how long until we can be together?”

“I must finish building the White Ship. Then I must sail to England, work out my affairs there, settle some property, and secure my fortune so that when I return to your arms I have something to offer you. When I ask your father for your hand, I want him to find me worthy of you.”

Wandrille kissed him. “Thomas, I am yours with or without my lord father’s consent.”

He hugged her warmly. “But I want his approval, Wandrille, and I shall have it.”

“How long, my love?” she begged.

“I will be back for you in the spring. When I return it will be to claim your hand and make you my wife, to honor your body and soul for the rest of our lives.”

“Spring,” Wandrille said. “That is an eternity from now. Oh, Thomas, must I wait so very long?”

“This is how it must be, Wandrille. It pains me to think of all these lost years not knowing how I loved you, and all the pain that could have been prevented were I to have pledged my troth to you instead of Alice.”

He rose, helping her to her feet. Wandrille untied the scarf that had bound her waist. It was the second time she had given her favor to a man, but this time the gesture was filled with a woman’s ardor, not a young girl’s naiveté.

“Take this favor then, my beloved Thomas, and Godspeed. I shall come to Barfleur as often as I can while you build the White Ship.”

“We must appear to all as only friends until I sail, my darling Wandrille.”

Wandrille nodded. “I shall come often to Barfleur before you sail, and until you return in the spring I will dream of your arms around me every night.”

Thomas kissed her passionately. “I will see your face in the stars, and hear your voice in the song of the sea. I pray, speak to no one of our love for the sake of Alice and my sons until I can make things right. My darling Wandrille. I love you so.”

Then he was gone, and she was left alone in the clearing with only the sound of the crickets’ song filling the night. Wandrille shivered in the damp of the rising mist.