Alys Clare - The Tavern in the Morning

‘One of those children being Denys de Courtenay?’ Josse asked.

‘Indeed.’ She gave him an admiring glance. ‘You are paying attention.’

‘I’m hanging on your every word,’ Josse agreed.

‘Yes, Denys was my father’s uncle Hugh’s youngest child. Hugh and Matilda had a spread-out family — I once calculated that Matilda must have spent more than twenty years bearing children. Denys came along quite a long time after his siblings — although he was cousin to my father, he’s actually only nine years older than me.’

‘And so your mother went to this more worldly branch of the family for help?’

Joanna smiled. ‘Oh, no. My mother wouldn’t have had the courage to do that. No. It so happened that word of my father’s untimely death reached court — we were, after all, related to people who moved in those circles and you know how gossip goes around.’

‘Aye, I do.’

‘Way back in her youth, my mother had once met the Queen. Henry’s queen, I mean, the lady Eleanor. The two of them spent some time together — although my mother would never have said so, I think she was briefly a lady-in-waiting.’

‘Queen Eleanor is a fine woman,’ Josse interrupted.

‘You and she are acquainted?’ He nodded. ‘I’m impressed, sir knight. As you say, a fine woman, and one ever willing to help a friend fallen on hard times. I don’t know if you will recall, but that autumn — I speak still of the year 1184, the year my father died — the King sent for Queen Eleanor, and they had a partial healing of the rift between them. Everyone said it was because Henry wanted to stop the endless squabbling and plotting among his sons and, since Queen Eleanor encouraged them in scheming against their father, then it was sensible to involve her in the peacemaking.’

‘I do remember,’ Josse said. ‘The Queen, they do say, was overjoyed to be out and about again, after her years of confinement.’

‘Do they?’ Joanna smiled. ‘I dare say they say right. The Queen, anyway, didn’t like to think of my mother shutting herself up within her own four walls, away from the world and everything in it, so she suggested to the King that my mother’s name be added to the list of summonses to be sent out for the royal Christmas festivities.’

‘A rare honour,’ Josse murmured.

‘Indeed. And, naturally, my name went on the list, too.’

‘You must have been thrilled,’ Josse remarked. ‘At that age, to be invited to a court Christmas.’

‘I was. So much so that, when Mother began to vacillate and cry that she really couldn’t face it and nobody should expect it of her, after her tragic loss. I knew I had to find a way to persuade her.’ A faint smile crossed Joanna’s face. ‘After all, there I was with two new gowns, new slippers and a jewelled headdress, and they weren’t going to get much use during a miserable Christmas spent alone with my grieving mother.’

‘What did you do?’

‘In fact, I didn’t need to do anything. The senior de Courtenay family heard of our invitation and Denys was despatched to visit us to make absolutely sure we accepted it. I imagine that they remembered what Mother was like, and had a fair idea she might decide she wasn’t up to it. They would be there, of course, but it could well reflect poorly on them if a relation did the unspeakable and rejected a royal summons.’

‘You can appreciate their point,’ Josse murmured.

‘I know. And, at the time, I was overjoyed to have someone weigh in on my side. When I got home from a ride one afternoon and found Denys busy charming my mother, I thought he’d been sent from heaven in answer to my prayers.’ Her face had gone expressionless; Josse wondered what was going through her head. ‘He was sitting on a footstool before her, one of her hands in both of his, simply oozing charm. And I, fool that I was, fell for it.’

‘You were only sixteen,’ Josse said. ‘And, I would guess, inexperienced in the ways of the world.’

‘Totally,’ Joanna agreed. ‘Although many, if not most, young women of sixteen are at least betrothed, if not wed and running their own households, my own particular circumstances meant I was not like them. And, unworldly as I was, I thought everybody must flirt with their nieces — or their cousins, whatever we were — and I took my cue from Denys. He wasn’t repellent, I’ll say that for him.’

‘So I understand.’ Josse recalled Helewise’s impression of the man. ‘And, Joanna, you were of an age to be taken in by a handsome face.’

‘Yes, perhaps. And he made me laugh. It was wonderful — I’d never had such fun as with Denys. He never seemed to take anything seriously. Of course, I realised later that that was an illusion, too. He took quite a lot of things very seriously indeed.’

‘So you went to court for Christmas?’ Josse prompted.

‘Yes. The festive season was celebrated at Windsor that year, in the newly-rebuilt apartments. My, they were superb — I’d never seen such luxury. Gorgeous hangings, the most beautiful tapestries, and colours that I hadn’t even known existed, furs all over the place to keep out the cold, and the people! Well, you probably know about court people already.’

‘Not all of them,’ Josse admitted.

She gave a tut of impatience. ‘Yes, but you know the sort of people who go to court.’

‘Aye.’ And that, Josse thought, was precisely why he didn’t attend court, unless he had to.

‘Perhaps it’s not always like that,’ Joanna admitted, ‘like it was that Christmas, I mean. I don’t see how it could be, really — the country would be bankrupt if they feasted and feted so grandly all the time.’

‘You enjoyed it, then.’

‘How could you not?’ Joanna turned a radiant face to him. ‘The brilliance of a thousand candles, huge fires, tables covered in rich cloth coloured like jewels and simply bending with the weight of food and drink! And, everywhere, these sophisticated, laughing, joking, beautifully-dressed people, singing, dancing, watching the entertainments, joining in — oh, Josse, I’d never experienced anything like it in my life!’

‘And your mother?’

‘Oh, my mother! She came nervously down to dinner the first night, sat in a corner whispering to her nearest neighbour, then retired to bed as early as she decently could. And, having set her own timid pattern the first evening, that was what she continued to do for the rest of the celebrations. My mother! Huh!’

‘Wasn’t that a good thing, for you? Not to have her watchful eyes on you while you were having fun?’

Joanna glanced at him. ‘How perceptive,’ she murmured. ‘Yes, naturally. At the time, I thought it was the best thing that could happen. Especially as, with Mother out of the way, Denys stepped in, promising he’d make quite sure I wasn’t — what was his word? ah, yes! — neglected. ’ She gave an abrupt, bitter laugh.

‘And he kept his promise?’

‘He did.’ Stony-faced, she poked savagely at the fire. ‘When, on the second night, the tables were cleared and the dancing began, he made sure he whirled me right round where everyone could see me. I had on the more vivid of my new dresses — it was bright blue — and Denys said I looked beautiful, good enough to eat, I seem to recall, and lovelier by far than the jaded court women. And, like a fool, I lapped it all up.’

‘You would indeed have been lovelier than the rest,’ Josse said softly. ‘Your youth and your innocence would make sure of that. Youth and freshness soon fade, in court circles.’

‘Do they so?’ She cocked her head up to look at him. ‘I can well imagine why. Josse, is it always like that? Are there always the flirtations, the intrigues, the drunkenness that leads to people pawing at each other, in full view of everybody?’