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Jordan had not had a drop of wine all night. She was still too uptight with the presence of the king and queen, and with the degree of their deception to be able to hold down anything more than water. Even in spite of William’s encouraging words that had calmed her so during the day, she found that seeing the monarchs again brought every fear back tenfold.

She was greatly troubled that King Henry had seen it fit to keep William so close to his vest since their arrival into the hall. The man seemed to have an obvious fondness for her husband and she was at a loss to discover why. With all of his courtiers, why should he demand William’s attention? She frowned, staring down into her trencher. It wasn’t like she would have been able to occupy his attention all night long, not when they were attempting to convince the general public that she had married the earl, but she found she was actually jealous of the aging monarch.

“Patience, my lady, patience,” the earl said, next to her ear. “You shall be able to see your husband soon enough, but until that time, maintain a happy facade if only for my sake. You are supposed to be happy that you married me this day.”

Immediately Jordan’s head came up and she beamed at the earl. “How is this, sire?” she said through her teeth.

“Lovely,” he replied. “Now, eat a bite from my trencher so that our guests may see we enjoy one another.”

He reached down and plucked out a juicy morsel of beef, placing it gently in Jordan’s mouth. She chewed slowly and with relish.

“Excellent, my lady,” de Longley complimented her. “You would make a fine actress.”

She was smiling, but this time it was for real. While the earl kept up a steady stream of conversation, the musician’s melodies floated above the huge crowd of people, blending in with the voices and the laughter. The more she relaxed with the earl’s words, she found she could actually enjoy herself. Soon she was laughing with Adam, ignoring the hell out of Alexander, and giggling with Analiese.

Suddenly the earl clapped sharply and the musician’s stopped. The buzz from the crowd died down as the attention turned to the guest of honor. Jordan, too, looked at him curiously.

“My friends,” the earl said benevolently. “I am honored to have you here this day, as is Lady Jordan. And to show our thanks, Lady Jordan will now honor us all with a song.”

Jordan was frozen with fright. To sing, in front of all these strangers and the blessed King of England? She was terrified. The crowd clapped happily as the earl extended his hand to help her rise.

“Up, my lady,” he said so only she could hear. “Your audience awaits.”

“My lord….,” she began.

He plastered on a false smile. “Smile,” he commanded.

She, too, put on the same fake smile instantly. “I canna sing in front of these people.”

“You can and you will,” he said, pulling her up and pointing her in the direction of the musicians. “Go on. I promise they will love you as much as we have come to.”

Love you as much as we have come to. The words echoed in Jordan’s brain. What had she ever done to deserve their love? She could not think of one single thing. Obeying blindly, she made her way to the place where the musicians stood and, after a brief conversation, turned and faced the audience. She was shaking like a leaf, praying her voice would not give out on her in her terror.

She searched out her husband, sitting next to the king, listening to the monarch prattle on. He glanced her way, a look of such love and warmth glazing his expression that she immediately felt confident in herself. As long as he was listening to her, supporting her, she could do it.

De Longley, too, gazed back at her as one would approve a daughter. Even Analiese managed what she probably considered a warm smile. Her trust in herself and her ability grew with their silent encouragement.

She murmured instructions to the musicians and the music started softly. Nervously, she glanced at the long table where the knights sat. They watched her, each with their own encouraging expressions, silently cheering her on.

It occurred to her just how much she loved her friends, the Englishmen she had grown up hating, she had now come to adore. No clan could have been closer. As much as she loved her family, she could never remember camaraderie such as this.

Her cue came. She began to sing a soft, hauntingly reverent melody praising the Virgin Mary. Since she had taken part in a great deception in the eyes of the church, she hoped that singing praises to God might ease his anger.

It was a beautiful piece, starting out softly, rising to a high flight of delightful notes, showing her great talent and range. With no effort at all she manipulated notes, trilling and running a scale, leaving her audience anticipating the next phrase with baited breath. Softening into the final bars of the song, she actually smiled with happiness when she realized she had captivated her audience.

There was a brief pause following the song before the entire hall burst into wild applause, calling for more of the same. Blushing, Jordan did a quick curtsy and dashed back to the dais, only to be met by the earl and his family, who, save Alexander, were on their feet clapping loudly.

“Again, my lady, I command it!” the earl roared happily.

She was embarrassed with all of open praise and glory, trying to beg the earl off by saying her throat was strained. She was lying, of course, for she was truly humbled by the response and was afraid if she were to perform another song, it would prove that the first attempt had been a lark. Better to leave them wanting for more that to leave them wanting her to stop.

The king and queen, on the other side of the earl, were on their feet as well and clapping politely. She curtsied deeply at their attentions and the applause died when they ceased. She could see William behind the king, beaming like a proud father.

“Sit, sit,” the king told everyone in the hall, motioning with his hands. “Everyone sit. I have a grand announcement to make that simply cannot wait any longer.”

The hall instantly went virtually free of conversation, the occupants turning their attention to their fair-haired king. The man smiled generously at his faithful vassals, with much personality and emotion as Jordan had seen since his arrival.

“ ’Twill be hard to follow such a performance, Countess,” he acknowledged Jordan, who forced a smile and a gracious thank you.