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Chapter 5
Willow reached out and carefully plucked the ruby from the chest that the earl’s guard held out to her with two hands.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, reverently holding it up in the sunlight streaming in from the window. The light filtered through the red stone, being the prettiest thing she’d ever seen in her life.
“It’s the sister stone of the Regale Ruby that King Louis VII of France gave to England two centuries ago,” said the earl.
“How did you get it?” asked Conrad.
“Where do we find more of these?” asked Sir George with a chuckle.
“My grandfather made a shrewd deal years ago and passed it down to me,” said the earl.
“Why are you giving it to the king?” asked Bedivere. “I would think you’d want to keep it for yourself since it looks to be very expensive.”
“I will admit only to the people in this room that it is crucial I give the gemstone to the king.”
“What do you mean?” asked Willow.
“He probably means he has a purpose that is honorable and doesn’t include doing or saying things only to manipulate people and situations,” said Conrad, glaring at her.
Willow quickly turned away. She couldn’t look into Conrad’s eyes because if she did, she would want to kiss him again. What was the matter with her? She didn’t even like him. Did she? “Earl Alnwick, I am sure you will be getting something of value in return,” said Willow, ignoring Conrad’s comment altogether.
“Well, that is yet to be seen,” said the earl. “However, I hope to use it to save my castle. Ever since I found out King Richard has had his eye on this ruby for some time now, I thought it might keep him from giving my castle to John of Gaunt.”
“You’ve got a border castle, don’t you?” asked Conrad.
“I do. I had hoped to keep patrolling the borders and eventually make some alliances with the Scots. If John gets it, he plans on using it to start more battles. He holds no love of the Scots and would like nothing more than to kill them all.”
“Then it’s important that the king receives this ruby,” said Willow. “It is worth much more than a castle, don’t you think?”
“What price do you put on alliances that keep people from both sides from being killed?” asked the earl.
Willow decided the man was doing a very selfless thing. If it were her ruby, she would have a hard time handing it over for trade.
“May I?” Sir Bedivere reached out for the ruby, but the earl stopped her from giving it to him.
“I will take that back now,” said Earl Alnwick, collecting the ruby from Willow. “I only wanted the young lady to know what it feels like to hold an expensive jewel in her hand. After all, she is the cousin of the king.”
“Bastard cousin,” Conrad pointed out, getting a glare from Willow.
The earl put the gemstone back into the chest and closed the lid. Then he took a key from his waist belt and locked the box, handing the chest to his guard.
“Thank you, Earl Alnwick, but I already know how it feels to hold an expensive jewel.” Willow reached up and touched the jeweled crown that the queen had willed to her.
“That’s some crown,” said Sir George with a whistle.
“It was the late Queen Philippa’s crown,” she proudly told them.
“How did you get it?” asked Sir Chester.
“It was given to me –” She didn’t finish because she couldn’t tell them the real reason.
“What is that heart brooch you’re wearing?” Sir Bedivere’s finger reached out to trace it. It was an intimate act since she wore the brooch on her chest. His action took her by surprise, and she breathed deeply.
“Be careful, Bedivere, you might get slapped.” Conrad stepped in between them, breaking the connection. “And I’m not talking about me.”
“Gentlemen, will you join me in the great hall for some whisky?” asked Lord Beaufort. “I thought we could talk about the festivities for the morrow. After all, I’m sure you’ll all be joining in the competitions.”
