Read Online Mary Gillgannon by The Leopard - Free Book Online Page B

court? Why not go now?”
    “Now?” Astra was aghast. “I have only begun to learn how to manage a household. It will take me the rest of the summer to feel confident I can do things half as well as Lady Bea.”
    “There you go again, Astra, harping on that boring ‘mistress of the keep’ nonsense. You don’t even have a husband yet. Why are you worried about managing his household?”
    “It does not hurt to plan ahead. If, God willing a man does ask for my hand, I want to do right by him as a wife.”
    “If you worry about nothing except cleaning, cooking and keeping accounts, there’s no point taking you to court at all. Most men marry for land and money. Those that don’t are more interested in a comely face than soap recipes!”
    “You make it sound so... so base, as if I were a prize cow being taken to market!”
    “You can see it that way if you wish. Consider me the farmer who has taken on the responsibility of ‘taking you to market.’ I assure you, I intend to see that you are the comeliest little heifer there.”
    Despite herself, Astra couldn’t help smiling at the absurd comparison. The idea of fastidious Marguerite as a farmer gave her the giggles.
    “Please,” Marguerite coaxed. “I can’t wait to see you in your new finery. If we can’t make you the most dazzling creature to grace King Henry’s court, why, I’ll... I’ll stir up a batch of soap myself!”
    * * *
    London—the great city loomed ahead of them. Astra could see the massive battlements of the old Roman walls as well as the stately spires of churches rising above the sprawl of shops and houses. The sight took her breath away. She longed to stop and savor the moment, but it was impossible. The roadway was crowded with knights, pilgrims and farmers, and she dare not rein in the fine-boned gray palfrey she rode for fear she would impede traffic.
    Her first sight of London was the culmination of their long journey from Ravensmore. They had been on the road for nearly a week, riding through the brilliant green of the summer countryside. Astra had almost grown accustomed to life on horseback. But she had not resigned herself to the other chief discomfort of traveling—the dirt. She decided the first thing she would do when they arrived at the palace was take a bath.
    They entered the city through an arched gateway that led to a broad avenue. The mounted traveling party—headed by Lord Fitz Hugh himself—progressed quickly south. Astra had little time to observe the sights, for she was occupied with guiding her horse through the thronging streets. Around her, people shouted and cursed with vigor, rudely jostling each other in their hurry to pass.
    “What think you, Astra?” Marguerite called. Her voice barely rose over the thud of the horses’ hooves and the din of the crowd. “Is it not exciting?”
    Astra smiled back but made no attempt to answer. She was not sure what she thought of London. It was much noisier and dirtier than she had imagined, smellier too. She had never seen so many buildings, or so many people. The crude, aggressive crowd made her want to find some place quiet and catch her breath. And yet she was fascinated too. She had never felt so alive, her senses overwhelmed by the new sights and sounds all around her. The crowd increased, and down the street to her left, Astra caught a glimpse of the shops and food stands that drew them.
    “That’s the Cheapside market,” Marguerite shouted helpfully. “We’ll visit it sometime.”
    The Fitz Hugh party passed by the great cathedral of St. Paul’s and turned west. As they journeyed away from the marketplace, the houses grew richer and more elegant, and Astra could smell the river—the natural scents of water, mud and salt rising above the stench of offal and garbage. They followed the river’s course. Ahead of them the towers and spires of Westminster gleamed golden in the sun.
    They reached the royal complex and passed through the gate into a large