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wrapped in the fishing net and roses. She was being dragged along by the plow
horse so she was neither walking nor riding. And since she was traveling only in
the wheel rut of the road, she was neither properly on the road nor could she be
said to be off the road. Judging by the angle of the sun in the sky, and the speed
at which they were moving, she would be there long before noonday. The only
question remaining to her was whether the wedding feast would be today or at a
later date. Properly, they should have a betrothal ceremony and then the
marriage feast forty days from now. Yet, she didn't think that Wilhelm would
observe that formality.
* * * * *
"Your Highness," the captain of the guard announced as he came into the
great hall, "there is a crowd of hundreds of people approaching the castle. They
are still five miles out. It is being led by the members of the guard you sent with
Johann the Horseman and his daughter yesterday. Behind the guard, comes
Elzebeth and Johann. The rest of the crowd follows them, singing, my liege."
"What are they singing?"
"Wedding feast songs, those that groomsmen usually sing to the bride and
groom.
"How comes she?"
"My prince, you will not believe this. I believe that she has devised a way to
win the riddle."
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The Peasant s Wise Daughter
"Tell me about it."
So the guard did tell him what had been reported about Elzebeth's coming.
Wilhelm laughed boldly and clapped his hands in delight. "Life with her is
going to be anything except boring."
"My prince?" the bewildered guard answered.
"I suppose that someone had better tell the kitchen that it is a wedding feast
they are preparing for this evening. Go tell them," Wilhelm said, unable to keep
the smile off his face.
"You aren't angry?" the chancellor observed more than asked as the guard
left the hall.
"Of course not. I constructed that riddle so that if she really thought about it
she could solve it," Wilhelm dismissed.
"Most women couldn't solve it," the chancellor said quietly. "Most men
couldn't."
"As she is prone to tell me, she isn't most women."
Wilhelm met them within the walls of the castle but outside of the keep.
"Well, Elzebeth, Johann's Daughter, it seems that you have solved the riddle."
"Aye, my liege, I have. Will Your Highness now pay up the prize?"
He sank down to his knees before her and unbound her feet. "Why didn't
you wear galosches? They would have protected your feet so much better than
these fleeces."
"That would have been wearing clothing," she answered him as he unbound
her feet.
"The chancellor has prepared the marriage contracts. I have had clothing laid
out for you in the solar. Would you care to change before we deal with this?"
"I would. Thank you. But I have brought my own clothing."
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Cassie Walder
"Do as you will, Elzebeth."
"I shall be down in a few moments."
Two of the ladies of the court whom Elzebeth had treated, Lady Maria and
Lady Agatha, accompanied her up to the solar. They were chatty. Beth was only
half listening to them.
"Beth," Agatha said firmly, "you aren't attending."
"No. I wasn't, my lady. My mind is elsewhere," Beth agreed as she looked
around. The room hadn't changed much since the last time she was up here
attending Wilhelm's mother during that kind lady's last illness. The solar was a
long room. The entire court slept in this one room. Each bed was heavily
curtained for privacy and winter warmth. Wilhelm's bed was at the end of the
room and was higher than all the rest, requiring one to climb several steps to
enter.
"We know where your mind is," Maria said with a giggle. "If I were to be
sharing his bed this night and for the rest of our lives, I'd be daydreaming as
well."
"It will be good to have you here," Agatha told her.
"Thank you. He's waiting. So if you could give me a hand with this net. I'll
want to fashion rose clay from the petals and make beads from it for a keepsake
of this day."
In the end, she compromised about what she wore for the rest of the day. She
wore her own gown, surcoat, and slippers, but wore both the gold chain girdle
and the fine embroidered net veil that had belonged to his mother. She placed
the crown of roses over the veil as a floral circlet. Lady Maria took several of the
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The Peasant s Wise Daughter
roses and formed them with a green ribbon into a bouquet for her and several
smaller bouquets for her ladies.
When she came back down the stairs into the great hall, Wilhelm, her father,
and the chancellor were seated at a table looking at a document.
Wilhelm rose and walked over to her. He took both of her hands into his and
brushed a kiss on her forehead. "You look beautiful."
She found herself blushing. "I want to be beautiful for you. Now, let us deal
with matters of writings so that we may get on with other things."
Wilhelm gave a great bark of laughter. "Indeed," he agreed as he escorted her
over to the table. Contrary to custom, he sat beside her on the long bench at the
side of the table. "My chancellor has drawn up this agreement. You need to make
your mark upon it."
"After I have read it, I will sign," she said firmly.
"You can read Latin?" the chancellor asked in surprise.
"Well enough for my uses. Dioscorides' De Materia Medica is in Latin. I own
two books De Materia Medica and a Psalter. Both of those belonged to my
mother and to her mother before her. God being merciful, I shall pass them on to
a daughter of mine who shows interest and ability in the healing arts," Beth
answered lowly. "May I read the documents, please?"
"Of course," the chancellor said as he pushed the sheet of vellum towards
her.
She took a few minutes to read it and sat back thoughtfully. "Wilhelm, you
needn't have provided for my living expenses. I can earn my own way."
"A husband usually keeps his wife," Wilhelm said firmly. "It is one of a
husband's duties."
"And I do not need a title."
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Cassie Walder
"Nonsense, you shall be known as the Lady Elzebeth or in courtesy as the
Princess Wilhelm. It is the minimum courtesy that you are owed as my wife. It is
more of a reflection on my honor than a title of your own. As this is Friedehele,
you cannot be properly referred to as 'Her Serene Highness'. But, you cannot be
less than Lady Elzebeth if my dignity is to be maintained."
"If this is the way that you want it, I won't argue."
"That has to be a first," he teased her.
"And probably a last," she answered. "Very well, I need a pen and ink."
She took up the offered goose quill and dipped it in the murky ink. With
precise strokes, she signed her name. Then Wilhelm took the pen from her and
in less precise strokes signed his name.
The chancellor and two other ranking members of the court signed the
document as witnesses.
"We are now legally wed," Wilhelm said. "The only thing missing is the
public celebration and the bedding."
"There are enough people outside that we could have the public witnessing
of the marriage, right now," Elzebeth replied. "Unless you wish to wait for the
forty days of betrothal?"
Wilhelm looked at her as though she were mad. "Do you?"
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