Lady Sybil's Choice: A Tale of the CrusadesHolt, Emily Sarah
History
Lady Sybil's Choice: A Tale of the Crusades
Holt, Emily Sarah
Crusades -- Fiction; Historical fiction
I did not sleep till very late, and I was aroused in the early morning
by a flourish of trumpets, announcing that the grand day had dawned. I
dressed myself, putting off my mourning for a suit of leaf-green
baudekyn, for I knew that Guy would not be pleased if I wore any thing
sombre, though it would have suited my feelings well enough. A golden
under-tunic and kerchief, with my best coronet, were the remainder of my
attire. I found Guy himself flashing in golden armour,[#] and wearing
his beautiful embroidered surcoat, which Sybil herself wrought for him,
with the arms of Lusignan.
[#] This phrase was used of steel armour ornamented with gold.
How could she bear to see that existing token of her own dead love? The
surcoat had worn better than the heart.
We took our appointed places—Lady Irene, Guy, and I,—and watched the
nobles arrive,—now an odd one, now half-a-dozen together. The Patriarch
of course left us, as he was to officiate.
He told us last night that eighty out of every hundred felt no doubt at
all that the Count of Tripoli would be the future King. (That Patriarch
is the queerest mortal. It never seemed to enter his head that such
information would not be highly entertaining to Guy and me.)
Now was the time to discern our enemies from our friends. Those who did
notice us risked Court favour. But Messire de Montluc came all the way
from the choir to salute us; and I felt a throb of gratitude to him in
my heart. The Count of Edessa was not able to see us, and Count
Raymond—O serpent, demon that he is!—looked straight at us, as if he had
never met us before.
It was an additional pang, that the order of precedence placed Count
Raymond the very next to Guy. I sincerely wished him at the other end
of the nave, though it would have placed him close to the throne.
And now the important persons began to arrive. Lady Judith, in the quiet
brown habit of her Order, stopped and scanned the groups all round, till
her eyes reached us, and then she gave us a full smile, so rich in love
and peace, that my heart throbbed with sympathy, and yet ached with
envy.
Then came a lovely vision of rich rose and gleaming silver, which did
_not_ look for us, and I felt that was Lady Isabel. And then two sweet
little fairy forms in blue and gold, and I saw Guy crush his under-lip
as his eyes fell upon his children.
Last came the Queen that was to be—a glorious ray of gold, four pages
bearing her train, and her long fair hair, no less golden than her
robes, streaming down them to her feet. She took her seat by Lady
Isabel, on the velvet settle near the throne.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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