Maude smiled at him as her own defense dropped, realizing what was happening and not caring, not now, not anymore.

'You are the most amazing woman,' he said, and laughed, too happy to hide it, to keep up the pretense between them any longer. She was quite content to stay right where she was, in Brien's arms, surrounded by laughing, exultant men, men you were calling her Queen Maude as if they truly meant it, rejoicing in her triumph and making it their own.īrien was holding her as if he had no intention of letting her go, dark eyes never leaving her face. She was thirsty and hungry and half frozen and so fatigued she felt lightheaded. “Maude was so close to the flames that she was in danger of being singed. Now they joked and swapped rumors and waited with uncommon patience, and at last they heard a cry, swiftly picked up and echoed across the marketplace: “She is coming!” They talked and gossiped among themselves, strangers soon becoming friends, for the normally fractious and outspoken Londoners had forgotten their differences, at least for a day, united in a common purpose and determined to revel in their triumph, for they were pragmatic enough to understand this might be their only one.

The sun was hot, flies were thick, and the odors pungent no one complained, though. The stalls were open, but the fishmongers and cordwainers and butchers were doing no business, despite the growing crowd. At this time of day, the marketplace ought to have been thronged with people looking for bargains, moving from stall to stall, examining the fresh fish, choosing the plumpest hens, buying candles and pepper and needles.

When christ and the saints slept