~Peace~

Richard stood anxiously outside the door to his wife's chambers, wondering if he should enter or leave. The day before had been their daughter's funeral and she had not looked at him once, had kept her eyes trained on the coffin that contained Jacquetta's small body until it was lowered into the chapel floor and she locked herself in her rooms once more.

Raising his hand, he knocked gently on the wood and looked up from his boots as the door opened a crack and Anais' face appeared, dark circles under her eyes before she frowned as she saw him standing in the dark.

"Your grace" she murmured, watching him with clear disapproval as she curtsied before looking behind her where Marie had now arrived and was all but glaring at the duke, folding her arms.

"Your grace" she called over her shoulder "Votre cul d'un mari est ici"
"Ass of a husband?" Anais repeated with a small nod even though Richard was standing right in front of her "I like that one, Marie"
"Merci, petit....you may enter, your grace"

Anais and Marie slowly moved aside, though they kept their narrowed eyes upon the Duke as he advanced into the room and went to stand at the foot of Eleanor's bed, his hand fiddling with the hilt of his sword.

"If he says so much as one disagreeable vord to her, I shall throw him from the vindow myself" Anais whispered and her fellow lady nodded solemnly, the protectiveness she had come to feel for her mistress during the past nine months at its highest level.

Eleanor looked up from where she was petting Fortuna on her lap, her loose hair falling over her shoulders as she fondly smiled at her little hound. Her eyes widened a little as she saw her husband looking both tired and anxious with a sad frown etched onto his lips. She looked to her Ladies, giving them a small nod of dismissal, though she gave them an encouraging smile when they hesitated before finally leaving the room.

She reached for her bed robe, pulling it over her nightgown and clutching at the soft fur that lined it. Setting Fortuna onto the ground, she beckoned for Richard to approach and turned to face him as he knelt beside her bed, staring at her.

"I hope you have not come to attempt to get a son" she murmured and he immediately shook his head, wordlessly "then what have you come for? More talk of your bastards?" Again he shook his head and Eleanor nodded, prompting him to speak.

"I came to ask your forgiveness" he stammered and she looked at him strangely, rather surprised at his words.
"Forgiveness?" She repeated slowly "for what, my lord?"

He looked at her imploringly, reaching for her hand but she quickly brought it to her chest as if his touch would burn her.

"For all that I have done" he whispered "I have dishonoured you, Eleanor. In every way. I have lied to you, I have cheated you, I have made demands of you that I had no right to. I have been cold and uncaring, I have neglected you instead of caring for you as I should have....as I should have cared for our child. I have been a terrible husband to you....and you truly deserve better than what I have given you. You deserve to be loved, valued, honoured and respected as a Duchess and wife should be. And in all of these things I have failed you and myself....I beg for your forgiveness"

Eleanor breathed deeply, her chest slowly rising and falling as she took in Richard's words, finding tears flood to her eyes.
"You have failed me" she murmured "and our daughter, I will not deny it....I cannot deny it.... but....well....I do not know what to say. You ask for my forgiveness and yet...." she sighed "well, I suppose I does not matter now....our daughter is dead and our marital life is hell, my lord"

"I did love her, you know" Richard murmured, making Eleanor look at him once more "I loved our daughter, our little Jacquetta....I was proud of her....so very proud....she was perfect"

"But you have experienced it all before!" She countered "with your other daughter"
"No" he replied quietly, surprising the Duchess, "truth be told the first time I saw my daughter she was almost a year old for I base myself in the North and Kate lives in Kent....Jacquetta has been the first of my children that I have seen as a newborn....and I loved her from the first moment that I did lay eyes upon her"

"A-and what of your son?"
"I am yet to see him....war has taken my time....I have not seen her....Kate....I have not seen her since Christmas and I will not again...."
Eleanor scoffed, folding her arms as she leant against her pillows.
"And?" She asked "do you wish for me to congratulate you? Do you desire a medal oh mighty resister of temptation?"

"No! Of course not!" Richard exclaimed quickly. "I simply want you do know that my loyalties lie with you now....as they always should have done and now they always will...."
"I don't trust you" Eleanor said with a small sigh.
"And I do not ask you to trust me" he replied. "but now that I have truly pledged my loyalty to you I shall keep that pledge until the day that I die. My motto is not loyalté me lie for nothing, it has reasoning behind it"

"As does mine" The Duchess replied, suddenly feeling a wave of sadness as she thought of Leeds castle where she had chosen her motto....where her people were....where her friends were....what were they doing now?.... "so what is to be done?"

"I wish for us to start again" Richard said slowly. "I do not say that we forget all that had passed between us for I know we cannot....but I ask that we make peace....try to make amends for the damage that we....for the damage that I have done"

"And the first step in doing that would be for me to forgive you" Eleanor whispered, raising herself up onto her knees as he nodded. Richard bowed his head as she moved forward, clasping his hands together before he took to playing with his rings. 'Forgive those who surround you for their wrongdoings" She suddenly heard lady Margaret say and raised one of her hands, placing it gently atop her husband's head "I forgive you" she said "we are at peace now, my Lord"

"And I am glad of it" Richard said with a small smile, catching her hand and pressing a gentle kiss to it before he rose to his feet; was about to leave but turned back, tilting his head as he looked at his wife "would you like me to stay?" He asked "I know that you do hate to be alone at night?"

Eleanor smiled at him, though she shook her head.
"I thank you for remembering" she replied "but Marie is to stay with me tonight"

"I shall bid you a goodnight then" Richard said and bowed, playing with his rings once more as he left the chamber and immediately a crash came from the door by Eleanor's bed, startling her as her two ladies tumbled out of the adjoining chamber and onto the floor.

"We were not eavesdropping, your grace" Marie said quickly as they stood, her cheeks beginning to burn red "no! We were....Anna, tell her grace what we were doing...."

Anais looked to Marie with alarmed eyes before she glanced back to Eleanor, who was trying her hardest not to grin.

"Ve...." the girl began as she began to panic "ve vere listening for....for voodvorm"
"Woodworm?" Eleanor repeated with raised eyebrows "well well, that sounds very....plausible"

"It does?" Marie exclaimed before Anais nudged her in the ribs "I-I mean....yes, your grace.... Woodworm....we heard that some of the castle has been affected by it..."
"And so you decided to see if the door to my bedchamber was afflicted while I was speaking to my husband?"

"Exactly!" Anais replied before curtsying "I shall bid you a goodnight now, your grace, if I may"
Eleanor nodded and the girl quickly scurried away with Marie in tow, her face a picture of relief.

꧁꧂

One week later...

Eleanor felt a small smile touch her lips as she entered the palace chapel, lighting the hem of her deep blue gown slightly as she stepped over the threshold before proceeding to cross herself.

Standing by the small blue and murrey tile that marked Jacquetta's grave was Richard, his cap crumpled in his hands and his eyes closed as he silently prayed.
"You are a frequent visitor?" Eleanor asked and he looked up as she joined him.
"Not as often as I should be" he sighed, smoothing our his cap and placing it back onto his head "but I have tried to come as often as I can"

The Duchess nodded, allowing him to take her hand as they both stared down at the place their daughter had been laid to rest. She began to find tears welled in her eyes again and sniffed a little, feeling Richard squeeze her hand in a small attempt to comfort her.

"I know that you miss her" he whispered "I do too....but we must learn to remember her as she was....a little ray of sunshine....and not as she is now"
"As cold as marble" Eleanor murmured, thinking of the happy child that she would bounce on her lap while she giggled and grinned.

"And still in your hearts" Cecily finished from behind, making the two before her turn in surprise.
"Mother?" Richard asked, bowing a little "I did not expect to see you here"
"Nor did I" she said with a small flourish of her hand "but I am here now and glad to see you together, for the both of you must be present, and no one else, for what I do have to say"

Eleanor dabbed gently at her eyes with the sleeve of her gown before she nodded at her mother in law, curtsying.
"And what might you have to say to us, Duchess?" She asked, breathing deeply to control her sorrow.

"Lady Mother....please" Cecily said and walked forward a little, glancing between the two young faces of her kin "I come here today to give you my blessing upon your marriage" Richard's eyes widened in shock and his eyebrows seemed as if they would raise up to the moon if they could; making his wife smile a little at his expression, though she was equally as confused and surprised. "you needn't look like a deer about to be caught on the hunt, Dickon" his mother scolded "I am not incapable of changing my opinion, though it is rather unheard of"

"B-but why?" Richard gasped, his mouth agape until Eleanor elbowed him slightly.
"Your wife" the Duchess replied simply "Eleanor"

"Me?" Eleanor exclaimed "W-what have I done?"
"Proven your loyalty to this family" Cecily said with a nod "all I know have given up on my son, George, for his actions....abandoned him....but you, you have not! When you, the Queen and your mother visited me in July I saw nothing but falseness in the latter two's words....but you, I saw a true affection for my son in your eyes....a true will to return him to his rightful place beside Edward and Richard!" She paused for breath, for the first time smiling at her daughter in law before gesturing for she and her son to kneel.

They glanced at each other, still in shock, before they obeyed and bowed their heads. Cecily placed a hand on each before she spoke "let it be known, before God, that I do bless this marriage" she stared at the Duke and Duchess for a moment before she turned and left without a word.

Richard smiled a little as he helped Eleanor to her feet, it was one that blatantly showed pride and she found she could return it a little as he spoke.
"You have won my mother, my lady?" He asked in disbelief "I must admit that is a feat few achieved....and if you have her on your side then I would say that there are few who will now dare to oppose you! Now, shall we make our way to the hall?"

"Not yet" Eleanor replied quietly with a shake of her head "I shall stay here just a few more moments, alone if you will allow....but you may wait outside, my lord?"

Richard bowed and then made to exit and the Duchess immediately clutched at her necklace once he had left the chapel, guilt flooding her.

By God she felt a fraud.

She had falsely convinced a mother that she cared for her son....wanted him home to England when all she wanted him to be was dead! Dead and buried beneath the earth! Yet Cecily claimed that she had seen care and concern; had accepted Eleanor into her family, blessed her marriage of all things! All while ignorant to the knowledge that the daughter in law she now respected was in every way her enemy and the greatest threat currently living to George!

After all, she had been the one to curse him, had she not? She had been the one to kill his heir at sea....

At once another bout of guilt flooded through her and she put a hand to her brow, pushing back her tears. 'That poor babe....' she thought 'and Isabel....oh God my soul is stained with the blood of innocents'

True, Eleanor now held nothing against her mother in law, had forgiven her her insults and jibes that day in June....but that made her guilt all the more worse and it twisted her heart to think of it; making her cross herself before she sent up an urgent prayer to God for guidance.

She may have been at peace with her husband, but a voice in her mind told her that there were plenty of wars to come.