Valentine and Denys had just finished dancing, wine flowed, and she returned to the dais with him, aglow from malmsey she"d imbibed. Slipping her hand under the table, she whispered, “How is Canute the Great tonight?”
* * *
Richard"s spies learnt that by summer, Henry Tudor would strive once more for England. Denys could not vex him by asking more help finding mysterious “John”, the only known link to her family. She hardly saw Richard except for a rare appearance in the great hall. With Anne ill and preparation for yet another battle with Henry Tudor, Richard"s time was not his own. When she did see him at Mass, he sat alone, head bowed, with no time for greetings before rushing to council or Anne"s sickbed.
As chancellor, Valentine plotted late into the night…how many soldiers to call
