Gods Concubine by Sara Douglass

in England ceases with Edward‘s death. Completely. That is the message I bring you.‖

―You are afraid of me,‖ William said, his own voice now very quiet. “That, essentially, is

the message you bring me.‖

―England will stand against you, William. We are not boys, playing with wooden swords.

We are seasoned men and we will fight for our land. Come at your own peril but, for your own

sake, and that of this lady your wife, and for the sake of all Englishmen, I ask you to rest content

with Normandy, for what more could a man want?‖

Immortality, thought William, staring at Harold. Power beyond knowing. The Troy Game,

in my hands.

―England will stand against me?‖ William said. ―Really? How strange, for the reports I

have so recently received suggest very much the opposite.‖

Harold glanced at Matilda. ―You mean my brother Tostig.‖ He put down his cup of wine,

then rolled up the short tunic he wore and undid his shirt.

His chest and upper belly were marred by red, scarcely healed scars.

“This is Tostig,‖ said Harold softly. ―He thought to murder me.‖ He did up his shirt and

pulled his tunic down. ―He came to me as I and my wife were preparing for bed, and he thought

to earn a reward from Hardrada for his actions.‖

―But you bested him, or you would not be here to show me the scars.‖

―Aye,‖ said Harold, ―but only through the aid of my sister, who sent help. My wife,‖ he

spoke the word contemptuously, ―merely stood back and laughed as Tostig tried to murder me.‖

William went very still, and Matilda sent him an unreadable look.

―That was not the action of an honourable woman, let alone a wife,‖ she said to Harold.

―It was the action of a woman who lives by deceit,‖ Harold said. ―She is not a woman to

be trusted.‖

William dropped his eyes to his wine, swirling it about his wine cup.

―I say that,‖ Harold said softly, not taking his eyes from William, ―because I think you

particularly need to know, my lord of Normandy.‖

William looked up, his gaze unreadable.

―I know Swanne is your eyes and ears at court, William. Does she send you her love

besides?‖

Harold suddenly shifted his gaze to Matilda. ―Did you know, my lady duchess, that my

wife Swanne thinks to plot against me for William, and against you as well? She hopes to take

your place at William‘s side should he ever win for himself the throne of England. She has said

William has promised her this.‖

Harold looked back to William, sitting open-mouthed in shock, staring at Harold. ―How

long has she been whoring for you, William? And how can you plan to set aside this wondrous

wife of yours to take Swanne Snake Tongue as your queen if you ever gain England?‖

THREE

CAELA SPEAKS

I was lying on the bed when Judith brought Damson to the bedchamber, and as they

entered I had to smile at what my other ladies must have thought of this simple woman who I

admitted to my presence when they were left in the solar.

Damson was a woman marked by her years and her travail. She was fair of hair and

ruddy of complexion, with stooped shoulders, wearied by life, and hands roughened and gnarled

by labour. Her eyes were pale water blue, currently filled with anxiety.

―My lady queen!‖ she cried the instant she saw me, dropping to her knees despite Judith‘s

hand on her arm. ―I have meant no harm through my actions!‖

I was rising from the bed as she said this, and my own eyes filled with tears at the thought

that the only reason Damson could conceive for her presence before me was to be accused of

some transgression.

―Of course not, Damson,‖ I said in as gentle a manner as I could. ―I have asked you

before me only to serve me, not to reproach you.‖

Damson‘s face crumpled in relief, and my sorrow for her increased.

―My lady Judith has told me of your difficulties,‖ I said, ―and I thought only to help.‖

And may all the gods forgive me for that particular lie.

Damson had her hands clasped before her face, which was lowered almost to her breast:

the poor woman could not even look upon me.

What trials had this land been through that women acted in such a manner?

I shared a glance with Judith, then bent to Damson, grasped her hands between mine, and

raised her to her feet.

Damson finally managed to lift her face, and she visibly gulped, then blinked some of her

tears free from her eyes.

―I have many fine linens, and rare embroideries,‖ I said, ―and I hear tell that you are the

finest and most trustworthy of laundresses. Will you take charge of my linens, Damson, and

watch over them for me, and attend to them as needed?‖

All those years I had spent as unknowing Caela, my head bent over my sewing, watching

the needle ply in and out, in and out, in and out. Years, I had spent curled about my damned

needlework.

Frankly, I did not care if Damson took the entire corpus of my embroideries and hurled

them into the mud of the river‘s low tide. I did not think I could bear a single hour more bent

over my needles and wools.

―My lady…‖ Damson said.

―You agree?‖ I said, and hated myself, for I was asking Damson to agree to much more

than the care of my ever-cursed linens.

―Oh. Aye, madam. I would do anything for you! Anything!‖

The hope and happiness in her eyes almost made me waver, but I steeled myself.

―Damson,‖ I whispered and, summoning both courage and power, I leaned forward and

kissed her full on the mouth, sliding my tongue gently between her parted lips.

The first thing I became aware of as I gazed out of Damson‘s eyes and into my own

bemused face was the scratchiness of Damson‘s rough and ill-fitting clothes. Then I became

aware of the different weight and feel of her body, of the way it moved. And then I became

aware of its aches and pains, its sadnesses and strains, and I almost wept for the poverty of this

woman‘s life.

―What is happening?‖ said my voice, issuing out of my face.

Poor Damson.

―It is nothing but a dream,‖ I said very softly, and reached forward and cradled Caela‘s

confused face in my hands. ―Nothing but a dream. Sleep now, and when you wake you will

remember nothing of this.‖

―Sleep…yes, I would like to sleep…‖ she said.

I led Caela-inhabited-by-Damson to the bed, and laid her down, pulling a coverlet over

her.

Within an instant, she was asleep.

Caela, so it would appear to everyone who saw, asleep on her bed.

And so it was, but only Caela‘s body, not her soul or her spirit; that now lived in

Damson‘s body, able to use Damson‘s body to move relatively unhindered wherever it wanted to

go.

―Madam?‖ said Judith, and reached out a hand to my (Damson”s) face.

―Aye,‖ I said. ―It is me.‖ I shivered, embarrassed that I so loathed this body. I was

grateful that Damson‘s thoughts and memories had travelled with her into my body. I did not

think I could cope with whatever weight of worry she carried about with her through her dreary

days and nights.

―Madam, what if I need you to return while you are gone? What can I do to summon

you?‖

I nodded at the figure asleep on my bed. ―Shake my—‖ her ―—shoulder, and call my

name forcefully. I should return at that.‖

―In body?‖

I hesitated. ―No. In soul and spirit only. So do this only if highly troubled, Judith.

Otherwise you risk having Damson wake within herself in circumstances which may drive her

witless.‖

―I understand.‖ She paused. ―What will you do now?‖

―Now?‖ I grinned. ―Why now I shall gather some linens, and I shall walk from this

chamber with my head and shoulders bowed, and then I shall spend the rest of the day wandering

free.‖

My smile widened at the thought, and then it faded. ―Judith, stay here with…‖ I looked to

where Damsonin-Caela lay on the bed. ―Stay with her, and let no one touch her. Tell everyone

that I am unwell, and want only to rest. I shall not be long. Not this first time.‖

Poor Caela. I had the feeling that she was going to be spending a great many days lying

unwell on her bed over the coming months.

With another reassuring smile for Judith, I gathered up some linens, and left the chamber.

FOUR

―Well?‖

Matilda‘s anger was evident in the rigidity of her stance, her flinty eyes and the tight,

clipped tone of her voice. She and William had retired to their bedchamber, Harold and his