Gods Concubine by Sara Douglass

―If so, then I am unaware of it.‖

Silvius laughed, softly, and dragged an empty chair close to Caela‘s. ―The trick, my dear,

is to leave people unaware of it.‖ His face sobered. ―I needed to see you, Caela.‖

Still rattled by Silvius‘ piece of magicking, Caela only slightly raised her eyebrows.

Silvius put his hand on the back of her chair; he was very close. ―That was well done,‖ he

said, looking her in the eye. ―Moving the band.‖

She let out a long breath. ―Ah. You realised?‖

He gave a small smile. ―How could I not? I am, after all, a part of the Game.‖ He paused,

his black eye roving slowly over the planes of Caela‘s face. ―I did not realise you were that

powerful.‖

She gave a small shrug. ―I had help.‖ Then she gave a small laugh at the puzzlement on

Silvius‘ face. ―Long Tom, of course! I am surprised he has not told you every detail himself.‖

Silvius managed a grin, although it looked a little forced. ―Of course. Long Tom. A true

friend, eh?‖

―Better than you know…or maybe you do. I am sure that you and he have spent many a

long conversation together. You remember, surely, when he brought me to see you and Og

within the heart of the Labyrinth?‖

Silvius hesitated a long moment before answering. ―I did not speak to you then…‖

―No. You need not apologise for it. But, ah, what Long Tom showed me.‖

―He is powerful…‖

―Oh, aye, he and all his companions.‖

Silvius half lifted the hand that rested on the back of her chair, hesitated with it elevated

slightly, then finished the movement, sliding Caela‘s veil back a little from the crown of her

head.

―Be careful,‖ Caela said, stiffening slightly. ―I do not want your spell snapped, and all to

see me with my veil and hair disarranged.‖ Her mouth quirked. ―My husband would surely claim

that I had been visited by the devil.‖

Silvius‘ hand slid down to her cheek, his fingers very gently stroking at her smooth skin.

―I am sorry for that. Caela…have you given any more thought to what I said the last time we

met?‖

―Here?‖ she said. ―In this cathedral?‖

He smiled. ―Aye.‖

She gave a small nod. ―Yes, I have. What you suggested is right, and needed.‖

Silvius‘ smile broadened.

―Long Tom also agrees,‖ Caela continued, and Silvius‘ smile slipped.

―Oh,‖ she said, ―should I not have spoken of it to him?‖

His grin reappeared. ―If he agrees, then I am pleased that you did mention it. When,

Caela? When?‖

―The winter solstice, you said.‖

He nodded. ―Can you manage an escape from…?‖ He nodded to Edward.

―Yes. Silvius—‖

―No more words,‖ he said, and, leaning across the gap between them, placed his mouth

on hers, gently, not demanding.

She hesitated, but only an instant, then she leaned forward into him, giving him her

mouth. They kissed, passionately, then Silvius managed to pull back, laughing softly,

breathlessly.

―I must stop, for I cannot keep this sorcery intact much longer, Caela. Oh gods, I am

sorry.‖ He rose, shifting his chair back to its original position as Caela rearranged her veil.

―The solstice,‖ he said. ―Meet me in your stone hall. Now, be still, and bend your head

back to prayer.‖

She did, and in the next instant Silvius was gone, and all awakened about her.

Caela paid no attention to the rest of the service, imagining only what it might be like to

have Silvius take her virginity.

Eventually, without consciously realising the transition, Caela‘s thoughts turned entirely

to Brutus, and she remembered that night she had offered herself to him under the stars on the

way to the Veiled Hills, and the passion with which they‘d made love…almost as if there had

been love between them.

Meanwhile, at Thorney Isle, a barge containing the Earl of Wessex drew softly to

Westminster‘s wharf.

NINE

Harold strode into the bedchamber he shared with his wife, tore the covers from

Swanne‘s body and, before she could move or speak, grabbed her hair and hauled her from their

bed.

Swanne finally found her voice as she half-tumbled naked to the floor. ―What…? Harold!

No! No! ‖

Now he had her by an arm, and had dragged Swanne to her feet. With his free hand he

dealt her a stinging blow to her cheek, and then another, and yet one more, before she had time to

collect herself.

―That first was for the damage done to me with your treachery,‖ he snarled. ―The second

was for the damage you have done to England. And the third, you black-hearted witch, was for

standing by and laughing as my brother sought to murder me. Did you report that to William?

Answer me! ‖

Swanne was stunned, not only by the suddenness and savagery of Harold‘s attack, but by

his knowledge.

How dare he lay a hand to her!

How did he know?

―I haven‘t…I don‘t…‖ she stumbled, unable for the moment to string a coherent sentence

together.

―William told me how much you delight in passing him your little titbits of information,‖

Harold said, and pushed Swanne back so that she sprawled across the bed. ―Did he tell you also

how he shares them with Matilda?‖

―No!‖ William?

Shared with Matilda? No!

Swanne edged back in the bed, trying to put as much distance between her and Harold as

possible.

―I have been to Normandy, Swanne. Did not William think to tell you?‖

―What were you doing there?‖ Swanne had reached the far edge of the bed, and now

carefully rose to her feet. She put one hand to her reddened cheek, but made no attempt to

otherwise cover her nakedness.

―Discussing your whoring ways with William.‖

―No,‖ she said, looking at him with all the contempt she could muster. ―William would

not have told you.‖

Harold‘s face twisted; Swanne did not even attempt to deny it. ―We have reached an

agreement, William and I,‖ he said, ―and you form no part of it.‖

―Liar!‖ she spat.

―I renounce our marriage, Swanne. You—‖

―No!‖

―What? You fear to lose me? You? Who laughed as Tostig knifed me.‖

She said nothing, but just stood there, staring at Harold, her breasts rising and falling with

the rapidity of her breathing.

―You have your estates and manors that your father and uncles bequeathed you. You

shall lack for nothing.‖

―You cannot do this!‖

―Every noble, every court in this country will support me!‖ he snarled, striding about the

bed and grabbing Swanne‘s hand away from her cheek. ―No man stands for a wife who betrays

him in this manner. I shall have a wife, but she will be a true wife, Swanne. Not what you have

given me!‖

―The Church will not let you put me—‖

―The Church did not ratify our marriage. It does not recognise it. We were Danelaw wed,

Swanne. That was your insistence, not mine. Well, now you reap the harvest of your insistence,

your all-consuming desire for independence. By God, Swanne, had you thought that once

William was in a position to fight for the throne you could renounce me?‖

Swanne tried to wrench her arm away from Harold‘s grasp, but he would not let it go.

―I am pregnant with your child,‖ she said, her panic tipping her into the lie. William had

shared their communications with Matilda? ―You cannot set me to one side.‖

―Truly?‖ Harold raised his eyebrows, his eyes running slowly up and down her figure.

―Your slenderness belies that lie, my dear.‖

―You lay with me before…before you left for your sly voyage to William. Why can‘t I be

with child?‖

―Because I know you too well. Because you would not want to be thick with my child

when you think you might have William instead! Be gone from my life, Swanne. I have had

enough of you.‖

― You cannot put me aside! ‖

―Ah, you do not fear losing me, do you? You fear losing your place within this court,

because without me as your husband you will be forced to retire to one of your country estates.

And what can you betray to William there? The state of the apple harvest? How many ewes have

lambed this spring? You‘ll be as useless to him as you are now to me.‖

Swanne finally managed to free her arm. ―I will be queen of this land beside William.”

―I have seen how William regards Matilda, his wife. I suspect you will be queen of

nothing but the peasant rabble who work your fields.‖

She spat at him, but Harold could see the fear in her eyes, and he smiled coldly.

―Clothe yourself, Swanne. I have already left instructions with the servants that you will

be removing to the country by this afternoon.‖

And with that Harold turned and left the chamber.

Swanne stared after him for long moments, her eyes wild, her expression a mixture of