Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 139: A Space for Two

18 August, 1359. Magdaline Castle, Islia

A sharp knock on the bedchamber door was what woke Camilla that morning. She jolted to a sitting position, holding the bedsheets to her chest. Next to her lay William, an arm thrown over his eyes.

"Give us half an hour, then come back." William called out gruffly, not bothering to sit up.

"But Your Graces-" The sound of Matilda’s nasal, insistent voice set Camilla’s nerves on edge.

"I said half an hour, goddamnit!" William snapped back. "Don’t make me repeat myself again!"

A pause behind the door, followed by Matilda’s disapproving tone, "Very well, Your Graces. We shall return then to help prepare you both for the wedding breakfast." Her footsteps retreated from the door.

"Ah fuck." William sighed. "I’d forgotten about the breakfast with both of the kings this morning. Lucky us."

Camilla lay back down on the bed and rolled back into his arms. "Ugh! Why?"

"Tradition, of course." William deadpanned.

"Yes, yes it’s an honoured tradition but it sounds so humiliating! The entire court will be staring at us. I’ll have to sit there while the noble ladies ask me all sorts of awkward questions and decide if I look deflowered enough. At least I can rely on Princess Blanche to be kind."

William tugged lightly on a strand of her tangled hair. "Well, I think you look deflowered enough. You look like you’ve rolled through a field."

"And that’s all my doing? It’s all your fault I look such a mess!"

He laughed hard. "You don’t look a mess. You look rather delicious actually, just not quite as, ah, virtuous as you did in the chapel yesterday with your flower crown."

Camilla kissed his lips and then lay her face against his chest, feeling the thud of his steady heartbeat under her cheek and breathing in the scent of him. "I wish we didn’t have to be paraded in front of everyone."

"Well, I have the pleasure of dealing with your uncle, who always insists on addressing me like a child." William grumbled as he skimmed his fingers across Camilla’s shoulder blades. "I wouldn’t put it past him to ask me point blank if I’m old enough to consummate a marriage."

- - -

Exactly half an hour later, Matilda knocked on the door again. By this point, Camilla had risen from the bed and was standing by the large arched windows, wrapped in a robe and sipping the last of the wedding ale. She didn’t feel comfortable with greeting her maids while still in bed with her husband, unclothed. William of course couldn’t have cared less.

The maids stepped inside the bedchamber, Matilda sweeping a critical eye over everything. She looked disdainfully at Camilla’s wedding dress in a discarded heap, along with William’s clothing, the wilting jasmine crown on the floor and William’s gold circlet thrown carelessly around. Louisa on the other hand, couldn’t tear her eyes off the bridegroom, who was sitting up bare chested in bed and rubbing his eyes.

Camilla delicately cleared her throat and gave Louisa a pointed look. Louisa flushed red and hurried to help prepare a bath.

The bath was dragged in and set up in the large, opulent dressing room that was linked to the bedchamber. As she waited for the maids to finish arranging towels and soap, Camilla looked around and noticed the trunks containing her gowns were already neatly stacked against the back wall, her shoes and jewel boxes arranged on racks.

"William..." she called out as she stepped back into the bedchamber. "When did all my clothing get moved in here?"

"I had the servants move everything in during yesterday’s ceremony." William shrugged. "Feel free to rearrange the dressing room as you please. I don’t know how you ladies like your things laid out. But I thought you might prefer having everything of yours here after our wedding night, rather than having to go back to your old rooms to look for anything this morning."

It struck her that this was no longer just William’s apartments - it was their shared space. And despite him acting nonchalant, he had had her items brought over so that it could feel like their own space from their very first day as husband and wife.

Struck by the sweetness of his gesture, Camilla perched at the edge of the bed and kissed his lips to thank him.

William smiled back and whispered between kisses, "I suggest you go take your bath now, otherwise I’m going to start doing something that will make your maids extremely uncomfortable to have to watch."

"Aren’t you exhausted?" Camilla genuinely wanted to know if he had the energy to make love again if the maids weren’t around.

"Yes. I think I’ll be almost dead on my feet today. But I’d still try and lie with you again." He gently bit her lower lip.

"My lady, your bath is ready!" Bonnie’s voice called out. Camilla reluctantly stood up and headed back to the dressing room.

She slid her robe off and stepped into the warm, fragrant water. Soaking her tired body, Camilla quickly found herself close to nodding off. To stop herself from falling asleep, she asked Bonnie to lather up and wash her hair, far preferring her gentle touch to that of the elder maids.

As she stepped out of the tub to wrap herself in a large towel, Camilla saw Louisa staring at her. Glancing down at herself, she realised William had once again left pink marks all over her breasts and belly.

"That’s the nature of my new husband, I guess." Camilla shrugged one shoulder at the maid, whose eyes gleamed with petty jealousy.

Without a further word, Louisa helped blot dry Camilla’s hair and dress her in a chemise and a rose coloured gown. She quickly chose a set of golden hairpins and her mother’s necklace with the star shaped diamonds.

When Camilla stepped back into the bedchamber, she was confronted by yet another unfamiliar sight - William wearing only a robe, standing in front of a mirror with a bowl of hot water and shaving. She watched him quietly for a few moments, both amused and admiring.

He met her eyes in the mirror and gave her a crooked smile. "What? You’ve never seen a man shave up close before?"

"No. My previous husbands never let me watch."

Rinsing the blade and running it carefully under his chin, he gleamed at her. "Did you want to help?"

"I’m not sure giving me access to a blade near your throat is a good idea. And if I ever feel upset with you, then it’s definitely not a good idea."

William snorted. "Wife, we’re going to need to do something about your sharp tongue. It doesn’t show enough of the obedience you vowed to me yesterday."

Camilla sat patiently at the dressing table while her hair was combed out and set. She was ready by the time William returned from the dressing room after bathing and dressing. The two of them just stared at each other without a word, about to face the court for the first time as husband and wife. Finally, William broke the silence.

"With your hair like that, I’m worried you look too poised and not deflowered enough."

"Oh my lord, why are you like this? Have you no shame?" Camilla shrieked, feeling her cheeks turning crimson. Her three maids looked completely stunned and mortified.

Her husband simply roared with laughter and held his hand out to her. As she slid her hand into his strong grip, Camilla relished knowing that from now onwards, the two of them would face everything as a pair. Despite knowing she was still blushing, she smiled up at the devastatingly handsome young man.

He smiled back as they made their way to the grand hall. "I think we probably look too happy for some people’s liking. I’m sure we’ll offend plenty of courtiers."

"Offending the court is what you love best, isn’t it?"

"There are other thing I love more. But tradition dictates I’m not allowed to spend all today in bed with her."

Camilla squeezed her eyes shut as the guards standing outside the doors of the great hall sniggered, clearly overhearing. "William. I swear I’ll kill you someday."

Once their arrival was announced, the two walked up to the royal high table, where they bowed to the kings and queen. Camilla could feel every single set of eyes on her and cringed inwardly. She felt William rub the back of her hand with his thumb in reassurance.

King Edward nodded slightly and Queen Celia gave them an indulgent smile. Camilla hoped that was the end of it when she heard her uncle’s voice, already slurring, ask, "Have you done your duty? I have no confidence in a boy doing a man’s work."

She felt William tense beside her. She squeezed his hand briefly.

King Edward started to laugh. "Both of them look like they hardly slept! I remember what it’s like to be a young man of nineteen summers. I think we can all assume events went well."

The queen gestured to their empty chairs at the table. "Take a seat, my children."

Sitting down, Camilla watched blankly as the ale was poured and the food distributed to the tables. William and her sat stiff as a pair of statues, not even glancing at each other. It was only when William moved all the blackberries from his plate onto hers, while swiping the sliced apples from her plate, that the two of them exchanged quick smiles.

Camilla’s life as an Islian princess had begun.