Capítulo 7: Chapter 6
When the imposing suite arrived at the palace of Canterbury's gates, lady Isolde and Eunice, pale and tired, both dressed in black, were keeping vigil over the Archbishop's body. The servants welcome the royal descendant with an obvious coldness.
"But why?" asked the prince at the observations of De Bracy.
"I've heard your Highness hurried up the funeral against the Fair Fairy's wish", said Maurice in a low voice, and then he approached his horse to the wall of the castle. He observed the glass of the windows, their high up, the thickness of the door and the gaps from the walls, all these building. Philip de Malvoisin caught his intrigue.
''He's playing with force'', he growled to his brother.
"He has the good fortune to know how to handle the regent", answered Albert with malice. " But you can defeat him, Philip! Is the regent blind? Can't he see you are better than De Bracy? You have already proved your value taking the letter to Leopold!..."
Meanwhile, Isolde was haughty going down the old stone stairs of the castle. She looked around and setting her eyes on the prince, she went straight to him. Prince John was fallowing her with fascinating eyes. She stopped before him and inclined quietly.
"Rise!" said the regent, being thrilled by passion. Isolde looked at him with her large clear blue eyes that he felt himself burning. He dismounted and offered her his arm. He saw her to the carriage.
"Thank you, your Highness", she whispered.
The prince kissed her hand. Philip de Malvoisin eyed De Bracy meaningfully. Maurice shrugged his shoulders. Suddenly, he got off the horse and run towards Eunice, to help her enter the carriage near Isolde. The girl remained bewildered. De Bracy smiled at her and closed the portiere. When he passed by the regent, Prince John threw him a suspicious look. Maurice made believe not to see.
In less than half an hour, the funeral procession was making its way to the Saint Martin's Church. Inside the carriage, Isolde, putting her head on Eunice's shoulder, started to cry in silence.
"He did that, Eunice. I know he did it!"
"What, milady?", asked the maid-servant in a whisper.
"He killed my father!"
"Please, milady, speak in a lower voice."
"Did you see his eyes? His face? His voice?... Each of them was shouting that he is the perpetrator."
"For goodness! Who?"
"The prince! cried out Isolde, wringing her frail hands. "The prince! He killed my father!"
All of a sudden, De Bracy appeared in front of the portiere. The two young women remained paralyzed with fear. Maurice smiled.
"My ladies should pray in a lower voice", he said, "because... some of your words could... disturb his Highness from his thoughts."
Isolde and Eunice didn't answer. De Bracy looked admiralty at the young brunette.
"My compliments, miss..."
Isolde whispered to Eunice:
"Don't talk with him!"
The girl pretended not to hear.
"Eunice... And I thank you, sir..."
"Maurice De Bracy, at your service, miss Eunice!" exclaimed the young man very enchanted.
The he saluted and returned at the prince's right side. The regent asked in low spirits:
"So... unfaithful as usually, De Bracy?"
"Who, your Highness?" asked Maurice, theoretical surprised. "Sir Albert of Malvoisin?"
And he sighed out with a desperate tone:
"What can you expect, your Highness? It's their family's weakness, as we all know..."
Prince John looked furious at his confident.
"Don't play the fool, De Bracy! I saw how you were making eyes at that chambermaid!"
"Chambermaid?" shouted De Bracy with well played indignation. "Chambermaid?! Your Highness! With all due respect, sir, but you surely can't recognize a wonder when you see it!"
Prince John winced as if lashed, but refrained from any answer. De Bracy smiled imperceptibly.
Meanwhile, Isolde was asking severely:
"Why did you speak with him, Eunice?"
"Because I wanted to know his name", answered the girl.
"His name?"
"But, milady, if I didn't answer his questions, he would tell the regent what you think about him."
Lady Isolde kept quiet. At one time, she said:
"Maybe you are right... I'm sorry. I cannot even think what I'm saying. I..."
Suddenly, the fair Isolde set up a faint scream and lost consciousness. Eunice put her head out of the window and seeing Maurice riding on the regent's left, she shouted:
"Help me, sir Maurice! Milady has fainted away!"
Prince John turned as pale as a ghost. Maurice jumped from his horse and run towards the carriage, shouting for it to be stopped. He took Isolde in his arms and throwing his cloak on the black frozen ground, lengthened her on it. The prince dashed at the fainted Fair Fairy, asking in despair:
"She is dead, isn't she?"
"Not yet, but someone else could be, because of her...", answered De Bracy, embarrassed by the suspicious looks of the others.
The regent looked around out of the corner of his eye and understanding the allude, he sprang up. Maurice knelt down near lady Isolde and under the scared eyes of the prince and the chambermaid, he drew his dagger and with a flashing motion, he broke open the dress and the bodice but, lying his hand on Isolde 's shirt, he intercepted a more than suggesting look of Prince John and thinking that he had overshot the mark, he stopped. He took a small salts bottle from one of his pockets and gave to smell. Isolde opened her large blue eyes and breathed deeply. She looked around, trying to understand what happened, then she saw her clothes and blushed for shame. She saw the prince staring at her with mad eyes and sprang up, run into the carriage and while Eunice was dressing her, she was crying in silence, with the face buried in her hands. On their horses, Prince John and Maurice De Bracy were keeping silence, too. The prince was avoiding to meet his ally's eyes and was attentive with his entire being to any sound inside the carriage. The procession had set up. The black of the clothes and the heavy silence were giving it a foreboding of misfortune air.
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