|
|
|
|
|
|
Under ordinary circumstances, such as the gathering of the court for Christmas or Easter or even a special convocation for political purposes, Joanna would have met a substantial group of women with tastes and interests much like her own. Not many would have been mistresses of their own property, like Joanna, but, as deputies for their husbands, they too would have sat in justice and overseen the workings of the keep and demesne. With such women, Joanna would have had much in common. Unfortunately, at a time when their husbands* were summoned to war, those ladies were where Joanna had expected to beat home, minding their lands. All that remained in Isabella's court were the permanent members of her suite, girls in training, women in various ways dependent upon the queen, or girls who were wards of the king awaiting his choice of husband. To "protect" them, certain gentlemen were excused from the war in Wales and left to attend upon the queen also. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the women permanently attached to her, Isabella set the tone completely. Talk and interest centered solely upon appearance and the clothing and jewels that set off a woman's appearance or on scandalwho was linked to whom, for how long, and where they next would stray. Joanna was by no means uninterested in such subjects. If she was less vain than her beauty could have made her, she was nonetheless aware of it and took pleasure in increasing it in any way she could. Nor did she lack a lively interest in the intrigues of the court. The trouble was that these discussions soon grew too personal. Remarks that were at first incomprehensible were soon made all too clear by meaningful nods and titters. One of the men the women discussed frequently was Geoffrey. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joanna was saved from making a fool of herself by three things. The first was simply that the man Isabella's ladies described was so totally different from the Geoffrey that Joanna knew that it took an abnormally long time for her to make the connection. In fact, in the beginning she was quite bewildered, believing that she was either being warned against some high-powered seducer or, more likely, being slyly induced to fall victim to him. When she understood at |
|
|
|
|
|