Today I’m continuing with Christmas snippets from my medieval romance novella Seduction at the Christmas Court.

So far the snippets began with a boar hunt some days before Christmas in 1349. Geoffrey, Lord Longford and his wife Alyse have been summoned to the King’s Christmas court and this is the King’s favorite sport.

Today I’m switching to the Christmas Day feast, replete with the hunt’s bounty. A feast fit for a king, as it were.

Available on Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble.

BLURB:

Alyse and Geoffrey, Lord and Lady Longford, have journeyed to the glittering Christmas Court of King Edward III in the year 1349 to wait upon the king and take part in some Yuletide merriment. However, when Geoffrey is suddenly called into the king’s service again, Alyse must remain at court, attending the queen and persuading her rebellious sister to accept an unwanted betrothal. When rumors of Geoffrey’s death arise, Alyse fends off an old suitor who wants to renew their friendship. But how long will he take “No” for an answer?

EXCERPT:

The Great Hall was alive with bustling servants, finely dressed men and even finer ladies, a troupe of merry minstrels plying their trade with harps, fiddles, and flutes to entertain the company as they ate. The royal family looked on benevolently from the dais. Despite the cold outside, the warmth of many bodies, mingled with the roaring fires at either end of the hall and all the flickering torches and candles, transformed the empty space into a cozy place.

Geoffrey led them to their places while Alyse craned her neck, eagerly peering about. Even though she’d lived at court for many months, she’d never been to such a glittering feast—fragrant candles, strings of green garland glinting with red and gold, platters of gold and silver, bejeweled courtiers dressed as sumptuously as possible. Even the most important banquet she’d attended last year paled in comparison to the display in front of her.

A steady stream of servants brought in platter after platter of food, extravagant dishes she’d never seen before: roasted crabs nestled on a bed of smoked eels, a capon studded with cloves—the beak still attached with a sugared cherry in it—a huge fish on a sea of salad greens, three different birds suspended in a towering aspic, a full peacock looking alive with all of its feathers sitting on a log of burnt sugar. Behind this parade of fantastic food came the boars, four huge pigs, roasted whole with apples stuffed in their mouths, carried in by four servants each. The spectacle took Alyse’s breath away.

The procession of dishes made its way around the tables and Alyse helped herself first to a stewed rabbit pie, the crust so flaky it melted on her tongue.

Geoffrey carved a leg from a pheasant baked with cinnamon and saffron, the tender meat slipping from the bones as he transferred it to his trencher. “I will say I wish for such birds on our estate, Alyse. They would grace our table often if so.”

“Are there no pheasants at Longford?” She spooned up the tender rabbit meat, savory and hot.

“Nay, those birds have never roosted on our lands. ‘Tis a pity.” He bit into the leg with relish.

“Think you the king might allow us to take a dozen or so to Longford to breed for meat?” Alyse scooped up several whitish balls from a passing platter. When she popped one into her mouth the flavor of onion and thyme burst in her mouth. “Mmmm…what are these tasty morsels?”

Geoffrey gave them a glance. “Calves testicles, I believe.”

“They are very good.” Alyse scooped up another one, savoring the delicate flavors.

Servants bearing one of the platters replete with boar stopped before them and Geoffrey

carved slices for both him and Alyse. He lay pieces of meat on their trenchers so large they hung over the sides.

“I think you took too much, my lord.” Alyse surveyed the vast slab of pork and sighed. She could never eat all of it.

“’Twas my boar. We will eat our fill of it.” Geoffrey laughed as he cut a hunk of meat, speared it with his knife, and popped it into his mouth.

“How could you tell ‘twas your boar? There were four killed it seems.” Alyse carefully cut the meat into more manageable pieces, then bit into one good sized chunk and chewed. The rich, juicy pork melted in her mouth. Truly a festive dish.

“I just claimed that one.” Geoffrey washed his mouthful down with a gulp of wine.

Laughing, Alyse savored the rest of her bite, wondering how she could eat two more of the pieces that lay on her plate.

The noisy chatter of well-satisfied guests swirled around them as the meal continued. A second course of succulent meats arrived, followed finally by a stream of towering confections made completely of sugar.

Alyse’s mouth dropped open as the servants carried in an entire nativity scene, complete with Baby Jesus, shepherds, cows, and the three kings riding on camels carved from blocks of sugar.

Geoffrey took one look at her and laughed. He put his finger beneath her chin and closed her mouth. “An ‘twere summer, you’d catch flies, my lady.”

“How wonderful, Geoffrey.” Alyse couldn’t take her eyes off the beautiful creation. “And to think ‘tis made entirely of sugar.”

“A sweet scene indeed.” He rubbed her back and warmth radiated down her body. “A happy mother and Child.” His wistful tone smote her heart.

“Fear not, my love. Soon I will hold your son as does the Blessed Mother yonder.”

“Aye, as God wills it, so it shall be, sweetheart.”

Be sure to return for  next week’s installment of Seduction at the Christmas Court or grab a copy on Amazon, Smashwords, or Barnes & Noble now!

Time Enough to Love Series

(Available on Amazon, and Free on Kindle Unlimited.)

Today I’m continuing with Christmas snippets from my medieval romance novella Seduction at the Christmas Court.

So far the snippets began with a boar hunt some days before Christmas in 1349. Geoffrey, Lord Longford and his wife Alyse have been summoned to the King’s Christmas court and this is the King’s favorite sport.

Today I’m switching to the Christmas feast and a mummer’s play, holiday fare often found in the medieval Christmas celebration.

Available on Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble.

BLURB:

Alyse and Geoffrey, Lord and Lady Longford, have journeyed to the glittering Christmas Court of King Edward III in the year 1349 to wait upon the king and take part in some Yuletide merriment. However, when Geoffrey is suddenly called into the king’s service again, Alyse must remain at court, attending the queen and persuading her rebellious sister to accept an unwanted betrothal. When rumors of Geoffrey’s death arise, Alyse fends off an old suitor who wants to renew their friendship. But how long will he take “No” for an answer?

EXCERPT:

Grasping his hand, Alyse rubbed it between both of hers. “’Tis early days yet in our marriage, my lord. Only a year since we were wed and for half that time I carried Thomas’ child. Now that he no longer gives me suck, ‘twill not be long ‘ere I’ll have your child safe in my belly.”

With a sigh, Geoffrey smiled and grasped her chin, raising it so he could steal a kiss. His warm lips brushed hers, stirring her inner warmth as his touch always did. They pleasured each other so often surely she would quicken with his babe ‘ere long.

“This entertainment will be tedious. I would much rather retire for a good night’s bedding right now,” he whispered, the puff of his breath tickling her ear and sending prickles of excitement down her neck.

She laced their fingers together. “’Twill be finished ‘ere long, my love. Then you can wield your weapon with a vigor yon knights cannot.”

He laughed and drank deeply. “Aye, sweet Alyse. My skill with both weapons outshines any other knight.”

“As you will not want me to be judge of that, I think, I will demur to your claim, although I will test your skills again with the one blade ‘ere the night is done.”

At Geoffrey’s bark of laughter—so loud it turned heads on the dais their way—Alyse settled back to watch the mummers, her cheeks burning, but a pleasant anticipation building within as well.

The mummer playing St. George took the center spot in the Great Hall and began a sing-song rhyme that soon had the court laughing at its nonsense. A stream of knights—played in turn by the other mummers—approached, made their rhyming challenge, and were quickly slain by St. George, whose wielding of his sword became swifter and swifter. He slayed the knights in such short order that by the time he faced the final knight, he did no more than look at the Turkish knight than the man fell down, his toes jingling softly as he landed on the soft rushes covering the floor.

A burst of laughter and applause followed that performance as the quack Doctor shuffled forward, his “magic potion” in a large bottle, gripped in his hand.

Thoroughly engrossed, Alyse laughed and clapped her hands. She held her breath and leaned forward as the Doctor poured the potion down the throats of the slain knights, spoke his own rhyme over them, and one by one, they began to twitch and dance, the rush-strewn floor seeming to come alive as they did. The room resounded with merriment as all seven knights revived.

Loud applause burst out from the courtiers, many of whom threw gold and silver coins onto the floor. Geoffrey tossed a gold florin to the Turkish knight. “For my lady’s pleasure,” he called.

The man nimbly caught the coin and made a deep bow. “Thank you, my lord.”

With a lecherous grin, Geoffrey grasped Alyse’s arm and urged her to rise. “And now allow me to attend to my lady’s pleasure as well.”

Throbbing began low in her belly, her whole body awash in a wave of heat.

Grasping her hand, he led her quickly, willingly, from the Great Hall. As they entered the corridor that led to their chamber, he swept her into his arms and ran the last few steps. He opened the door, sank his mouth down onto hers, and stepped across the threshold.

Be sure to return for  next week’s installment of Seduction at the Christmas Court or grab a copy on Amazon, Smashwords, or Barnes & Noble now!

Time Enough to Love Series

(Available on Amazon, and Free on Kindle Unlimited.)