She’d slept well through the wild storm of the previous night and was determined to reclaim her husband’s attention. Edward was so robust that physical weakness in others made him impatient, so particular care went to her appearance on this brilliant, crisp winter’s morning, and not one of her servants—base or gentle—was spared a tongue-lashing in Elizabeth’s quest for perfection. An unusual entertainment had been planned. After Mass, instead of eating the main meal of the day in the hall, the king had decided that a winter picnic would take place at which the most adventurous members of his court could assay the newly introduced sport of skating on frozen ice, using split beef shinbones strapped to their shoes. He’d learned the skill when he’d lived abroad, in Brugge as a boy. Time, however, was not an ally as Elizabeth caused havoc by rejecting gown after gown in her search to find the most flattering ensemble in which to learn to skate.
