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Worried about Isabel’s reaction, George walked slowly. Isabel would have been busy making arrangements with her clerk about the current state of her jewels, but he would not take the chance of her finding out so quickly. Suppressing a laugh, George was daydreaming of his wife’s reaction when he suddenly heard the doors to her chamber open. Quickly, he attempted to hide his right arm behind his back.
“George, I have had the servants look for you. Christmas is nearing and I thought it would be appropriate for us to discuss what gifts should be given out. Furs for Anne perhaps, and a golden cup for Richard.” Isabel told him, seeming not to notice her husband’s grin.
“My love, those gifts can wait.” George said as he held the bouquet of roses, plumerias, and orchids in front of her. “I picked them out myself. Lovely they may be, they pale in comparison to your beauty. There is no greater beauty in this world than you, and I intend to remind you of it for the remainder of our lives.”
Isabel took the flowers and took a whiff of them. The pleasant smell enveloped her senses and she gave George a girlish grin. Whatever worries she has had about going grey have been dispelled by this romantic gesture. Isabel was all too aware of the king’s wandering eye and was worried her husband might have been of a similar temperament. In the earlier days of their marriage, she was terrified at the prospect of having to share her husband with a whore. Both of her brothers-in-law have bastards and she was not too keen on raising one in her own household.
“Does it please you, my lady?” George asked. His eyes were fixated on Isabel’s grin and dreamy expression and in that moment, he wished he was a painter. He wanted to capture that blissful expression on canvas.
Isabel took a quick glance at George’s amused face and told him, “It does please me. I would have never thought you to be this romantic.”
Letting out a sigh of contentment, she allowed George to draw her close to him and let him hold her. He was always loving towards her, but after the birth of Margaret, he shows her a tenderness she has yet to be truly familiar with.
Holding her in his arms, he wished that the moment would never end. He could even feel his heart beat rapidly at their proximity and despite their own familiarity with each other, it is almost as if it is their first time to be touching one another. He may not be wearing a crown on his head, but having her by his side always is a treasure he would never give up, however tempting the crown may appear.