In 1415 Henry V of England, convinced he had claim to France by inheritance, invaded. Nearly five years later, he had defeated the French armies and took the princess Katherine as his bride to seal the treaty that recognized him as heir of France. An Invasion, An Offer At least he is young, she thinks. She would ask the messenger for his words, and to tell her his looks, the way he frowned, no laughed, at her father's meager offer. A few minor dukedoms! She already knows that he must have all or nothing. The War, the Wait Would he move over her, she wonders, as he now rides over France, slow, and sure only of a victorious outcome? Que magnifique! Surely he would make strong love after so much war? She is learning the English, to loosen her tongue from its heavy sounds, and blushes at the looseness to come. Consummation She feels his hands hot in hers, listens to his fractured French— he is nervous, bubbling like champagne! And she can only stare, think of the world they will make together, the waiting finally over.
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Amarillo Bay 