Winter early 1348, Kent, England

Sir Thomas Holland had spent years away from his home during his military career. The son of the 1st Baron Holland, he was a principal commander at the Battle of Crecy and served at the Siege of Calais. Both King and Prince spoke highly of his bravery. Any Frenchwoman who saw him thought to herself how handsome and strong he was. He was cheered on as a hero by his fellow Englishmen.

Thomas finally returned to England after the fighting ended, and he ached to return to his wife, the Fair Maid of Kent. He hadn't seen her for years. The constant battles and travelling made it near impossible for him to even correspond to her. Yet it was his driving force to live and return to her.

Only the girl everyone had known as a maid had been wedded and bedded in secret, so no one else knew he had a wife. Joanna of Kent had told no one, save her cousin. When Sir Thomas the war hero returned to England and reached Kent, he found his bride had wedded another.

The Countess of Kent turned him away, as she didn't believe him when he announced himself. Joanna's second husband William was by then the Earl of Salisbury, and so Sir Thomas called upon his residence to ask to see his wife. When Lord Salisbury turned him away as well, Thomas took his case to the church.

"I want my wife restored to me," he demanded.

After that, word got back to King Edward that his uncle's daughter's marriage was in question. He sat at his throne when he read the letter with his wife and older children present to hear of court news. Once he read the information, he crumbled the letter and hurled it to the floor.

"If she married once before without permission, I'll have her head!" Edward bellowed.

"Calm yourself, my Lord husband," Philippa said, touching his arm. "You've had nothing but positive things to say about Thomas Holland when he fought for you. An official inquiry will discover if what he claims is true and if your cousin chose marriage on her own volition."

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"How could no one have known if it were true?" King Edward demanded.

Joan looked away and said nothing. She would tell her confessor and apologise to God directly, but she dared not tell her parents of her knowledge. The heavenly father would forgive her, but Joan wouldn't take the chance with her earthly one.

"If it is true, you can punish them as you see fit for marrying without your permission. You can fine them. You can execute them for treason if that is your wish. But remember, it is only a young couple who may be in love and wanted to follow their hearts. That is not an offence. Thomas is not a power seeker," Philippa said.

"Dissolve both marriages," Prince Edward said. He stood up suddenly. "Neither could love Joanna as I do. She should be my wife."

"You would do better for us by having a foreign wife. And even though I am King, I cannot undo what was promised and sworn before God. She is surely married to one of the men. The sooner you take her from your mind, the better."

"I will not. I refuse marriage to any bride you pick. I will only move on when I die, or she dies. If her husband dies before either of us, I will wait, and she will be free to marry again," the Prince declared.

King Edward waved his hand to dismiss his son. He could never quite tell his heir no, but he would deal with his son's possible marriage a different day. For this matter, it was out of his hands.

The inquiry council requested Joanna's testimony in person, but Lord Salisbury would not let her leave his estate. He locked her in her room and denied requests for her presence. It was not until he was threatened with punishment that he eventually acquiesced. He had considered Joanna his legal wife for seven years. He did not want his marriage to end, but his desire did not trump the law.

Joanna testified before the council that she had consented to her marriage to Thomas, and it had been consummated. "I was afraid he would be executed if it came to light," she confessed. "I thought because I hadn't had permission, maybe it wasn't lawful. I am sorry I did not speak up and any harm this will cause Lord William, but I was married before. I swear it is true."

The official inquiry ruled in favour of Thomas Holland, and the Pope annulled the second marriage to Lord Salisbury. Luckily the seven-year marriage produced no children, and it had been as if it never happened, so Salisbury was free to marry again. The Fair Maid of Kent was reunited with her true love, and after further thought, King Edward let them be at peace without any punishment.