Swamp Cabbage? Eleanor is Perplexed

‘Tis without a doubt that Eleanor has never even seen swamp cabbage, much less tasted it. ‘Tis the heart of the Sabu palm, and, believe me, gentle readers, when I say that in 1272 there were no palms in England. This day being Swamp Cabbage Day, Eleanor is musing over this unknown quantity. She is intrigued by the whispers she has heard of this delicacy from traders coming from the Orient. Actually, what truly intrigues her is the word “heart.” She wonders, if she were to acquire a swamp cabbage and be able to slip it into Lord Hugh’s meal in the Great Hall (oh, he of the intense blue gaze!), might he soften his heart toward her? Eleanor blushes and then frowns. Lord Hugh is a much more difficult conquest than one that could be vanquished by merely partaking of an exotic plant. What is she to do? Will Lord Hugh ever have a heart? And what of her own heart?