by Rizzo Rosko
A shriveled old hag. He had called her a shriveled old hag who could never possibly give birth to anything but a shriveled old infant.
The spoiled swine. He wrote the letter and sent it off with no regard to her feelings. He was not so young himself, eighteen already and still not wed.
Marianne knew that she should have been wed years earlier, but three and twenty hardly left her old and shriveled.
And now it seemed that he might not even be the prize he valued himself to be. Marianne wanted to know why.
Adam could see the fire building in her eyes. “Please, milady, do not press the matter.”
Marianne watched him struggle with the idea of betraying the trust of his lord, or giving in to the demands of his lady.
Reluctantly, she took pity on him, offering him a smile just to ease his nerves. “Very well, I will not ask anymore questions of you.”
Adam deflated as he sighed. “Thank you, milady.”
“I am sorry to have caused you any worry, your loyalty to William deserves more respect than that.” She shooed him away. “Off you go, finish whatever it was you were doing and have no worry for me.”
He left quickly, and Marianne turned her attention to Olma, who still tried valiantly to not meet her eyes since being by Marianne’s side for so long she recognized when Marianne was playing tricks.
Marianne stood and observed her for a moment, stroking her chin. “I supposed you would not know anything more than gossip.”
Olma did not look at her, but the relieved smile on her face was evident when she shook her head. “Nay milady, and even then, I know not much gossip at all.
Marianne sighed. “I suppose I am to believe you, shy little thing that you are. If I am to receive any answers I will have to ask Robert for them.”
***
William walked leisurely beside Bryce, waiting patiently as the man contemplated William’s current dilemma along with the true nature of his marriage.
William could not contain it any longer, he needed advice and in order to get it he would have to trust that his friend would not betray him and pass around the information that his wife had kidnapped him so that they could wed.
After much chin scratching, thoughtful grunting and nodding, Bryce deemed himself ready to speak. “Fiery spirit, but I never would o’ guessed she would be capable of such a stunt. I’ve heard of such things happening before Henry’s time, but the kidnappings were always performed by the men seeking rich brides. When Nicholas arrives yer going to have to ask him how to deal with her.”
Despite the lack of a true answer, William smirked. “She was brave enough to attempt the kidnapping, but hardly capable of efficiency, the way she blundered it as she did. I can handle her well enough on my own without his advice, when he finally brings his lazy hide out of bed and gets here.”
They continued walking past the courtyard and paying no mind to the men and servants they passed. After some moments of silent contemplation, Bryce asked William delicately, “Do ye suspect she aided her father in the theft?”
William shook his head. “Nay, I cannot believe she is capable of deceit.”
“That is what ye said about Alice.”
William retorted quickly. “Alice’s burdens were brought on by my own foolishness.”
“Aye, but ye saw Bertha long after Alice found her comfort in Robert.”
William grit his teeth at the memory of his wife’s betrayal. “‘Tis true, but I will say it again, ‘twas not entirely her fault. Marianne is not as easily swayed as Alice.”
“Though she does have the temperament to stage a kidnapping, and according to you, nearly ran her horse into the forest after she heard some cruel words from Holton.”
“‘Tis not the same.” William shook his head, refusing to believe Bryce’s logic. He asked the man for his aid, but this was not what he had in mind. “Alice and Marianne are both of the emotional sort, but Marianne handles it better than Alice ever did.”
Bryce chuckled. “Violent little thing, is she?”
William pictured Marianne pounding against his back as he lifted her towards the bed, and listened in his mind to the sounds of her shrieks at the servants, several of whom he walked passed with Bryce. He smiled. Now, on sight of him, they moved quicker with their duties. Not one servant stood idly without a job.
Alice brought a sadder memory. An emotional woman taught never to show sadness, anger, or fear. She bottled her feelings away until they drove her into the bed of another, lesser man.
William cleared his head, bringing his thoughts back to Marianne, who did no such thing with her emotions and brought a happy jump to his chest. “Aye, she is a lively sort, but ‘tis not all that troubles me.”
William told Bryce of his visit to Ferdinand, and the purchase of the servant women, and of the insinuation he received when the man spoke of Marianne. He added his suspicions over the way the older man gazed at his wife when they danced at the marriage celebration.
Bryce appeared thoughtful when the story was complete. “You believe he will have Marianne disappear as he did with Bertha?”
“Aye.”
“It explains why you show a sudden interest in yer skills with a sword after all these years, and why I have had to call my name to have the gate opened even though the men know me by sight.” Bryce grinned. “Having the lady force your hand has not been such a bad thing it seems. All I see here are improvements to your fortress, and I’ve not seen you so pleased or demanding of your men in ages.”
William grinned. He had to agree, he enjoyed the noticeable improvements to his life brought on by Marianne’s presence. And he himself no longer passed his days wasting away. Now there was light in his heart instead of shadows, something he’d not experienced since Alice passed.
“Which only creates an anxious feeling in my gut should my fears of Ferdinand be justified.” William said.
Bryce rubbed his face. “‘Tis a conversation for Hugh, who could tell you the strategies Ferdinand could be planning. There is still nothing to have us believe yer wife is in any danger. Ye worry with hunches.”
“I worry with instinct, and we did not think Bertha was in any danger either.” William retorted.
Bryce raised a finger. “Bertha was a prostitute. Women of the fleshy pleasures go missing all the time.”
“Aye, but she was also a favorite of Ferdinand’s, and he dangled the knowledge of my … indiscretions with Bertha in front of me until the day Alice died. Nicholas assured me himself that Bertha never advertised her clientele when he sent me to her. How else could Ferdinand have come by that information?”
They came to the stone wall surrounding the keep and stopped. William leaned his back against the wall for support. He could not be more certain that Ferdinand wished his wife harm, and he refused to allow her to simply disappear like Bertha had.
Not wishing to argue further, Bryce asked, “Do ye believe Holton’s theft has something to do with Ferdinand?”
“I will need to find out soon.”
Chapter Twelve
“Has Molly seen him lazing around the castle?”
“Nay, milady, he seems to have disappeared.
Marianne deflated, allowing the servant girl to pass and return to her work. Marianne arrived at the stables with a flurry of questions in her mind. Her plan to ask them was dashed when she discovered Robert absent, and none of the other grooms or maids knew where he went.
A familiar burning pierced the back of her neck, she was being watched. Marianne slapped her hand over the spot and spun towards the only possible culprit.
“Will you kindly cease staring holes into my neck!”
James caught up with them after he realized they made off without him, and every time Marianne felt a hot spike or the prickle of spider legs against her neck her mood grew more intolerable.
James’s eyes were currently pointed toward the grass and dirt at his feet, having been warned before. “I am not staring, milady.”
&nbs
p; Marianne knew she was being unfair but could barely contain herself. William would not follow her again. The last time he had she had not felt this uneasiness in her body.
Marianne shivered and scratched her neck, praying that no real spider fell onto her clothes and searched for a warm place to sleep in her hair.
She sighed when she searched with her fingers and found none. The threat of bugs removed, she returned to her former thoughts. “William should be with Bryce, we will find them so that I may speak with him.”
If she discovered he attached another squire to her leg she swore she would never allow her husband to touch her ever again.
Well, perhaps she would not be so cruel. She would allow him to touch her sometimes.
Olma raised her head hopefully. “Are we not speaking with Robert, milady?”
“For now, aye, but when I find him later I will ask my questions.”
Truthfully, Marianne found herself glad for the delay. The closer she came to the stables the more her courage dwindled.
Adam had warned her to not delve into such private matters, and now that she and William were finally on agreeable footing, it would not be wise to test him by searching through the private affairs of his past.
Before she took her first step towards the courtyard the sight of two unfamiliar horses galloping in her direction stopped her.
She thought it might be Bryce and William, but no, neither rider was so big as Bryce, and the other horseman not as beautiful as her husband.
They slowed to a stop before her and Olma. James inched forward to make his presence known, and the two dismounted. Both men were of similar size and dress, though Marianne could never mistake them for brothers.
Their familiar faces suggested she had met them before. The lighter haired of the two sported a short cropped beard that had been well trimmed and curious green eyes that seemed to seek out all knowledge as he studied his surroundings.
The darker haired man stood straight with a wild air about him and a pair of equally dark eyes that flattered Marianne as they studied her.
They certainly did not come across to her as forgettable men. She must have met them briefly during the wedding celebration but then put them out of her mind when the horrible night finally ended and she was able to rest.
The men eyed her once and both grinned brightly as they recognized her. The man with the finer hair bowed respectfully while the dark haired man went to one knee, took her hand into both of his and, after some caressing placed a dramatic kiss on the skin. Marianne took her hand back, her entire body burning with attention.
“Milady Gray, forgive my sudden interruption of your walk. We were called by your husband, I am sir Nicholas Godwyn.”
“And I am sir Hugh Steele.”
The name sparked another memory. She curtsied when her hand was released. Forcing her blushing body under control, Marianne straightened and welcomed her guests. “Sir Nicholas, sir Hugh, my husband spoke of both of you. Had I known you were coming I would have had your rooms prepared. Or must you take leave at once?”
Nicholas laughed, but before he could reply either way William and Bryce ran to join them.
Bryce embraced Nicholas like an older brother would his much younger brother, by lifting him into the air for a tight bear hug with much back slapping.
When released Nicholas and William clasped hands like old friends. Hugh would not allow himself to be greeted like Nicholas and took Bryce’s much larger hand for a shake.
“Nicholas, Hugh, may I reintroduce my wife.”
Marianne curtsied again. William’s formerly joyous appearance melted from his face as he looked at her.
“My dear, why are you here?”
She detected the warning in his voice, and the way Bryce looked at him with a strange mixture of sympathy and caution. Marianne knew neither what to say nor where the warning came from.
Her body stiffened. He must suspect her prying.
“Only enjoying a walk, ‘tis a beautiful day and we have so few left before the first snow.”
He eyed her, as though judging whether or not her words were truthful.
Even though the chill in the air made it impossible, a bead of sweat rolled down her neck as she waited for him to make his decision.
Then, realizing that Hugh and Nicholas were seeing to their own horses, he seemed to forget about her. “Do not see to your horses, let the grooms handle them. Where is Robert?”
Though men did rush out, flustered, Nicholas and Hugh still escorted their animals inside to see to their care.
Marianne watched them go. “I am not sure where he is hiding, he is not to be found by anyone.”
Marianne turned away from the stables to look at her husband and found him staring at her with a strange sort of accusation in his eyes. She knew not from whence it came. Of the answers to the two questions he asked, the latter had been spoken truthfully and with ease, yet his jaw clenched.
Bryce continued to give William that peculiar stare until he placed his hand on William’s shoulder, which prompted him to cease his hurtful glaring at her.
Nicholas and Hugh returned from the stables, both laughing over some story Nicholas was telling until they came close enough to sense the thickness in the air between Marianne and her husband.
No movement commenced from any of William’s guests while he stared down at Marianne.
Suffocating under the intense heat of his stare, Marianne could no longer stand there and suffer in silence. Surely he must know what she had been doing, and now she would be fortunate if he waited until they were alone before turning his anger loose on her.
She opened her mouth to confess, but William spoke to her first, and she held the breath that had been difficult to take in.
“You will forgive me if I have pressing matters to attend to?”
Marianne blinked. She had not expected his calm demeanor and soft gaze.
Remembering his guests, and that he had been making an effort to improve his sword skills, she determined they were the matters that needed attending to.
Still, she did no believe for a moment that this would be the last she would see of his anger. It would drive her mad waiting for him to confront her with his accusations later.
Why had she not thought about the consequences of her actions before carrying them out?
“Of—of course.”
The four men quietly turned and went back in the direction of their training space near the courtyard. Bryce, Hugh and Nicholas stole curious glances at Marianne as they went.
William never looked back at her, and Marianne watched them go with her eyes focused on William’s back. Regret filled her.
He had not made a declaration of love to her last night, but what they shared opened a door to her that had previously been shut, a door leading to him. ‘Twas important enough for her to have no desire of returning to their former hostile and suspicious natures.
“Milady? ‘Tis getting cold, perhaps we should go inside?” Olma said, shivering for affect, but Marianne ignored her.
William barely spoke a word to her, and she was sure he knew she was seeking out Robert. If he was aware that she was digging where she ought not to be, he should have given her a verbal thrashing for it where she stood.
Yet he did not. He walked away to the consoling words of his friends.
What had he thought she was doing that was so terrible it could not be spoken aloud?
Marianne became angry. A suspicion formed in her mind as to what he thought she would be seeking out another man for, and instead of asking her about it he left to think horrible thoughts about her with his companions.
Men, they never wished to speak about anything, and forever would women suffer for it. No matter, she would make him speak and tell her what he thought she was doing. Then she would scream at him for daring to insult her in such a manner.
“Milady? Milady!” James called when she stormed in the direction of her husband.
She should have
realized that one night in his bed would not change how he felt about her. His feelings remained the same as they had ever been. Lust.
She was a bed partner to him and nothing more. That would not do at all.
Marianne spared no time to be surprised when she came upon them and discovered them not training, but speaking of other things. She was too angry to hear anything other than her own name from William’s lips, suggesting that the entire conversation had been about her.
William’s back was to her as she came, but he did not see the shocked stares of his friends until she forcefully spun him around.
“I demand to know why your feelings towards me have not changed.”
“What?” He looked at his shocked friends, and then over Marianne’s head, as if searching for the source of her sudden madness.
Olma and James stood watching in the distance, having stopped following her so that she might have some privacy to rage at her husband. Then receive her punishment for it.
Marianne paid no mind to the confusion on his face, rage took over and she continued to babble her words without thinking. “What did you think my purpose was with Robert? I spend one night in your bed and am a whore now, is that how I am?”
His eyes narrowed at her, teeth bared. “You know not of what you speak.”
She jabbed the center of his chest with her finger. “You refuse to trust me!”
“Refuse to trust you!” He roared. Marianne shot back a step. “I have defended you when my own son accused you of aiding your father in the theft from my castle, after you have me brought to a church by force for a marriage! And you say I place no trust upon you?”
Nicholas stepped forward and asked her gingerly, “Milady, forgive me, but what was your purpose in seeking out Robert?”
Marianne flushed and folded her arms. “I was enjoying a walk, nothing more.” She put emphasis on the last of her sentence, hoping to ward off more questions.
William glared at her, a vicious look Marianne had never seen on him before. “James!” He called. “Come here!”
