CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Rosamunda held her breath, her innards churning. She would have to seek the garderobe soon or disgrace herself. Nox snorted below them, no doubt sensing his master nearby. Lux whinnied in reply.
In the courtyard people were stirring, beginning the business of the day, a day like any other. Except it wasn’t.
To say she had longed for children would be untrue. She had felt cheated of the chance to bear sons and daughters. But the longing had been for a man who loved her. In her fantasies she had assumed marriage to such a man would bring children.
Adam de Montbryce was that man. Her heart bled for him that he suffered this torment. He stood before her like a lost child, unable to hide the pleading in his eyes.
She knew nothing of real life, of men and women, of what it meant to live with other people, least of all a man. But she loved Adam. The idea of not joining her life with his weighed on her like lead. She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him down to his knees. “Ask again.”
He glanced up at her sharply, hope flickering in his blue eyes. “You understand what I am telling you?”
She nodded, then put one hand over her heart, the other on his chest.
He exhaled loudly, rubbing his face with his hands. He laughed nervously, swallowing hard. She held out her hand. He cradled it in his warm palms. “Will you wed with me, Rosamunda Lallement?”
She launched at him and they collapsed in a tangled heap in the straw.
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.
He folded her in his arms. “I’ll take that as a yes then.”
~~~
The urgency to get Rosamunda back to East Preston consumed Adam. He did not divulge the betrothal to the Revandel family. Denis and Paulina must be the first to share the news.
Denis would understand, despite that a marriage would end the partnership of the Giant and the Dwarf. Denis loved him and would rejoice in his happiness.
Paulina would be devastated. Denis and Paulina should marry. It was evident they were made for each other.
He ought to have given Rosamunda more time to consider her response. He dreaded she might change her mind. He would of course free her of the betrothal, but he longed to marry her quickly. Then he would pleasure her silly and she would never want to leave him.
She was beautiful. Their children would have been angels. It grieved him he would never see her belly rounded with his child.
She agreed to keep their promise secret, grimacing at the notion of Letyce Revandel and her rude brothers finding out.
Adam informed his hosts of their intention to depart that afternoon, much to Alphonse Revandel’s spluttered disappointment, Letyce’s disgusted sneer, and the twins’ crestfallen sulk.
~~~
Letyce Revandel fumed. Why would a handsome knight such as Adam de Montbryce prefer the company of a mute nobody? She had used all her wiles to snare him, but had not succeeded in bringing him to arousal.
What was wrong with him? She had guessed early on that he did not hear well. But there was more. He avoided physical contact, especially when she attempted to press her body against his manhood. There was nothing—no hard male length saluting in honour. Any man became aroused when a young woman pressed her attentions on him, unless—
He clung to the muette as if to a lifeline. Letyce was glad they were leaving today and wished heartily protocol did not demand she be present in the courtyard to bid them adieu. She suspected Adam had spent the night with her rival in the stables.
Her father bowed and scraped, his fat face red. His toadying turned her gut.
She suppressed a giggle when Winrod and Dareau lavished completely inappropriate farewell kisses on the mute, flustering her, until Adam stepped between them to spoil the fun, a scowl on his face.
Her brothers’ actions emboldened her. What harm in one last try? As Adam bowed his adieu, she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him on the mouth, grinding her mons against him. He stumbled backwards in an effort to evade her, but in the brief moment their bodies touched, her suspicions were confirmed. The man was either a eunuch, or he was impotent.
That could explain his evasive answers when her father had brought up the topic of Belisle Castle. He had mumbled something about his brother inheriting. Her father’s disappointment was palpable as his dreams of wedding his daughter to a wealthy Norman noble dissipated.
What did she care? Let the eunuch dote on his muette. There were plenty of other fish in the sea. But as she watched them ride away, she plotted how to escape Poling, and her father’s constant supervision.
As the departing travellers neared the gate, another group of horsemen appeared. She narrowed her eyes. Was it the King’s livery they wore? Her spirits lifted.
Montbryce exchanged greetings with the royal messengers. He accepted what looked like a document from them, then continued his journey home without a backward glance.
The newcomers rode into the courtyard. They were indeed King’s men. Her father repeated his bowing and scraping as the leader dismounted and came forward.
“I am Sir Bertrand de Poitou, herald of his Majesty, Henry, King of England. I bear a message from our Sire concerning his sojourn at Arundel Castle. You are Sir Alphonse Revandel?”
Her father smiled broadly. “Did I not tell you the King would remember me,” he whispered to Letyce as Sir Bertrand handed him a parchment.
She rolled her eyes. From the size of the satchel stuffed with documents that Sir Bertrand’s squire bore across his body, no doubt every Thomas, Richard and Henry in Sussex had received the missive. Still, excitement bubbled within her. Arundel was less than an hour away, and the King would be there. Henry would bring his courtiers with him.
Sir Bertrand stepped back. “I await the favour of a reply.”
“Oui, oui, of course we will do his majesty’s bidding. Whatever it is.”
The herald folded his arms across his broad chest. “You have not yet read the missive.”
Letyce peeked over her father’s shoulder as he unfurled the document.
As he laboriously intoned the message for the benefit of his sons, her eyes skipped through the meaningless preamble: Year of Our Lord...Glorious Reign...Majesty....yes, here was the crux of the message:
...His Illustrious Majesty commands your presence at Arundel Castle for the celebrations of the Triduum of Hallowmas.
At last, a chance to escape this dreary manor and have some fun. Granted the second two days of Hallowmas were not much fun, but All Hallows’ Eve promised to be entertaining.
“The Revandels will be there,” she gushed, to Sir Bertrand’s evident surprise.
~~~
For the first half hour of their journey to East Preston, the angry scowl did not leave Adam’s face. His jaw remained clenched, his thoughts obviously far away. Rosamunda deemed it wise not to open a conversation. She too had been repelled and disgusted by the behaviour of the Revandel twins towards her and Letyce’s brazen conduct with Adam. She was upset for him, but secretly elated he obviously had no affection for the hore.
He had accepted the document from the royal herald at Poling, but had not read it, nor given any indication of what it might contain. She was agog! A message from the King! She would have ripped it open immediately.
It had not escaped her attention that the impressive herald had shown great deference to Adam when he identified himself.
As they turned south at Angmering, he called a halt for the men to water their horses in the Arun river. Some of his anger seemed to leave him as he helped her dismount. She relished his big hands at her waist as he lifted her safely to the ground. She held on to his shoulders, drawing on the strength she felt there.
“I apologise for my demeanour, Rosamunda,” he said. “I am disappointed for my father that such a family lives in one of his manors. No gentleman would behave thus towards you.”
Nor any lady towards you.
Impatience seethed inside her. She pointed to the docu
ment tucked in his belt. He looked down and seemed surprised. “I forgot it!”
He tucked his hand under her elbow and guided her to a fallen log by the river. “Let’s see what his Illustrious Majesty wants.”
Perhaps for a family that had rubbed shoulders with kings since William the Conqueror, a royal message might not seem important.
Adam unfurled the parchment, read the message, then rolled it up again.
She gripped his arm, shaking it. “Well?”
“We are invited, nay, commanded to Arundel Castle for the Hallowmas observance.”
She had heard of Arundel from her brothers. “The Earl of Arundel?” she mouthed.
“You are right that the castle used to be the demesne of the Earl of Arundel, Roger Montgomery, but after his death it passed to the Crown. Henry loves Arundel. It is a magnificent castle.”
She pointed to herself, shaking her head.
“You have no choice, Rosamunda. When the king commands a household to attend, everyone of consequence goes.”
He brushed a kiss on her knuckles, sending shivers up and down her spine. “I will be proud to take you as my betrothed.”
She liked the sound of that. She would be safe with Adam to protect her.
“Paulina will be expected to go also.”
A problem. “She will not go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“Absolutely not,” Paulina shouted. “I will not accompany you to Arundel.”
Denis was worried. Paulina had made great strides in a short time. She had asked him many questions about his deformity and how he had coped with the censure. Her fear seemed to lessen as the days passed and they strolled together around the estate. He felt she was learning to trust him.
Now the fear was back.
Adam rolled his eyes. “You risk angering the King if he gets wind of your refusal. Your brothers will be there, as will Rosamunda. Your existence will come to light. We cannot lie about it. That has gone on too long. Henry will be angry enough with Vincent and Lucien without your compounding the problem.”
Paulina turned away, her attention seemingly on the kitten in the satchel she bore across her body. “Rosamunda need not go. She can stay with me.”
Rosamunda stamped her foot. “I want to go.”
She shot a strange glance at Adam, her face reddening.
Denis wondered what was going on.
Adam put his arm around Rosamunda’s shoulder and cleared his throat. “This was not the way we wanted to tell you both, but, we are betrothed.”
For a moment, Denis thought he had misheard, but one look at his brother’s face quickly disabused him of the notion. His Giant had fallen in love. He was not surprised, having recognised Adam’s immediate attraction to Rosamunda. A deaf man and a muette? A perfect union! His heart overflowed for his brother’s happiness.
But what of Adam’s impotency? Had he recovered in the short time he had been away? Unlikely, unless Rosamunda had worked some miracle!
Had he confided in her? In a few short weeks this young mute had seemingly won Adam’s trust. That should not irritate him as much as it did.
Paulina swayed beside Denis, staring at her sister. Dieu! How alone she must feel at this moment. He wanted to embrace her, tell her he would take care of her, treasure her forever.
A chill washed over him. If Paulina rejected him, the Dwarf would face a future alone. But he did not want her to come to him to escape loneliness, or out of fear.
He wanted her to love him, as the blushing and smiling Rosamunda so obviously loved Adam. His fledgling hopes had risen during the past few days.
He had known the insidiousness of jealousy before, having envied any and everyone who was not a dwarf. But he had overcome that. Now he was ashamed because he begrudged the love his dearest brother had found.
Adam laughed nervously. “Won’t you congratulate me, brother?”
It jolted Denis from his reverie. He was truly happy for Adam. It was the miracle he had prayed for. He pushed aside his melancholy, as he had many times. He winked at Adam. “You’re a sly devil!”
He held his arms wide, as did Adam. The brothers embraced, the Giant lifting the Dwarf as Denis’ arms strained to thump him on the back.
~~~
Paulina’s worst fear had come true. She had never seen a snake, only knew of them from her brothers, but now she held her breath, waiting for the lethal bite of the adder coiled around her heart.
She wished she had died in the fire.
She wished she had never been born.
She wished only happiness for her beloved sister, but the words stuck in her throat.
If only Denis would cradle her in his arms and assure her of his love.
Rosamunda’s warm hand grasped hers. Paulina looked at the face of the courageous person she loved most in the world who now knelt before her. It was a face full of hope and happiness. She inhaled deeply and threw her arms around her sister’s neck. “Your dream has come true. Your Montbryce hero has come for you.”
Topaz mewled her displeasure at being squashed between them as they hugged.
~~~
“I have told her,” Adam whispered in Denis’ ear as they broke apart and the Giant set him back on his feet. “She knows everything.”
Denis was reassured. He looked over at the Lallement women locked in a tearful embrace.
Only he could offer Paulina a way out of her loneliness and fear. Her wretched parents were dead. Rosamunda and Adam had pledged to each other. Vincent and Lucien would marry and have families of their own.
Denis should walk away, keep his heart safe.
But he had always been a man who stood for what was right, no matter the challenges.
He waited until the women broke apart. Rosamunda came to her feet. Adam put his arm around her. Paulina wiped her tears with the sleeve of her bliaut, gasping in exasperation as Topaz crawled out of the satchel and scampered off.
Denis took her damp hand, and went down on one knee. “Shall we make it a double wedding, my lady?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Paulina’s captivity had denied her the necessity to ever make decisions. True she might ponder how much water to add when steeping faded rose petals, or which of her three bliauts to wear, or whether to braid her hair or let in hang in the style Rosamunda loved. The first major decision of her life was the name chosen for a cat!
Marriage was something she had never considered. Even if she had been free, what man would want a wife half his height?
Before her knelt a man asking for her hand. Not an attractive man, but brave and honest and strong, a man who knew what it was to be ridiculed. He had triumphed over his deformity, and could help her do the same. She had no doubt he would protect her with his life if necessary.
But was it out of pity he had asked, knowing how bereft she would be without her sister? He seemed to enjoy spending time with her, but was it because she was his height? Did he seek companionship, or did he feel the stirrings in his heart she felt whenever she was near him?
Her mind went blank. If she said yes, she would never be lonely. She would have a champion, a friend, a bedmate. Oh God, he would see her tiny body, naked. It was too small. How could a man love a body such as hers?
If she said no, he would believe she had refused him because of his deformity, when she was in reality drawn to his strength, drawn to him.
He was such an honourable man that if she denied him, she trusted he would not abandon her. Perhaps it would be better if they remained just friends.
~~~
Denis watched indecision plague Paulina. It was the longest minute of his life. He had never felt uglier or more inadequate. How grotesque he must appear, wobbling on bended knee, his hips aching like the devil.
He had to push her into a decision, or they might be there all day. Adam and Rosamunda stood nearby, clearly embarrassed, not knowing what to say. However, both had expectant looks on their faces. Rosamunda’s hopeful smile in particular emb
oldened him. If anyone knew Paulina well, it was her sister.
He had to hope the woman he believed was his destiny saw the sincerity in his eyes. “I beg you to say yes, Paulina.”
She drew in a long shuddering breath, her arms rigid at her sides, fists clenched. Tears trickled down her cheeks.
She shook her head. “Yes, I will wed with you.”
~~~
Adam had been afraid Denis might not get off his knees. He need not have worried. His brother sprang up like a frog, raining kisses on Paulina’s hands, talking so quickly Adam deciphered only a few words. Champion—protector—safe.
Paulina swayed like a sapling in a gale, her face expressionless.
Tell her you love her.
It was brave advice, yet he had not said those words to his own betrothed.
Rosamunda turned her radiant face to him. “So happy!”
Adam was happy too. Denis had found the impossible. Indeed they both had. Hope had replaced hopelessness.
He suspected Denis would also want a quick wedding, but they would need the King’s permission to marry. It was fortuitous they were going to Arundel.
He twirled a lock of Rosamunda’s hair around his finger. “I am anxious for our marriage, Rosamunda, but can I ask that we wait until we can go to Belisle after Hallowmas? Denis will want to wed there. Our parents—”
She stood on tiptoe to kiss his nose. “Of course.”
~~~
Normandie! Not only was she going to Normandie, she would be married there. Warm contentment flowed over Rosamunda.
Her betrothed had trusted her with a confidence she would carry to her grave rather than betray him. She vowed to pray for a miracle, but she would love him despite his male difficulties.
Her sister had found her soul mate, though she seemed intent on denying it. Life would not be easy for Paulina and her dwarf, but Denis was strong, and she believed he loved Paulina.
Not long ago the prospects for the future seemed dire. Now life was full of promise.
Haunted Knights (Montbryce~The Next Generation Historical Romance) Page 12
