Jane rested her head on his chest and sighed. ‘Then if he had to die, I’m glad it was the arrow that killed him.’ Tilting her head back, she looked at him lovingly. ‘I do love you, Guy. You are the centre of my life—although soon I shall have another to dote on,’ she said, resting her hand on her abdomen. ‘But for the time being I belong entirely to you. I trust in you and believe in you with all my heart. Don’t ever think of going away from me, because if you do I swear I shall go with you and stick to you like your shadow.’
Guy hadn’t imagined he could have fallen any more deeply in love with her than he already was, but her artless pledge positively enslaved him. ‘Just being with you feeds my soul,’ he declared. ‘I wish we were back at Cherriot. There I would have you all to myself and not have to share you with the queen and courtiers.’
‘But we have only just arrived at the court—and I accept it will be an important part of both our lives since you are one of the king’s most loyal advisors. We must also remember that the king is the source of all patronage, and very soon,’ she said, giving him a tantalising little smile, ‘we may be granted the joy of pretty daughters who will one day need to marry well.’
He looked at her in surprise and found a teasing twinkle in her eyes and a saucy smile on her lips. He arched an eyebrow, shooting her a droll look. ‘Good Lord! It would appear I have married an ambitious female after all.’
‘I can be when it is necessary. But I am happy at Sinnington Castle and would not wish to be a courtier spending all my time at the Palace of Westminster.’
The infant named Thomas Edward St Edmond was born in early summer at Sinnington Castle after a quick and easy labour. Jane’s mother and Kate were lovingly present throughout her ordeal.
Perfect in every detail, he was rosy cheeked and dark haired like his father and had the appetite of a horse. From the moment his parents beheld him they adored him. He was the centre of their lives.
‘You are a perfect mother,’ Guy said with satisfaction, kissing her tenderly as she nursed their son. He turned his head to look at her, his brilliant blue eyes open wide. ‘As long as you don’t forget all about being a wife and a lover and make me feel a miserably neglected man.’
Jane knew he was joking, for he revelled in the beauty of young Thomas. She smiled at him with drowsy contentment, seeing so much love in his serene gaze—love and gratitude—and a wicked glint of a promise of something naughtier for later. ‘It would not be possible for me to do that. You know how much I love you. How much do you love me?’ she asked, placing the babe in his crib. Taking his hands, she held them to her heart.
‘More than life itself,’ he replied, looking deep into her eyes.
‘And if you had a price to put on it? What would it be?’
‘You are my joy, my love. If I had to name a price, it would be a fortune—nothing less than a king’s ransom.’
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
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First published in Great Britain 2013
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK)Limited.
Harlequin (UK) Limited, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road,
Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Helen Dickson 2013
eISBN: 978-1-472-00380-5
Table of Contents
Excerpt
Author Note
About the Author
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Copyright
The Devil Claims a Wife Page 23
