by Aston, Alexa
She watched them leave and then located Michael. The tall knight tutored a younger man, holding his sword and demonstrating how to swing the weapon for maximum effect. Merryn’s heart went out to the knight. He was a good soldier and an even finer man. She had thought to pair him with a woman only last week. Now, she decided upon their return to Kinwick that she would play matchmaker and find a young woman that would help him forget his brief encounter with love at Hopeston Castle. She believed that if he turned his attention in a different direction and married, he could find some happiness of his own.
Merryn returned to the keep. She found Mary and spent a few hours with her in the solar. The two women sewed as they chatted like old friends. Merryn caught glimpses of her husband in his sister, especially around her mouth.
She finally excused herself, needing to find the children. She’d left them with their cousins long enough. Merryn went back to the inner bailey and found Geoffrey returning from his ride with Lord Holger.
He linked his arm through hers. “Take a stroll with me. We can share about our day.” Geoffrey leaned close to her and softly confided, “Mine? ’Twas awful. Holger is boring and as stupid as a tree stump. Frankly, it’s an insult to the stump to say that. I’m sure the stump is far more intelligent than Holger could ever be.”
Merryn giggled, snuggling closer to her husband as they sauntered along. “I learned something very interesting today. Your niece is in love with Michael and he with her.”
Geoffrey abruptly stopped. “Our Michael? Michael Devereux? Why, they only just met.”
Merryn pulled him along. “Which makes it all the more tragic. She’ll marry in a few days’ time and he’ll return to Kinwick, miserable as she is as she rides away to the cold, barren north. But,” she confided, “I’ve decided to find Michael a wife to help him forget this quick interlude. He’s so good with Hal, and he’ll make a find husband.”
“Nay,” Geoffrey warned. “Stay out of it, Merryn.”
His words baffled her. “Why?”
“I hate to thwart your plans, but Michael needs to find a special woman to be his bride.” Geoffrey sighed. “I hate to break his confidence, but I know ’twill go no further.”
His words intrigued her. “What do you know?”
“You remember I told you that Michael fostered at Sir Lovel’s with me.”
“Of course. He was a page when you became a squire. And then you went to fight as a knight in France and didn’t see him upon your return since you came straight to Kinwick.”
Geoffrey stopped to nuzzle her neck. “Because I had to come home to you, my love.”
His touch thrilled her, but curiosity pulled at her. “So, go on.”
“Michael will inherit a title and quite a large bit of property upon his father’s death. Our Sir Michael will become the Earl of Sandbourne.”
“Michael’s to be an earl? Well, I must say that doesn’t surprise me. The way he carries himself. His intelligence and kindheartedness. He will make the best of earls. I’m so pleased.” She paused. “But why hasn’t he shared this? ’Tis nothing to be ashamed of.”
“He simply wanted to be one of the men and not be treated differently. So, I’m sorry, but your scheming is no good. Michael will need to marry a woman of his own class, one who’ll make a good countess and be his perfect helpmate.”
Merryn frowned. “Then it makes me even sorrier that it can’t be Elysande. She’d be an ideal match for him. I rather like this feisty niece of ours.”
Chapter Seven
Elysande dressed with care. Today marked the arrival of her groom and his relatives. She wanted to look her best. She glanced down and admired the dark blue surcoat and the slashes of slate gray that ran through it. She sat on the bed and slipped on the soft leather shoes that came just above her ankles. She supposed she should save them for her wedding tomorrow, but she hadn’t wanted to break in a new pair of shoes on such a long day. She’d worn these for a few hours each day for the last week and they finally had begun to feel comfortable. She hoped by tomorrow they wouldn’t give her any problems.
Avelyn bounded through the door. “Oh, that color looks lovely on you, Elysande. Hendry is going to fall madly in love with you the moment he sees you.”
But she didn’t want Hendry to be in love with her.
She only wanted Michael Devereux’s love.
Elysande swallowed hard, forcing down what wanted to come back up. She hadn’t eaten much the past two days. The little she did manage to eat constantly threatened to spill from her.
“Let me do your hair,” Avelyn said, leading her to a chair. “You know how I enjoy dressing it.”
Her sister brushed Elysande’s long, blond locks and braided her hair before coiling it around her ears and head. Avelyn’s gentle touch soothed Elysande. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the sensation of the brush gliding along.
Yet all she could see in her mind was Michael and his piercing blue eyes. All she remembered was the taste of his kiss.
She forced her eyes open and sat patiently, waiting for Avelyn to finish. Elysande knew that she needed to take Merryn’s advice and push aside all thoughts of Michael. Her focus should be on her upcoming wedding and the man who was her betrothed.
“There.” Avelyn stepped back and admired her work. “You’ll not only steal Hendry’s heart but every man’s.”
They heard the sound of a horn. The pit of her stomach grew cold.
“They’re here.”
Elysande acknowledged her sister’s words with a brief nod. She tried her best to stir some excitement within her as she accompanied Avelyn to the great hall. They entered to a flurry of activity. So many people had crowded into the room, it looked as if they were about to celebrate the Christmas season. Numerous guests had arrived for the wedding during the past two days. She had no idea who many of them were or why they’d been invited. The buzz of so many conversations made her head begin to ache.
Little Hal raced by, a look of mischief on his face. Avelyn excused herself and chased after the boy.
Elysande stepped further into the room and glanced about. She didn’t know if she’d even recognize Hendry in this mob. She supposed he would have grown taller during the past four years. She prayed his skinny arms and legs had filled out some. Then she sensed eyes upon her and turned.
Michael stared at her from across the room.
Their eyes locked on one another. Everyone else faded from view. Elysande felt as if only the two of them stood at a great distance in the large space. She drank in his tall frame and remembered those muscled arms about her, holding her in an embrace as he kissed the life out of her. Elysande felt the hot flush creeping up her neck and spilling onto her cheeks. She turned away and headed to her right.
She must avoid Michael Devereux. At all costs.
If she didn’t, she might fracture into a thousand tiny pieces that could never be put back together again.
“There you are.”
Elysande turned and saw the overweight, red-faced Lord Holger approaching. She supposed he would lead her to her groom and see that they were properly reintroduced after so long a time apart.
Her stepfather took her elbow. “Come with me, child. We must speak of an important matter.”
Immediately, she sensed something was wrong. Holger’s voice had seemed almost tender. She hadn’t thought her stepfather had a compassionate bone in his thick body, but she knew by his tone that something was amiss.
The nobleman led her from the noise of the great hall to a small room down the corridor where his steward kept the estate’s ledgers. Holger ushered her inside and indicated that she should take a seat. Elysande did so, still worried about what he would reveal.
“I have some news for you. I’m not quite sure how you’ll react. Especially since your father put together the betrothal contract.”
He paused. She realized he was uncertain of how to break whatever news he had to tell her.
“I thought it would be
better to have some privacy as I shared it with you.”
An awkward silence filled the room. Still, he hesitated.
“Please tell me, my lord. Whatever it is, I will handle this news. You may be blunt. I’m not a child that needs to be coddled.”
“So be it.” He took a deep breath and expelled it. “Your marriage will not take place as was planned.”
Elysande’s mouth fell open. “What? Why?” A tiny bit of hope filled her heart.
Had Michael spoken to Lord Holger? Had he asked that the betrothal contract be voided so they could wed instead?
Her stepfather placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m afraid I must inform you that your betrothed . . . Hendry . . . has . . . died.”
Died?
She expelled a long breath, one she didn’t even know she had held. Hendry. Dead. Relief flooded her. She wouldn’t have to marry him tomorrow. She wouldn’t have to go north. She wouldn’t be forced to leave her mother and Avelyn.
And she was free—free so that Michael Devereux might press his suit.
The excitement she had pretended to feel now became real. Her heart beat quickly. She had to find Michael. She must tell him this news. She was no longer betrothed. She loved Michael. He loved her. She had to let him know. They could marry. They could be together. Forever. They could love long and well, just as Merryn and Geoffrey did.
Elysande came to her feet. She tried to tamp down the joy she felt. She knew it was her duty to first find Lord Ingram and offer him her condolences.
Then she would take Michael aside and share the wonderful news with him.
A strong knock sounded, startling her.
Lord Holger called out, “Come.”
Elysande was surprised when Lord Ingram entered the room. He closed the door behind him and came to stand next to her.
“Did you tell her about my son?”
Her heart skipped a beat as she stared up at Hendry’s father. The nobleman was still tall, but his hair had gone from the soft gray she remembered to a snowy white in the years since she’d seen him. His skin seemed more weathered, too. He gave her a grim smile, revealing yellowed teeth.
“Aye,” her stepfather said. “She took it well.”
“And the rest?” the nobleman asked, glancing back at Holger.
“Nay.”
Some undercurrent ran through their brief words. Elysande wondered at its meaning.
She decided to address Lord Ingram. “I am sorry for the loss of your son, my lord. I had looked forward to my marriage with Hendry. I hope he did not suffer much.” She hoped God would forgive her for such a small lie. She only wished to comfort Hendry’s father in his time of grief.
“He was a weakling,” bellowed Lord Ingram. “From the time he was expelled from his mother’s womb, the boy lacked strength and vigor.”
His words took her aback. It didn’t sound as if Lord Ingram mourned for his son at all. She felt sorry for Hendry in that moment. The boy had obviously never lived up to his father’s impossible expectations.
“I couldn’t get a healthy child from my wife. Neither boy nor girl.” His eyes gleamed as he studied at her. “But now ’twill be possible.”
She was totally confused. “Pardon, my lord? I’m not sure what you mean.”
Ingram placed his beefy hands on her shoulders and gazed into her eyes. “I’ll be your new groom, Lady Elysande.”
Marry Lord Ingram?
Panic swept through Elysande. “But . . . but what of Lady Gloriana, my lord? I cannot be the bride of a man who possesses another wife.”
The nobleman snorted in disgust. “Lady Gloriana is as dead as her son. It took long enough to be rid of her. She died the morning we left to come to Hopeston.” He chuckled. “’Tis what probably did Hendry in since he was always tied to the woman’s apron strings. The boy cried like a babe when I refused to delay our departure in order to attend his mother’s funeral mass that afternoon. Frankly, I am glad to be rid of the both of them.”
His words stunned her. What man would be so cruel as to speak of his wife and son in such a hateful manner? And to demand that his son accompany him immediately, when postponing their departure to Hopeston by a day could easily have assuaged Hendry’s grief and allowed him see his mother properly buried.
It was monstrous. He was monstrous.
Ingram’s fingers tightened on her shoulders as his eyes gleamed. “As soon as the contract can be satisfactorily arranged, you and I will wed, my lady. And I plan to get you with child as soon as I bed you. And keep you that way.” He grinned, his yellow teeth almost glowing. “We’ll have many babes together. And spend many nights making those babes.”
His touch sickened her. His words horrified her.
She pushed hard against his chest and stepped away, her entire body quaking in anger. “You, my lord, are the last man on earth that I would wish to wed. I would rather die an untouched virgin decades from now than be shackled to a man like you.”
Anger sparked in Lord Ingram’s eyes as he took a menacing step toward her. His hands shot out and grabbed her upper arms, the fingers so firmly holding her that she knew she’d have bruises there by morning.
He lowered his face till his nose almost touched hers. “Listen well, my lady. You are a woman, and you’ll have absolutely no say in the matter. Lord Holger and I will negotiate the contract in your absence.”
His fingers dug into her tender flesh. Elysande bit her lip to stifle from crying out in pain.
“I do not care what the contract calls for,” she boldly proclaimed. “I will never, ever marry the likes of you. You cannot force me to say the words.”
Lord Ingram looked startled for a moment before he began to chuckle ominously.
“Oh, I shall enjoy breaking your spirit, my dear—but it will be broken. ’Twill be up to you. You can be a docile wife and hold your tongue and do my bidding without question, or I will lock you in the solar and keep you tied naked to my bed while I ravish you over and over till you’ve lost your defiance and learn how to submit as a woman should.”
Lord Ingram glared at her. “The choice will be yours.”
Fear unlike any she’d ever known poured through Elysande at the thought of a future with this fiend. She glanced to Lord Holger, who stood with his arms crossed and a sour look upon his face.
With a surge of strength she didn’t know she possessed, Elysande broke away from Lord Ingram’s grasp and ran from the room. She rounded a corner and hit a wall. No, not a wall—Michael.
His large frame loomed next to her. Those piercing blue eyes dug into the depths of her soul as his hands steadied her.
“Nay!” Elysande slammed her hands into his chest and pushed him away. She gathered her skirts and took off again, running down the corridor and out the doors of the keep.
*
Following Elysande, Michael’s long strides were full of purpose. He’d been standing with Lord Geoffrey and Lady Mary when the wedding party from the north arrived. Lord Ingram barreled through the great hall as if he owned the place. Michael knew of the nobleman by reputation alone and it had done the man justice.
Michael had been in a foul mood for two days since he’d abandoned Elysande in the stables after they’d kissed. He’d used poor judgment succumbing to her kiss, but he wouldn’t have changed a moment of their encounter. She was everything he imagined he could ever want in a wife. Her beauty, now fresh and lovely, would only see her age gracefully. She would grow more beautiful in a score than she was now.
But he found her heart and mind to be what attracted him even more than her comely looks. Elysande was intelligent and caring. Nurturing. Playful. Determined and strong.
And he had lost her as quickly as he’d found her.
That was why he’d stormed from the stables after drinking in her sweet kisses. Oh, how he longed to make her his. Hear her cry out his name in ecstasy as he made love to her. Wake beside her every morning, knowing they faced the new day together.
Her betrothal a
nd upcoming marriage stood between them, though. Michael would never dishonor her or his vows as a knight—though he wanted to plunge his shaft into her and plant his seed deep within her belly.
There could never be anything between them, for she would be married to another in the blink of an eye.
Lord Ingram’s arrival changed all of that. Without preface, the brash nobleman bluntly informed Lady Mary that his son had died while they’d traveled on the road to Hopeston. Michael thought he saw a bit of relief in her eyes. She had motioned her husband over and shared the news with him.
Learning of Hendry’s sudden death gave Michael hope. He’d turned to Lord Geoffrey, who gave him an encouraging smile. He realized that somehow his liege lord had learned of his feelings for his niece. It could only be Lady Merryn’s doing. She was astute beyond measure—and he’d seen her huddled with Elysande several times in the last two days. Either Merryn had guessed the truth or Elysande had confided in her aunt of the feelings between them—and Merryn had shared that with her husband.
“You would make a fine husband to my niece,” Geoffrey said, his voice low.
But before Michael could reply, he overheard the words that stunned him.
“I plan to wed Lady Elysande in my son’s place,” Lord Ingram proclaimed to Lady Mary and Lord Holger. “I came this far for a wedding. Might as well be my own so I didn’t waste time on this trip.”
A gleam came into Holger’s eyes. Michael knew the man would not only approve of getting Elysande off his hands, but his greed would cause him to hold out for more now that a new betrothal contract would need to be drawn up.
“Let me find my stepdaughter,” Holger said. “I’ll share with her that her groom has passed on. I’m sure she’ll be delighted to make a new match with you, Lord Ingram. For the right bridal price, of course,” he added.
Michael looked wildly about the great hall and spied Elysande entering. He ached at how lovely and vulnerable she looked. He wished to go to her, but she quickly turned and skirted the room, moving away from him. He’d watched Holger approach her and then remove her from the room.
