Page 6 of One Knight
Never trust a woman simply because she has a pretty face, Henry reminded himself.
“Sir?” Rolf said as he approached.
Henry waved him off and shoved the door open. It slammed against the wall. The lady leaped from the floor, where she had been praying.
“What is the meaning?—”
“Where is she? Where did you hide her? Search this room. Every inch.”
Rolf entered and followed his orders, moving toward the bed.
“I already told you, she’s gone.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“That’s your own choice. It doesn’t make it the truth.”
Rolf tore bed hanging from the ceiling and flipped the mattress.
The Lady Elisande stood straight and tall, chin in the air. Her breeding was impossible to miss. “You won’t find her here, but please, go ahead and destroy this chamber.”
“None of this is yours anymore, my lady. It allbelongs to King William and, through the bestowal of His Majesty’s generosity, to me.”
The reason she had feared all along and why she had sent Hilda away manifested before her.
“And you want to marry Hilda to seal your claim to these lands and the loyalty of the people who work them.” It wasn’t a question. Elisande understood how the world worked.
“Is that so surprising?” Henry stepped toward the proud woman.
“Of course not. Why do you think I sent her away?”
“Perhaps so you could have me for yourself.” Henry didn’t know where the words had come from, but they slipped through his lips.
Lady Elisande burst into shocked laughter. “Trust me, Sir Knight, nothing could have been further from my mind. Indeed, death and taking vows to protect myself with a nun’s habit were at the forefront.”
Her response bothered him more than he’d expected.Death. Vows.
“You find Norman knights so repugnant?” He took another step toward her.
“Indeed, it was the tales of cruelty and lack of mercy that reached our ears.”
“And yet you stayed despite them.” He stopped in front of her and studied her green gaze for answers. “That took courage.”
Lady Elisande’s breathing turned shallow, and Henry’s attention was drawn to her figure. Her green gown made her seem like a jewel whenpaired with her eyes. She was pleasing in all the ways a man could want.
“You thought the worst of us, and still, you were willing to sacrifice yourself to save another.”
She pressed her lips together, and her throat moved as she swallowed. “It was love, not courage, that made me stay.”
“And yet the heart of a lioness beats within your chest, my lady.”
She didn’t reply as he lowered his face within a hairbreadth of hers.
“You will make me a fine bride, Lady Elisande. It is that courage I want to see reflected in my son’s eyes.”
Her sharp inhale told him his words produced the shock he’d intended.
Over his shoulder, he said to Rolf, “Find a priest. Our union will be sealed before the sun sets this day.” Turning back to his bride-to-be, he noted her creamy-white skin had gone even paler. “King William’s blessing is upon our marriage. Rosewyn Manor is mine. And so are you, my lady. Your heroic actions sealed your fate. You will take the Lady Hilda’s place. This land will belong to our children.”
