Siege Of the Heart (23 page)

“I am fine.”

“Only because she came to your aid.”

“I would have done without her interference,” he said even as he covered the wound snaking up his forearm. A wound that would have been worse if Isabel had not been there.

“Then you would be dead.” Alex shook his head. “You are too practiced a fighter to make mistakes like this. Let it not happen again. Isabel’s well-being is too important.”

Hugh eyed the muddy road. “I don’t understand how you can say that after the other night. She lied to us—to you—about everything!” He finally raised his head, his eyes burning indignantly.

“Of that I am well aware.”

“And you still plan to marry her, despite her treachery?”

“You know as well as I do why she felt the need to hide the truth about her father.”

“Yes, but you are the only one who believes her. You are too busy lusting after the girl to see her for what she is.”

He froze, anger and incredulity flaring through him. He glared at Hugh for a long moment, battling back his urge to hit him. Although the shield bearer glowered, he would not meet Alex’s eyes. Hugh knew he had gone too far.

Alex took a deep breath. “You forget William has ordered us to escort Isabel and her father to London. He will be the one to decide if she deserves punishment for her actions,” Alex said with a calmness he did not feel. “But for now, she is our responsibility and you will respect her, do you understand?”

He waited for Hugh’s nod before he brushed past him and entered the inn.

* * * *

“Be still,” Isabel said as she inspected Hugh’s forearm.

The shield bearer groaned in annoyance as Isabel dabbed at the deep cut running from wrist to elbow with a moist rag. The fool thought he did not need tending, but Isabel was not about to let a minor injury fester because of carelessness. Joining them at the table, Alex’s men passed around tankards of ale while they waited for the innkeeper to serve them supper.

“I think you should have Captain Thomas ask whether there have been any incidents lately. Perhaps the hosteller can offer us some clues as to what happened today,” Jerome said with a glance around the room.

“Perhaps,” Alex allowed.

“It will be a waste of time,” Hugh cut in. “I doubt he knows anything, and even if he does, why would he share it with us? These English dogs are all the same—full of lies and cowardice.”

Isabel’s head snapped up at Hugh’s comments. “Who are you to make such judgments?” Hugh ignored her outburst while the other men struggled to keep their expressions neutral. She shook her head in disgust. “The English people have every right to be terrified after hearing how the Normans have savaged the countryside en route to London. And you wonder why they have not dealt honestly with you?” With each word her voice had grown in volume, punctuated by her hands furiously wrapping Hugh’s arm.

He winced as she drew the bandage tight. “Leave off, woman.” Hugh jerked his arm out of her hands.

“Not until I knock some sense into that Norman head of yours!”

“Enough.” Edged with anger, Alex’s deep voice ended their conversation. “It cannot hurt to ask,” he ground out, his eyes on Hugh’s mutinous face. “Lady Isabel is right. The English have no reason to trust us. We must remember we have only conquered these people, not convinced them to respect us. We need to set an example for others to follow.”

Isabel was relieved to see the men nodding at Alex’s words. She knew he was their leader by rank, but at that moment, he also had showed leadership that did not rely on how well one could wield a sword or control a charger. He commanded with intelligence, tempered by a strong sense of honor. If more Normans were like Alex, perhaps the transition to Norman rule would go smoothly. She only hoped William would find such a man for her.

With one last glance at the belligerent man, Isabel got up and moved to the other side of the table. Sitting next to Captain Thomas on the bench, she busied herself with inspecting his shoulder.

The door to the inn slammed open. The candles on the table flickered at the sudden gust of air. Another group of Normans made their way to the fire to warm themselves. The leader, his armor of finer quality than that of his men, eyed Alex’s table with interest. After alerting the innkeeper of their presence, he strode over to them.

“A relief to find a fellow countryman in this barbaric place. I am Captain Radolf.”

Alex inclined his head. “Alexandre d’Évreux.”

“Well met.”

“And you. We are on our way to London to meet with William.” Alex introduced the other knights. “We have had a tiring journey from Gloucestershire.”

“It is not just weariness that plagues your men.” The captain indicated Hugh’s bandaged arm.

“
Non
,” Alex said quickly. “A group of Englishmen attacked us on the road today.”

“God’s truth? We have been sent here to capture a band of rebels spotted in this area. William fears the remnants of Harold’s forces will rise up against us. And we aim to stop them.”

“That sounds like what we encountered today. Most were dressed like poor soldiers, armed with swords and axes.”

“Yes, they have been targeting the Norman forces stationed in this area. No doubt they saw your group as another opportunity.” The captain glanced along the table. His gaze rested on Isabel briefly before he returned his attention to Alex. “Any deaths?”

“Thankfully, no. Although I cannot say the same for the English,” Alex said with a small grin.

Radolf’s face brightened. “You saved us the trouble then. How far from here were you attacked?”

“Tomorrow, if you travel west a few miles, you will come across the spot. We did not want to risk caring for the bodies in case they came back with reinforcements.”

“I am grateful to you.” Radolf turned, spied one of the serving wenches and whistled for her attention. He pointed to himself then at Alex’s table. “We will be dining together,” he barked in French, gesturing with his hands. The girl eventually nodded in understanding, and soon enough served the table a simple stew.

Alex’s men had spent too much time in English company in Ashdown and welcomed the chance to socialize with some of their people. After dining, Alex and Captain Thomas spoke with the Norman captain at a table nestled into the corner of the room, learning about the events that had transpired since Alex set out for Ashdown.

Isabel was left alone with the rest of the men as Averill, quite undone by the day’s events, had already retired to the room they would share. Naturally, the conversation veered to the conquest and the battle with the rebels. Drink soon increased the men’s boasting. Why must male gatherings be so bloodthirsty? Did they not have enough of warfare? She still could not rid herself of the image of the young rebel’s eyes, frozen open like a gutted fish, as her sword ran him through. She shivered.

She glanced around the room but did not feel it would be appropriate to draw the agitated servant girls into conversation. They were too busy fending off the men’s increasingly intoxicated advances.

She slipped away from the table and made her way outside. The rain had finally stopped. The temperature had dropped considerably, but the chill was refreshing after the oppressive heat of the fireplace inside. She drew her cloak tighter and stared out at the darkness eddying around the edges of the torchlight. She could still hear the shouts of men from indoors. Their voices echoed eerily in the forlorn darkness.

She was not surprised when she felt Alex slip an arm around her shoulders and fold her into his warm embrace. He must have noted her absence and come looking for her. He bent down to see her face.

“You have been through a difficult time,” he said softly.

An understatement, to be sure. Isabel nodded, struggling to keep her composure. She found herself watching the way his breath condensed around their faces, a warm caress on a cold night.
 

With Alex there beside her, it was hard to hold herself back. In the battle, she had raised her sword against her people. And to hear the Normans boast of their victory… She hated the circumstances that made her nothing more than a traitor to the English people.

“I am sorry I could not do more to protect you,” Alex said.

“
Non
, that is not…” As she watched him, in one heart-stopping moment, she realized the magnitude of what she was going to lose by William’s decision, and it went beyond her people, her lands, her home…

Alex pulled her closer, and Isabel arched her neck, eager for his kiss. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around him, giving Alex better access to her willing mouth. It would have to be the last one, the one to last her the rest of her life.

Before the sensations completely carried her away, she pulled back, gasping and shaking her head, ashamed for giving into her needs, however fleetingly.

“Do not tell me
non
,” he pleaded. He still held her close, his face pressed into her hair.

“I must. We cannot do this… I cannot do this.” She tried to increase the distance between them.

“Why not?” he demanded. “Why do you keep holding back?”

He spoke sharply, and she replied with equal heat, “Because I have to!” She continued more quietly, “William is going to marry me off to one of his knights, and this,” she said, gesturing helplessly to him, “this will only get in the way.”

Alex shook his head and tried to interrupt, but she forestalled him. “I must do what is best for my people, and my feelings for you would be a distraction.”

“Isabel, it does not have to be like that.”

“You do not understand,” she said. “William will decide—”

Alex straightened, his face set. “William has already decided,” he said grimly. “You do not need to deny your feelings anymore because I am more than entitled to them.”

“What do you mean?”

“William has already given you to me.”

15

Alex’s voice was a death sentence.

“Given you? He has already decided…as if I were a brood mare and not a person? And you knew about this?” With every successive word, Isabel’s fury grew. Despite her feelings for Alex, this was not the way she wanted to be with him.

Alex raised his hands. “Isabel, let me explain.”

“This is my future. I had every right to know!” Her voice almost broke. “How could you keep this from me?” She dug her hands into her skirt, gripping the fabric roughly so she would not give in to the urge to hit him.

“Because you would have never given me a chance!”

His accusing tone destroyed any remorse she may have had. “You do not know that,” Isabel challenged, squaring her shoulders as she would against any other opponent.

He bent down so he could peer into her face. “Yes, I do. You would have done all in your power to push me away. And as it was, you very nearly did. I wanted the chance to win you on my own terms before you felt forced into the situation.” He looked out into the night, a muscle in his jaw working. “I know it is commonplace for arranged marriages, but I saw first-hand the bitterness and grief such unions caused. I did not want that for us.” He swung back around, facing her head on. “I wanted to give us a fighting chance.”

She stepped back. Away from him. Away from the yearning in his eyes.

“So that is why you would not leave me alone,” she said, evaluating every past encounter with Alex in a new light. Anger and uncertainty bolted up her spine. Every word he uttered now smacked of deception. Was it all a ruse? Was naught real to him?

“That is the problem, Isabel. You only know how to be alone. You pushed me away, just like you push away everyone else.”

She shook her head. Surely she was imagining the wistfulness in his voice. “That is not true.”

“Yes, it is.” He stepped toward her, a hand span separating them. “Your father and brother are gone. You are too Norman for your own people and too English for your conquerors. But you are not alone in all this. Not anymore.”

She scoffed. “Because of you?”

“Yes, because of me. You are bound to me whether you like it or not. Together we can help your people adapt to Norman rule.”

“I do not need your help.”

“Yes, you do! Would you rather have another of William’s knights take command and potentially destroy everything you and your father created in Ashdown? I have seen how much you care. I have seen your people through your eyes, seen their quality. Do you think another man will give them that chance? Do you think another man will respect your counsel? I am more than prepared to give you my protection, my name and my respect. Accept my troth and let me help you. If you will allow yourself, you will see how much we will give to each other.”