Remembrance

But now Callie knew that her very life depended on seeing Talis and seeing him now. He must choose freely. She must know that he loved her more than he loved anything else, and that included his honor and his pride. She knew she could not tell him of the marriage she was being forced into, for if Talis knew, his honor would force him to marry her.

And all her life, Callie would feel that she’d tricked him into marriage. But if he chose her freely, with no strings, no threats, then she would be justified in jeopardizing a future that could possibly be glorious. But he must choose her over everything else—including his honor.

Even as Callie sat there, using her mind to call Talis to her, she knew that his honor and his pride were everything. If Talis’s hesitation were caused by another woman, she could fight her; she could wear revealing clothes, do things with her hair. But Callie had nothing so ordinary as a woman to fight; she had to fight what was inside Talis himself.

It was not long before Talis arrived, out of breath from a neck-breaking ride on a horse, his sword drawn. He looked dazed, as though he did not know what he was doing there, as he did not.

“What is it?” he demanded of her. When he saw that there was no blood dripping from Callie and that all her limbs were intact, his face changed from the fear he’d felt as the urgent, not-to-be-denied call inside his head, to one of annoyance. “Callie, I ran from my father at your call. Do you know how this makes me look? One minute my father is personally instructing me on the use of a sword and the next I rudely leap on Hugh’s horse and ride away. I am sure they all think I am insane.”

“Talis,” Callie said, moving to stand in front of him. “I want us to get married today. Now. The priest in the village will do it. Everyone already thinks we are great sinners. He will be glad to save our souls by marriage.”

“Is that what this is about?” Talis sheathed his sword. “Another of your attempts to seduce me? Callie, please, I love all of this but there is a time and place for everything.” Turning, he started toward the door.

“No!” she cried, grabbing the front of his jerkin. “This is different.”

He gave her a knowing little smile. “Different from all the other of your attempts to seduce me? Callie, my love, did you not think I knew what was going on? I have known always. Every time.”

Giving her a brotherly kiss on the forehead, he started to push past her. “Now I must return to my father and apologize.”

She would not release him. “Talis! Listen to me. I know you knew and I know how you enjoyed the game. How could I not know something like that about you? But I swear to you that this is serious; this is different.”

“How is it different? What has happened?”

To Talis’s disbelief, he could see that Callie had no intention of telling him what had happened—if anything. He could hardly fathom it, but Callie was keeping a secret from him. Never had she done this before. Oh, she might pretend she was not trying to seduce him when she was, but now there was something that she was not telling him.

His back stiffened, and instantly, Callie knew what was wrong.

She would tell him, she thought. In spite of her better judgment, she would tell him all. She could not allow his honor to separate them. “Lady Alida—” she began, but Talis cut her off.

“Do you start on that poor woman again?” he asked. “She is dying. Can you not see that?”

“She means to marry me to another.”

“Nay,” Talis said calmly. “That is not true. There are things that you do not know of.”

“Talis, do not be blind to what is around you. There are things that you do not know. Do not let your pride come between us. Let us be married today, now. If I am no longer a virgin no one on earth can part us.”

With a knowing smile, Talis chucked her under the chin. “Then that is what this is all about. What did my lady mother say that has made you believe she means to marry you to another? Or did she say anything? I think this is just another of your ruses. Will the door slam shut again? Will I need to hack through the roof again?”

Callie’s face was serious. “This is no jest. She has shown me the man.”

“If she has said something to upset you, she was teasing you. She plans for us to…No, I cannot tell you. I have made vows to God.”

“You have made vows to her,” Callie said spitefully and even to her own ears she sounded jealous.

“No,” Talis said seriously. “You do not know what has transpired. I have put my hand on the Bible. My honor is at stake. I have—”

“You have been used,” Callie spat at him, all her anger at him coming to the surface. Why would he not listen to her? “We have been used. They care nothing for us, only what they want. They have used you against yourself.”

“You talk in riddles and you could not know what you say. The people you speak of are my mother and father.”

“You do not believe that. John Hadley is my father and that woman is my mother. Can you not see the truth?”

Talis stood looking at her, puzzled, knowing something was wrong but he could not figure out what it was. That Lady Alida was not his mother was no surprise to him. Whoever she was, she was a lonely woman and she had promised him that if he acted as a son to her, she would give him so much. And all of it would be for Callie—if Callie would just be patient. How very much he wished he could tell Callie what he was doing, what he had planned, but he could not. All he could do now was try to soothe her. Everything would be well in the end if she would only trust him. How could she doubt him?

“Callie, what is wrong with you? You used to be so soft, so loving, so…so sweet natured. Now you are—”

Callie glared at him, angry at his lack of understanding. She was fighting for her life. “Yes, once I gave love because I received love. But in this time in this house I have given but received nothing. You have stood by idle while I have been exiled, ridiculed, humiliated. You have cared nothing for me.”