Besieged and Betrothed

‘Then what are you doing to him?’

‘Taking care of him!’

She shouted back at him this time, heedless of whoever might hear her now. How dare he ask her such a question, as if she’d do anything to hurt her own father, as if it didn’t break her heart to nurse him every day and be powerless to do anything that might actually help!

‘Then you have a strange definition of care, my lady.’

He looked around at the bleak stone walls and her heart sank. No wonder he thought it was a prison. Short of some chains, it could hardly have looked any more like one.

‘Just let me explain.’

‘Save it for the Empress.’

His expression was grim and she felt an ice-cold tremor of fear, the same as she’d felt the first time she’d seen him. She’d got to know him since, had almost been tempted to tell him the truth about her father, but now it was too late. He was the same granite warrior she’d first glimpsed from the battlements, unyielding, unwavering and dangerous, and yet, strangely enough, she wasn’t frightened of him. As furious as he looked, somehow she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. That was one consolation. As for turning her over to the Empress however...

‘What do you mean?’ she hardly dared ask.

‘Your father was one of her most loyal supporters. She’ll want to deal with you herself.’

‘But I can’t go to Devizes! Surely you wouldn’t...’ Her protest faded away as two of his soldiers appeared in the doorway.

‘Take her to her chamber and lock her in.’ Lothar turned his back as if he couldn’t bear to look at her any longer, the ire in his voice sending shivers down her spine.

‘Wait!’ She dodged away from the soldiers and grabbed at his arm, ready to beg if necessary. She’d take whatever punishment he thought fit, just as long as he didn’t separate her from her father—not now, not yet! She’d do anything to prevent that, though judging by the intractable look on his face anything might not be enough. ‘He needs me.’

‘He needs a proper bed in a warm room, not this!’

‘This was only going to be for one night, I swear it. You heard him moaning in his chamber yesterday morning, didn’t you? You know he was up there then. He isn’t a prisoner.’

The tension around his eyes seemed to ease slightly. ‘Then why did you bring him down here?’

‘Because I thought it was the safest place. I didn’t know what would happen when I surrendered.’

‘I promised you that no one would get hurt.’

‘I had to be certain.’

‘And after I stopped Sir Guian’s soldiers from ransacking the castle, why didn’t you take him back to his chamber then?’

‘Because you said you were leaving...’ she grimaced, realising how bad it sounded ‘...and I thought that maybe I could still keep him secret. I don’t know if Sir Guian ever met my father, but I doubted he’d look at a sick man too closely. Once you left, I was going to take him back to his chamber and say he was one of my soldiers.’

‘But you knew that I’d recognise him?’

‘Yes.’

An expression of something like hurt swept over his features. ‘So you were just waiting for me to leave?’

A feeling of guilt assailed her, as if she’d actually taken advantage of his honourable behaviour. ‘Yes.’

‘So you wanted Sir Guian to stay instead of me?’ His mouth twisted bitterly. ‘And I thought I was protecting you.’

‘It wasn’t like that.’ She shook her head vehemently. ‘I didn’t want Sir Guian, but I wanted to keep my promise to Stephen, as far as I could anyway. I gave him my oath.’

‘As I gave mine to the Empress.’ He shook her hand away from his arm brusquely. ‘I don’t know what this is, but I’ve heard enough. Take her away.’

‘No!’ She tried to back away from his men, but there was nowhere to go. ‘You can’t do this. I know how to look after him. I know what to do!’

‘You’ve done enough.’