“I shall wear it always.” A strong emotion swelled within her bosom and after a moment she realized what it was: happiness. Unfamiliar and unanticipated.
He nodded once, and he looked as if he might say something further on the subject, but then he pressed his lips tightly together. Outside, a cloud drifted over the sun and the morning room was cast into temporary dullness.
“There is another matter we should discuss.” Otto’s voice had become firm.
“Oh?”
“I know what Sir Althalos said to you last night.”
His abrupt words brought her free-floating emotions crashing down. Her hands fluttered into her lap where she folded them together, searching her mind for a suitable answer.
She pondered for too long. Otto sprang from his position by her chair and paced back to the far windows, his arms crossed over his muscular chest.
“It was a lie,” he stated, addressing the gardens.
A lie.His bold declaration made her flesh grow cold.
Why would he claim that Althalos was lying?
Ariana followed his gaze to the thin swoop of light falling over the well-tended lawns. She shifted uncomfortably in the chair, aware that with every beat that passed, Otto’s stance grew stiffer.
“I have known men such as Sir Althalos all my life,” she said eventually, forcing her words through lips that had become dry. “I know that they seek out ways to undermine the confidence of others. I have learnt to pay them little heed.”
Relief washed over Otto’s face. “The women I named will not come,” he stated. “When you are better settled in Darkmoor, we shall hold a banquet so you can meet our noble families. After that, you may select your own lady friends to stay with us.”
He smiled; no doubt assured his solution was one that would appeal to her. Ariana hastily buried the fears and insecurities his words had planted in her gut.A banquet. Where she must be on show for the whole of Darkmoor to see and judge and find wanting. She looked down, lest Otto somehow divine her true feelings. She must not appear ungrateful.
“You are too kind,” she managed.
One of his large, warm hands fell onto her shoulder, squeezing gently. “It is no more than you deserve.”
But his words of affection could not reach her, for she knew he had told her an untruth. And this untruth now sprouted roots, growing into a barrier which blocked the path to a heart which had been so newly opened. Ariana could only nod silently, her lips curling into another smile which did not reach her eyes.
Her heart beat shallowly as disappointment wrapped itself around her. She could not, in good spirits, accompany Otto to his bedchamber now.Please don’t ask me, she prayed silently.
Thankfully there came a knock at the chamber door.
“Come,” said Otto.
Gaius, the knight she had met last night, walked diffidently into the morning room and bowed low to both Otto and Ariana. He carried himself with his usual air of composure, but Ariana saw that his gray hair was ruffled and dried mud clung to the edges of his dark cloak.
“My lord, I’m afraid to report a disturbance has broken out in the lower field.”
Otto raised his thick eyebrows. “What kind of disturbance?”
Gaius hesitated, one hand at his chest. “There was some unrest among the squires.”
The change in Otto’s demeanor was instantaneous. Ariana was reminded of her first impression of her husband when he came to her bedchamber on their wedding night. Before her wary eyes, he transformed from a gentleman into a warrior.
His hands clenched into fists, making his muscles ripple beneath his loose-fitting tunic. “I shall not tolerate disobedience,” he growled.
Gaius inclined his head and allowed a moment to pass. “I understand that Merek, the castle physician, had to be summoned.”
A pulse jumped in Otto’s jaw and Ariana instinctively flinched backwards into her chair, making herself as small as she could.
But her movement attracted attention. Otto’s eyes flickered towards her, and he gave a curt bow. “I must attend to this situation.”
“Of course.” She made to get up, but Otto was already striding out of the room with the aging knight scurrying in his wake.
