Devereux’s unhappy expression eased somewhat. It was apparent that she was thinking heavily on his words. After several moments, she simply shook her head.
“But I don’t want to be part of the kind of life he leads,” she said, all of the defiance out of her voice.
“Why not?”
She just looked at him. “You will forgive me, my lord, but that is truly none of your affair. I should not have said as much as I have only….”
“Only what?”
She shook her head again and turned away from him, moving away so she would not have to speak with him any longer. He watched her glorious hair, so beautiful and lush, the way it fell down her graceful back. After a moment, he stood up and wandered, slowly, in her general direction.
“I am sure had your husband known the offense you took at him not attending your wedding ceremony personally, he would have made the effort to come,” he said in a low voice. “You must not judge the man too harshly. The sword is quite an honor.”
She turned to look at him. “You will not come any closer, my lord.”
He stopped. “Why not?”
“Because my husband’s knights are near and should they see you in conversation with me, they might do you great harm.”
He smiled faintly. “So you are concerned for me? You do not even know who I am.”
Devereux looked him up and down, from the top of his dark head to the bottom of his enormous feet. He was tall and although she’d seen taller men in her life, the sheer width of the man’s shoulders was astonishing. And his hands were positively enormous. He was an extraordinarily big man.
“You are a seasoned warrior,” she said after a moment. “I can smell death on you. That is all I need to know.”
His smile faded. “Your arrogance is astounding.”
Her back stiffened with outrage. “Arrogance? You overstep yourself, sir.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “That is because I have spent a mere two minutes speaking with you, enough to know that you are judgmental, closed-minded and arrogant. Do you believe you are so perfect, lady? Do you believe that you walk this earth with perfect thoughts and perfect deeds? Do you understand that it is men like de Winter who have fought and died a thousand times over so you may live in your nice manor home and lead a pleasant life in your pleasant little world? How dare you judge men for their determination that England should know a better future.”
By the time he was finished, the gray eyes were wide with astonishment. “It is not arrogance I present but distaste for death and destruction,” she explained earnestly. “Those men you speak of have killed innocents along with their enemies. They care not who they kill so long as they are victorious.”
“And you believe de Winter to be this sort of man?”
“He is the king’s champion. He did not achieve this position through grace and gentleness. What other sort could he possibly be?”
“If you have not met him yet, you might want to set your prejudice aside and come to know him before you pass judgment.”
She opened her mouth to argue with him but thought better of it. She began to look at him strangely, as if paying closer attention to this knight who not only seemed to be exceedingly wise but also who seemed to know de Winter very well. A little too well, in fact; he seemed to be very defensive of the man. Furthermore, there was no earthly reason why he should be standing here, alone, speaking with her. Where were all of de Winter’s knights while this was going on? Devereux was many things but she was not foolish; she began to suspect who the knight before her really was.
With that knowledge, she seemed to calm. An odd twinkle came to her eye. “Very well,” she said. “Since you seem to know de Winter so well, then perhaps you will tell me what you know of him.”
Davyss crossed his muscular arms and lifted an eyebrow thoughtfully. “Well,” he said slowly. “As I said, he is a wise and powerful man. And very handsome.”
“You said that.”
“It’s true.”
“I am sure he is humble, also.”
“Indeed.”
“And chivalrous.”
“Of course.”
She shook her head sadly. “Then he will not want me,” she turned away, a very calculated move. If the man was going to play games with her, then she was going to play to win. “I have none of those qualities. For certain, it is the entire reason behind my reluctance to marry him.”
