“You said once that most women would see marriage to you as a great honor,” she reached up to touch his face. “Your greatness does not come from your deeds or victorious battles. You could be a pauper and I would still consider marriage to you a great honor. It is the man I love, not the warrior.”
He kissed her hand sweetly, closing his eyes to the power of her words. He was deeply touched. “Thank you,” he murmured. “And I am greatly honored to be your husband. So much so that I would do anything to protect you, including ruin my reputation.”
Her gentle smile faded, his words bringing dread. “What does that mean?”
He held her palm against his mouth as he spoke. “It means that Simon threatened to take you hostage unless I joined him. I could not allow this to happen; I could not take the chance of you becoming deeply involved in a deadly game. So I agreed to swear fealty to him on the condition that he leaves you untouched.”
Devereux stared at him. As he watched, the gray eyes filled with tears that spilled over onto her cheeks. She suddenly threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly.
“Oh, Davyss,” she sobbed. “I am so sorry; so very, very sorry that I caused this.”
He held her close, stroking the back of her head with one great hand. “You did not cause anything, sweetling,” he assured her softly. “I made the decision; not you. It was my choice completely.”
“But you made it because of me.”
He sighed faintly. “As I feel you warm and safe in my arms, I would make the same choice a thousand times over.” He pulled her back, holding her face between his two big hands as he fixed her in the eye. “Had this happened before I met you, I would have died rather than switch allegiance. It would have been a matter of pride more than honor; Davyss de Winter cannot be coerced into anything no matter what the circumstances. But with you involved… there was no pride or honor involved. I made my decision solely based on the fact that I would do anything to protect you and my family. My agreement to Simon has allowed my knights to be released, my brother and I to serve together again, and has guaranteed your safety. To have thought of only me, and to have been stubborn about it, would have had negative consequences for everyone around me. I cannot only think of myself any longer. Does that make sense?”
She sniffled, tears fading as she digested his words. “Aye,” she replied. “But what does it all mean? What will happen now?”
He thought a moment. “I must return to London because Simon is convening all of the barons in England.”
Her eyes grew intense. “I am coming with you,” she told him firmly. “When do we leave?”
His brow furrowed. “But what about… well, what the physic told you?” he wanted to know. “Do you not need to stay in bed?”
She began tossing the covers off, her lips molding into a pout. “I am going with you,” she repeated. “There are just a few things I must pack and then we can leave.”
He put his big hands on her, stilling her motion. When she looked up, his handsome face was tense with concern.
“You know that there is nothing more in the world that I would wish for than for you to be with me at all times,” he said softly, firmly. “But until I speak with the physic and hear from his mouth what your troubles are, you are not moving from this bed. Your health is of utmost importance to me and I will not risk it.”
She looked as if she was about to burst into tears. “But I do not want to stay here without you.”
He patted her cheek, rising from the bed as he still held her hand. “Do not fret,” he told her. “I shall find the physic right now and speak with him. Do you know where he is?”
She tossed off the covers again and jumped from the other side of the bed so he couldn’t grab her. She ignored him completely, snapping off orders to the red-headed woman still in the corner.
“Find Kerby right away,” she commanded. “Tell him that my husband is here and he will not take me to London until he speaks with Kerby. He has very important business in London that cannot wait. Go!”
The woman fled, nearly running down Davyss in her haste. When she was gone, Devereux smiled timidly at her husband, who looked the least bit perturbed.
“Dora will find him,” she said confidently. “Until then, I will get dressed so you will not have to wait overly for me.”
Davyss lifted an eyebrow, resting his enormous hand on his slender hips. “You will tell me why the physic has you in bed.”
She averted her gaze, moving with lethargic movements to the massive wardrobe against the wall. Pulling open the door, she pulled forth a white shift as she sighed heavily.
“Because I have not been feeling very well, as you know,” she said simply.
He regarded hers suspiciously. “The retching? The headaches?”
“Aye.”
“There must be more than that. He would not confine you to bed for an upset belly and headaches.”
She shrugged, laying the shift out on the bed. “And… well, I have had fainting spells.”
“Fainting spells?” he repeated, his suspicion turning to genuine concern. “Are they frequent?”
