“I have never nor will I ever lie to you,” he breathed against her.
“Tell me you shall never tire of me and take another lover,” she begged softly.
“There is not a woman in this world that could compete with you, my angel,” he whispered. “I will never tire of you. Ever. I swear to you on my very soul.”
She put her arms around his thick neck and he tumbled forward into the grass, pulling her atop of him, but all the while his mind was working furiously. She wanted to marry him, to bear his children, to be his for eternity, and he wanted the same thing. But there were two obvious problems that had to be solved before that could happen. He found he was willing to do anything at all.
Her cheek was nuzzled against his scratchy face. “I am sorry, Gaston. I shouldn’t have been so angry or accusing.”
He stroked her hair. “You have had a most trying day, madam. I am not sure how rational I would be after having been abducted.”
She rose up to look at him, brushing her lips against his cheek. “But I am terribly crazy. Did not I warn you of that?”
“You did not, but it’s too late to do anything about it now,” he was pleased with her attempted humor, relieved that her tears were fading.
She smiled weakly and his heart thumped against his chest as he arched up his neck and pecked her on the nose. “Do you really want to be my wife, Remi?”
Her smiled faded. “More than anything on this earth.”
He studied her a moment, brushing a stray lock from her face. “The problem would not be Mari-Elle,” he said thoughtfully. “The problem would be Guy.”
“Problem?” she repeated. “What are you talking about?”
He raised an eyebrow and sat up, pulling her onto his thighs. “I could give Mari-Elle Clearwell and the majority of my wealth for her cooperation.”
She wasn’t following his reasoning. “Cooperation for what?”
“A divorce,” he said. “I am sure with enough money, she would grant one willingly.”
Remington looked at him as if he had just voiced his desire to walk on water. “A divorce? Gaston, it’s impossible. The church will not allow it.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You forget, angel, I have Henry on my side. With enough petitions and donations, anything is possible.”
For the first time, a light of hope rang in her eyes. She couldn’t even bring herself to believe it was possible. “Truly, Gaston? Do you think so?”
He nodded his head. “As I said, anything is possible. But it is not just Mari-Elle, it is Guy. I sincerely doubt he would consider divorcing you.”
Remington bit her lip in thought. She knew Guy better than anyone and she knew that a divorce was simply out of the question. Unless…. “Mayhap he will grant me a divorce in exchange for being released from prison.”
Gaston looked sharply at her. She searched his eyes hopefully, seeing that he was indeed considering that possibility. “If I wished it, then I am sure Henry would grant it. After everything I have done for the man, he owes me.”
She dared a timid smile. “Oh, Gaston, do you think it might be possible? Truly?”
He looked set. “There is only one way to find out. I will speak to Mari-Elle, and then I will go to London to speak with Henry. And I can assure you that I will not take no for an answer.”
She put her hand to his face and he kissed her palm. “You would do this for me?”
He smiled faintly. “Anything for you. And I would also do it for my purely selfish reasons, of course. You promised me ten sons, and mayhap a few daughters who favor their beautiful mother, and I would have every man in England to know me for my gorgeous wife instead of my dark reputation.”
She blushed at his words and he kissed her sweetly, listening to her soft giggles as opposed to her soft sobs. She was so terribly easy to please and he loved to make her smile.
“Come now, we must be going,” he said after a moment, although he could have kissed her for the remainder of the night. “Dark will be upon us soon and I’d like to catch up to my troops.”
She stood up and he rose beside her, so tall and strong and proud that her heart swelled with happiness and she caved into him. Gathering bits of armor, he put his arm around her and led her over to where Taran was grazing against a line of trees.
Her gaze lingered on Derek’s dead form a moment as Gaston paused to retrieve his helm; the young knight’s men had cleared out long ago and had failed to take his body with them.
“He really believed he was saving us from you,” she said softly. “I wish you had not killed him.”
