“You struck him,” Gaston focused on her. “I would hardly call that harmless. What did he say to offend you?”
She shook her head, lowering her gaze. “Nothing, truly. I was meddling again and he took offense to me. I should not have struck him.”
“Look at me,” he commanded. Her head snapped up and his eyes focused on her intently. “What happened?”
She sighed and went through the entire conversation, waiting for Gaston’s reprimand. When she finished, his expression was the same as it had been when she started.
“The lad is a fool,” he muttered.
“I agree. Does not he know that she can become pregnant even though he did not actually bed her?”
“Apparently not,” Gaston replied. “I cannot believe that he is so naive. But he is correct, madam, when he says this is none of your business.”
She went from being remorseful to bristling. “My sister’s welfare is my business, Gaston. I shall not apologize for loving her and wanting to look out for her.”
“You said yourself you were meddling,” he reminded her. “I do not blame Nicolas for becoming angry.”
She crossed her arms stubbornly. “Someone had to tell him. Since Skye was obviously tongue-tied, I felt it my duty.”
He raised his eyebrow at her. “Let your sister and my cousin handle their own relationship, Remi. They do not need your help.”
She looked away from him, hurt and angry all over again. He eyed her, inadvertently reminded of their encounter before dawn and his limbs grew warm and tingling. But he chased the giddiness away, misplaced as it was.
“How are you enjoying the trip?” he asked, trying to shift the focus of the conversation.
She jutted her chin defiantly. “Do not change the subject. Are you going to speak with Nicolas or shall I?”
He took her chin between his fingers and turned her to look at him. “I will not tolerate this insolent behavior. You do not make demands, madam.”
She wasn’t very good at making demands or standing her ground. She looked into Gaston’s eyes and was intimidated by the mere fact that he was a man. Even though she knew Gaston would slit his own throat rather than raise a hand to her, somewhere in the back of her mind she saw Guy bringing up a hand and striking her senseless.
Fear flickered in her eyes like a frightened animal and she yanked from his grasp, stumbling back a couple of steps. He caught a brief glimpse of the panic and was not overly puzzled by it. He had seen it before in her.
“I am sorry, Gaston,” she whispered quickly. “I did not mean to sound rebellious.”
His heart softened for her. He reached out and grasped her hand. “Do not be silly, Remi. You could never be remotely rebellious, and even if you were, I’d do nothing more than yell at you.” He smiled gently, for he could see she was truly afraid. “You know me better than to imagine I would ever lash out at you. Correct?”
She blinked, calming and feeling a bit foolish for her behavior. “Aye, I know that,” she swallowed, looking about for Nicolas. “I must apologize to Nicolas for intruding in his affairs. I truly meant no harm.”
“He knows that, and so do I,” Gaston caressed her hand with his thick glove. “But you have got to realize your sisters are grown women with minds of their own. They are no longer children who need your guidance.”
She flashed him a regretful look. “’Tis difficult to think in those terms. I have been mothering them since I was ten.”
“I am well aware of that,” he said patiently, his eyes warm. “Speaking of which, did Nicolas feed you properly?”
“He did,” she nodded. “Where were you?”
“I had a few things to attend to,” he replied evasively, but she did not catch the tone. “We will stop tonight, but if we are on the road early tomorrow morn, we should reach London before noon. I have already sent a messenger ahead notifying Henry of our arrival.”
She gazed up at him, looking like a fresh peach tart. He wanted to take a bite. “Good Lord, Gaston, I can hardly believewe will be seeing Henry himself. It seems as if a dream to meet the king of England.”
“You never met Richard?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Not him, nor Edward, either. Guy was not privileged enough to be included in the courtly circle.”
“You belong in the courtly circle,” he said softly. “You are by far the most beautiful woman in the realm. The other wenches will be highly jealous of you.”
She giggled. “Do not tease me.”
