Stuffed and fairly drunk at that point, he ended up passing out in the chair he was sitting in. The food and the warmth of the room had lulled him to sleep, and considering he had hardly slept in the past month, his body was ready for the rest. Even though he slept deeply, he still had one ear open. It was the trained warrior in him, always listening for danger.
It was the curse of a knight.
Part of his window overlooked the stable yard, and he heard when a horse entered the yard. He could hear the steady clip-clops and the crunching of the earth. It was enough of a noise to wake him, but only because he wanted to make the transition over to the bed and not sleep in the chair. He had paid good money for that bed, and he intended to use it. His resolve to return to the encampment that evening was sliding just a bit, but he was certain he could make it back before sunrise. Before the deadline he had given Elle. But that was until he looked into the stable yard as he got up from his chair.
Elle was down there.
He also recognized Peter’s horse immediately. Peter rode a horse that was as red as a sunset, with a white stripe down its face and four white socks. The horse was very recognizable. Suddenly, Curtis was wide awake as he watched Peter speak to Elle, who was standing next to the horse. Puzzled, Curtis quickly made his way down from his room and out into the livery yard just as Peter was leaving.
His brother caught sight of him.
“Then you reallyarehere,” Peter said. “I saw your horse just inside the livery door, but I wasn’t sure this was where you had found lodgings for the night.”
Curtis’ focus was on Peter for a few moments before shifting to Elle. “Of course this is where I would be,” he said to hisbrother, even though he wasn’t looking at him. “Why would I leave my horse here and not stay here?”
Peter could see where the man’s attention was, and he turned his horse for the alley. “Because there are two other inns across the street, and I do not think they have liveries,” he said. “You could’ve been over there for all I knew. But now that I have found you, I shall leave your wife here and bid you both a good night.”
With that, he plodded out of the yard, leaving Elle standing there, looking at Curtis with a great deal of uncertainty on her face. It was an unusual expression for her, one Curtis had never seen before. She was full of hesitation. Before he could say a word, she spoke.
“I asked Peter to help me find you,” she said, wringing her hands nervously. “My lord, I am sorry. I have made a mess out of things, and I did not want you to hate me for it. I am sorry I said those things to you, because I should not have. They are my own insecurities, and I must learn to overcome them, but I should not have lashed out at you as I did, and I am very sorry for it. If you still wish to annul the marriage, then I understand, but I could not let you do it without knowing how sorry I am.”
It was quite a speech, as remorseful as he’d ever heard her. That was surprising. Curtis’ eyes glimmered with mirth and perhaps even warmth.
“There is something you must do for me,” he said.
Elle nodded eagerly. “I will, whatever it is.”
“Never again address me as ‘my lord,’” he said. “You are my wife, and that is far too formal, even for me.”
She blinked in surprise. “As you wish,” she said. “What… what should I call you?”
“My name is Curtis,” he said softly. “I will answer to Curtis or Curt. Whatever you wish to use, I will answer.”
He sounded… calm. Calm and unlike the enraged man who had left the encampment those hours ago. Elle was unsure how to proceed at that point, because he seemed kind again, but she knew she’d upset him gravely.
“I… I said what I came to say,” she said, looking uncertain. “Sir Peter has probably already started back for the encampment, so I will sleep in the stable for tonight, but mayhap you will let me travel back with you tomorrow morning.”
He grinned and shook his head, glancing at his feet as he pondered her statement. “Do you honestly think I would let you sleep in a stable?” he said, lifting his head to look at her. “Ever again? Your days of smelly clothes and sleeping in anything other than the finest bed I can provide are over, Elle.”
He seemed almost jovial, and her bafflement grew. “I do not understand,” she said. “I came to apologize to you, and I meant it, but you’ve not said a word about the situation other than to pretend it never happened.”
“It didn’t.”
“But it did,” she said firmly, moving toward him. “I was horrible to you, but all I can tell you is that this entire situation has been contrary to everything I have ever been taught about the English. As I told your father, I should not be mourning my life as if it meant something before yesterday. When the only people who ever showed me kindness are the men who defeated me in battle, that should tell any sane person that my life of coldness and harshness was not a life worth living. Realizing that you are going to annul the marriage has made me understand something for the very first time.”
She was close to him now, and he gazed down at her. “What is that?”
She lifted her slender shoulders. “That you have given me a glimpse of another life I never knew existed,” she said. “A life where people care for one another. Your family loves oneanother. You have friends and warmth and understanding. All I ever knew of the English were that they were wicked and cold and greedy, but that is certainly not what I have experienced. I’ve never seen this side of things.”
He cocked his head. “If you have come to realize that, then mayhap this incident was not wasted,” he said. “All I need is for you to be fair about things. Stop relying on the lies from the past. Open your eyes to the world around you, and I promise you will not regret it.”
“I will, I promise,” she said quickly. “I will try very hard.”
He smiled at her. “I will, also,” he said. “I will never again lose my temper as I did. That was wrong of me, and if I hurt you, then I am very sorry.”
The sounds of his apology were like music to her ears. “You had every right to,” she said. “There was nothing else you could have done. I behaved terribly.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “I would say this has been a trying situation for the both of us,” he said. “When we first met, you were trying to kill me. Now, we are married. I do not know of any other married couples who have had the rough beginning we have.”
