It was his right and privilege to inform her of her true heritage. Even as he considered it a necessity in the wake of recent events, he was nonetheless seized with degree of apprehension. Clearly, for her own safety, Arissa needed to know what was going on around her.
Before she could ask again, he took a deep breath and brought her hand to his lips for a tender kiss.
“What I am about to tell you will undoubtedly shock you, Riss. But above all else, I want you to remember how very much I love you. That will never change.”
Her expression turned faintly guarded as he watched. The fingers against his lips began to caress his stubble. “What is it?”
He paused a moment as he collected his thoughts, studying her beautiful face with a twinkle in his eye. “What are your first recollections of me?”
She blinked, initially in confusion and then in thought. “I can remember you for as long as I can recall. I recollect when I was very young, you brought me a white rabbit for my birthday and the rabbit scratched me.”
He smiled faintly, a tender warmth settling between them. She was calm and open, trusting him as she always had. Hewould strive to maintain the delicate faith between them as the conversation progressed.
“You were three years old at the time,” he said softly. “You cried so hard that you vomited. Not from pain, but because your feelings were hurt. Do you remember?”
She nodded, sheepish. “I do,” her gaze roved over his chin, his hand clasping hers, and he saw her take a deep, steadying breath. “You have always been with me, Richmond. And I have always loved you.”
He kissed her hand again. “I first met you when you were five days old. I remember a tiny baby with a lusty cry endearing herself to me even then,” he held her hand tightly, meeting her gaze as he spoke. “You were born in London. I remember carrying a tiny little bundle all the way to Lambourn, terrified that some mishap would befall you before I was able to complete the journey. And I remember handing you into the waiting arms of Mossy. God’s Teeth, he made a fuss over you.”
She stared at him for several long moments in obvious confusion. “I…. I was not born at Lambourn?”
He shook his head slowly, gently. “Nay, love.”
Gazing into Richmond’s beloved eyes, she felt little fear and minimal apprehension. Only the natural surprise of the secrets he was beginning to allude to.
After a moment, she licked her lips and her brow furrowed thoughtfully. “But….I am not…. am I not Maude’s daughter? She’s never been to London, Richmond.”
His expression was terribly tender, his voice calm and soothing. “You are not Maude’s daughter. You are the result of a liaison between Henry of Bolingbroke and a woman not his wife. Henry and I have been friends since we were children and when you were born, he entrusted me with your protection. For eighteen years, I have been your protector.”
He delivered the news so gently, so casually, that she truly was not shocked. More than anything, she felt a peculiar sense of peace. It was as if somehow, she had always known that she had been different. It hadn’t been the fact that her entire family was fair while she herself possessed strikingly dark features. While her siblings and parents were heavy-set and robust, she had always been thin and frail.
Her sensation of dissimilarity had been more of a feeling, a nagging thought that had plagued the recesses of her mind. Mayhap, she had always sensed her difference and not even realized it.
Suddenly, a great deal became clear– Richmond’s constant presence, his authority when it came to her welfare. As she gazed into his beautiful face, it was as if a curtain lifted and the sun was shining through. She was coming to understand.
“You are my protector?” she whispered.
He nodded faintly. “I protect your soul, your body, and would deliver you from those who would seek to harm you. I have spent the majority of my adult life watching you blossom into a woman of unbelievable magnificence. I could not imagine a more worthwhile duty than that.”
Her gaze lingered on him a moment before looking to Mossy. “You have always known this?”
Mossy shuffled to the tub, a quirky smile on his lips. “Can I tell ye what I remember? A young knight with bright blue eyes who was absolutely terrified of the tiny, fragile babe within his care. Every time ye cried, I thought he was going to collapse. I have never seen anyone so nervous whilst clutching a new child.”
Richmond shrugged as if to concede his point, while Arissa’s astonished expression took on a shade of a smile.
“Fortunately, he seems to have overcome his fear of touching me.” Absently, she touched her cheek as if to make sure she was not dreaming the entire conversation. Although calm,her expression was still somewhat dazed. “Sweet St. Jude, Richmond. Is that what the soldier meant? That I am the king’s daughter and, therefore, his enemies would harm me?”
“Potentially,” he nodded. “Which is why I have been by your side for eighteen years, with little exception. The only instances I have left you have been the result of very necessary situations. But I always returned to Lambourn, eager to resume my station.”
Her pale eyes met his blue eyes and he could literally read the thoughts rolling through her mind. “All of these years…. it never seemed strange to me that you were always here, always by my side, when it was common knowledge that you were sworn to Henry. I loved you so much that I simply did not care why you were here. But when you left, I always felt as if you had ripped out my heart and taken it with you.”
He continued to gaze at her, astonished that she had digested the details of his disclosure with such ease. He had expected shock, denial, disbelief at the very least. Instead, she had accepted the information without question.
Arissa had grown up knowing the man before her, loving him with all of her heart, and knowing that he would never lie to her. If he said she was Henry’s daughter, then she would accept it. Everything he was telling her made perfect sense.
Richmond broke in to her gently rolling thoughts. “Whenever I went away, it was under Henry’s direct orders,” he said. “Literally, I was forced to react. Usually it was because he wanted first-hand knowledge of your wellbeing or, within the past few years, to fight for his throne.”
Absently, she touched a black tendril of damp hair in lingering thought. “I…. I do not look anything like him. I saw him once, when I was young. He’s fair.”
