Chapter 4
Something warm landedbetween Annelise’s breasts and awakened her with a jolt. A small, smooth shape splashed into the bath, rolled over her belly, and was lost in the depths of thetub.
The lord of the palace hadarrived!
Annelise sat up abruptly then realized her host would see her nude. Her hands flew to cover her breasts as she eased down in the bath water again and surveyed thechamber.
The room was deserted, though the candles had burned much lower since she had stepped into the inviting bath. It was too dark outside to see the fountain in the courtyard, but she could hear the waterflowing.
She was stillalone.
How could that be? Annelise felt around the bottom of the tub for whatever had awakened her. Her fingers closed on a hard, round item and she pulled it to thesurface.
A man’s ring reposed on the flat of her palm. It was made of gold, so of no small value, with a red stone set intoit.
Annelise’s mouth went dry. He had been here, looked upon her, and left this token behind. It was clearly a reminder of her promise to wedhim.
But she had not even seen him. Why had he not spoken toher?
There could be only one reason for him to be so reticent and, indeed, it would explain his strange condition for entry. Her host might be unattractive. He might have been scarred or otherwise injured so that people feared to look upon him. She felt sympathy for him, for she doubted he could have so fearsome an appearance as that. People should be kinder and look beyond the surface to a man’s truth. If she was to wed him, she must look upon him at somepoint.
She wondered if that would besoon.
Soft music carried to her ears from another part of the palace. Was it a lute? Did he play it? There had been no music before. Was this his way of summoning her to his side? Was he inviting her to dress and join him, because he had been surprised to find her at her bath? Annelise’s heart softened toward a man who showed suchthoughtfulness.
Perhaps he would insist they wed when they met. Annelise knew she had to convince him that such an arrangement would be foolish, given how little they knew of eachother.
She doubted he would be readilyconvinced.
Annelise rose from her bath with purpose. There was no time for hose or headdress, she decided. It would be false modesty to fret about appearances when the man had already looked upon her while shebathed.
And truly, she wished to speak to him as soon as possible. Annelise braided her hair quickly and laced her kirtle, pushed her feet into her shoes and went in search of herhost.
* * *
Annelise followedthe sound of the music, her leather shoes tapping lightly against the marble floor. She ducked through a wide archway and found herself alongside the pool in front of thepalace.
The moon painted the garden with silver light. The scent of the same unfamiliar flowers that had graced her bath filled the air. The perfect stillness of the pool reflected the stars overhead. The music was louder, but she still could not see the players. She might have walked in adream.
Annelise halted when she noticed a figure wrapped in a dark cloak awaited her beside the pool. A man, by his height and the breadth of his shoulders. Her heartfluttered.
Herhost.
Her husband-to-be.
It could be noneother.
The shadow of the hood hid his features and the indigo cloak fell to his ankles. Annelise caught the barest glimpse of his boots, which did not begin to satisfy her curiosity. She tried to discern his features in the shadows of the hood as she approached him, but to noavail.
He was completely concealed fromher.
Silent andwatchful.
At least he was tall and broad of shoulder, although Annelise would have preferred to look him in the eye to explain why she could not possibly wedhim.
But she was clearly not to have thatchance.
She halted before him and felt the weight of his gaze upon her. He did notspeak.
