That was more of a confession than Annelise hadexpected.
She decided to challenge him more, in the hope of moredetail.
“No reason?” she scoffed. “Such a name could bring you the worst fortune imaginable. You invoke a demon each time you utter his name. It is folly,sir.”
“Is it?” He sounded amused again, which wasgood.
“How long have you hadhim?”
“Fiveyears.”
“And your luck in thattime?”
“No worse than that of any otherman.”
“You have this marvelous palace. That is better fortune than most couldboast.”
“Is it?” he askedtersely.
Annelise made a guess, purely to provoke him. “Did you summon a demon and make a wager? Was that the lady you seduced to gain thisprize?”
“Annelise!” He turned away from her as if he would leave. “You must cease yourquestions.”
She considered that her guess might have been close to the truth. “Do not leave me so soon, sir,” she urged, sliding her hands around his waist. She pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades. “I do not believe we have loved enough thisnight.”
She felt him glance back and his hand rose to coverhers.
He did not speak, and she dared to be encouraged. She eased back, drawing him after her. “You should ride your destrier more often, for he was restless,” she chided gently, then kissed his cheek. “It is not good to treat a steed thus. I can only guess that you have a sizable investment in such a finebeast.”
“Yes. He cost medearly.”
“Where did you findhim?”
“InOutremer.”
He had been on crusade then. Pride filled Annelise that her husband had been so brave as to render such service. He was a man of honor, just as she had believed. “If you acquired this destrier in Outremer, you must have ridden another to the Holy Land. Surely not the palfrey in thestables?”
Annelise was silenced when her husband rolled suddenly atop her and he caught her shoulders in his hands. “You have erred seriously this day,” he informed her, his tone forbidding as it had not been thus far. “Do not question what is around you,Annelise.”
“Whyever not?” she dared to say. “I must do something with my time and every puzzle has a key. If you will not tell me about yourself, sir, it is only reasonable that I try to divine thetruth.
He shook her and she fell silent, feeling his will bearing upon her. “Look only at what you areshown.”
“But—”
“Butnothing,”he whispered, dropping his thumb over her lips. His tone was fierce as it had never yet been and Annelise feared suddenly that there was true peril for him in this place. “It is imperative that you follow my dictate on this. All could be lost, Annelise.All.”
Her heart skipped then, for she feared for herhusband.
But surely, if he was in danger, he had greater need of her assistance? She did not truly believe in demons, despite what the nuns had taught her, and she knew there had to be some reasonable explanation for all that she had seen in this strangeplace.
His voice was low when he spoke and his words were hot. “Never betray me,Annelise.”
“Of course not,” she agreed, though she could not imagine what hemeant.
She would not betray her spouse: she would savehim.
And that would earn his loveforevermore.
