Chapter 7
The lady was right.Rolfe could not believe his ownfolly.
Annelise could not lead a killer to his side when she was trapped within the walls of the palace. And even if she left, where could she go and who might she summon? There was forest in everydirection.
Not to mention thewolves.
By her own admission, Beauvoir was a day’s ride away and she did not know the route. He heartily doubted that she would even attempt such a long journey alone after her experience with thewolves.
No, he could tell her of the spell and she could help him to break it. They would solve this conundrum together and that would be the foundation of their match. Rolfe felt like a fool for not realizing the truthsooner.
He would not tell Annelise all of the details, of course, for that might make him vulnerable, but he believed he could share the root of thetrouble.
She inhaled deeply beside him, glancing back toward the chamber. “Venison stew,” she said withsatisfaction.
Rolfe wondered at her tone, even though he recalled her enthusiasm for the fare on her first night in the palace. “Do you not likeit?”
“I adore it! It is my favorite meal, and I do not mind if it continues to be dinner everynight.”
“It probably will be, then,” Rolfeacknowledged.
“Howso?”
“The palace serves my will and my desire is that you should bepleased.”
She blushed a little then and he wondered how often any one had put her desires first. “Why were you raised in a convent?” He knew little about Quinn’s family history, only that his comrade had asister.
“My mother died,” she said quickly, so quickly that Rolfe thought there might be more to that tale. “The overlord decided a young girl would be better raised in a convent than in a household ofmen.”
That sounded reasonable enough. “Have yousiblings?”
“An older brother, said to be a wicked tyrant and cruel beyond compare,” she said with a shiver. Rolfe frowned at this description of temperate Quinn. “And a younger one, my father’s bastard. Yves was just awarded his spurs by the Lord de Tulley. He intended to fight in the tourneys and earn hisfortune.”
“But?”
“He was escorting me to the convent when the wolves attack. I do not know his fate.” She bit her lip then, looking so uncertain that Rolfe wished to ride out immediately and find the truth. Then she took a deep breath and glanced up at him with a smile. “And you,sir?”
“One brother, no more thanthat.”
“Older oryounger?”
“Older and heir to our familyholding.”
“Which is why you rode tocrusade.”
“Indeed.” They came to a halt beside the bed of roses and Rolfe picked one lush blossom, cutting the stem with his knife. He presented it to his lady with a little bow, and she buried her nose in it, abandoning herself to the pleasure of its scent. He watched her, his chest clenching that this lady was hiswife.
“They smell sowondrous.”
“Aye, they do.” Rolfe turned and offered his arm again, liking how she leaned against him as they walked back to their chamber. “Perhaps we should grow them wherever welive.”
“But this is your palace. Do you not mean to remainhere?”
Rolfe did not truly know what would happen to the palace when the curse was broken. “I had hoped to return home for theYule.”
“We had best depart soon, then, sir,” she replied, showing a welcome practicality. “Depending on the distance, we might already be toolate.”
Rolfe took a deep breath. “There is something we must do first, my lady. You guess aright that I have been cursed. We must break the curse before we can leave this palacetogether.”
