“You do mean to grow it back?”she asked.
Dagobert opened his eyes again, startling her with his bright gaze.“Unless you object.”
“’Twas of great length before.”
“I let it grow for fifteen summers,” he admitted.
Alienor frowned.“Fifteen?Is it not that many years since you took your vow to your father?”
He nodded in agreement.“Aye.”He plucked a piece of cheese from her fingers.“Do you think that was coincidence?”
The insinuation that she was dim-witted sparked Alienor’s temper anew.
“You need not speak to me as though I were a simple child,” she snapped.“I cannot know all the tales of your family, when they are mingled with truth and rumor, and you do not speak to me.”
He halted mid-bite.“I meant no offense,” he began in a conciliatory tone but Alienor cut him short.
“You meant no offense?”she echoed angrily.“Just as you meant no offense earlier this night when you accused me of failing to understand Jordan’s motives?It would be a foolish woman who was deceived by a man who had tried to rape her in her own chamber.Trust, I would think, would be hard won in such circumstance and might be more reliable for that.”
“But...”
“Of course, you meant no offense when you suggested that I was aiding your escape only to lead you into a trap or to have you hunted anew?What sort of trap could I devise that would be worse than your execution at dawn?”
Dagobert regarded her with astonishment, but Alienor had already unleashed her frustration and she could not halt now.She had been silent too long.At least this once, she would have her say and let the consequences be as they would be.
“Alwaysdo you think the worst of me,” she accused.
“Not always,” he protested.
“Did you trust me with the truth of your nature, the truth that all others at Montsalvat knew?Did you speak to me when I asked that of you, or confide in me as I always understood a man should do with his wife?”
Dagobert looked discomfited.“I had made a pledge...”
“Aye, to your father and that is of greater import than your pledge to me.I understand that well, sir.”She took a breath.“But I have never done any deed to dishonor you or your name.I was a maiden when I came to your bed and even now no other man has been between my thighs but you, but you seem to assume otherwise.”She rapped a finger on his chest.“I have done what I must and made what wagers I had to make, sir, in the hope of ensuring your survival.’Twasyouwho deceivedme,my lord; ’twas you who told the tale that left the goat dead; ’twasyouwho took this pledge, which will only ensure that you and all your heirs die too young.”
“Alienor,” Dagobert murmured in an attempt to soothe her, but she would not fall silent now.
“What dishonor have I given you by believing the lies you told me?What fault have I committed by bearing your child despite my faith, that you might have the heir you desire above all else?I risked my life and that of our child this night to save your hide yet you have not a word of gratitude for me.Your sole comment is that I must wish to be rid of you!Had I the desire to beridof you, my lord, I would simply have left you to die!”
“Alienor,” he tried again.
“’Tis clear that you have no trust of me, though there is precious little basis for your fears.No match can endure without trust and I would have yours, my lord, if I am to remain by your side.”
“What do you mean?”Dagobert demanded.
“I will bear your child four months hence,” she reminded him.“Should you find yourself unable to offer your trust by that time, I will leave Montsalvat and you forever.”
Dagobert froze for a moment and he was so still that Alienor wondered if he yet breathed, then he shook his head.
“You cannot mean this,” he said with impatience.“Where would you go?Guibert sold the house in Perpignan and is sworn to my service.”
“There are those of my faith who will shelter me until I can fulfill the requirements to take my vows.”
He stared at her in shock.“You would takeconsolamentumrather than remain my wife?”he demanded, but she ignored the catch in his voice.
“Should you be unable to trust me, I would have no choice,” she insisted quietly.“As matters stand, I am your wife in name alone.Better to call me your concubine and mother of your child.”
Dagobert’s lips thinned to a harsh line.“We will speak more of this later.”
