There was only one way to know for certain.
Quinn touched a fingertip beneath Melissande’s chin.Her gaze rose to his and she turned to him, both of them taking a step closer in the same moment.Quinn liked how they moved instinctively together and chose to see promise in that.He moved slowly, determined to reassure whatever fears she might have.Her eyes closed when he cupped her face between his hands, but Quinn did not intend to let her hide from him so easily.
“Open your eyes, my lady,” he whispered.“I would have you certain of which man you wed.”
She did as he requested and he glimpsed uncertainty in those magnificent eyes.Had she been abused in the past?Or was she innocent and unaware of what must come between them?Either way, her response launched a protective urge within him.Quinn smiled at her, his heart leaping when she tentatively smiled back.
She might meet him halfway, after all.
“To the future,” he murmured then bent to brush his lips across hers.
Melissande quivered, then sighed.She tasted like wine and cinnamon and her kiss filled Quinn with the same sweet warmth as earlier that day.Well aware that they were watched, he slanted his mouth across hers to demand a little more while they were in company.She hesitated, then leaned against him, her hands upon his chest and her lips parting in unexpected invitation.Quinn’s hand slid to her nape and he lifted her closer, deepening his kiss with satisfaction.The lady froze, then responded with an ardor that made Quinn’s heart thunder.
It was only with the greatest effort that he recalled their place and put her aside.To his pleasure, the lady’s eyes were shining when he lifted his head.She smiled at him, her expression more welcoming than it had been thus far.Quinn was tempted to toss her over his shoulder and make for a private chamber before this moment passed, but the priest cleared his throat.
“Is it not wonderful?”the other noblewoman said with a sigh.Her eyes were shining.She was fair, like Melissande, but younger.
“My niece,” Tulley said gruffly.“Heloise von Idelstein.”
Quinn bowed over the lady’s hand and she smiled at him and Melissande.“I love weddings,” she confessed.“I cannot wait for my own.”
That comment, Quinn noted, banished his lady’s smile.Melissande sobered, regal again, and slipped her hand into his elbow.They might have been strangers and he saw Bayard’s brows rise as that man noticed the change, as well.
“Yet wait you shall,” Tulley said to Heloise.He adroitly steered his niece to his side, ensuring that she was distant from Bayard, whose eyes gleamed with mischief.“The cook has assembled a wedding feast on short notice,” he continued.“Let us proceed to the hall and savor the results of his efforts.”
Disappointment at the change rose within Quinn until he recalled that Melissande had not smiled during their first encounter.He made progress in easing the lady’s concerns already and would take each victory as it came.
Perhaps she feared the night ahead.Any maiden would.He would have to ensure that their mating was enjoyable—for a fine wedding night would set the right tone not just for their shared future but their happiness.
Clearly what Melissande needed was a goodly quantity of wine to dismiss her reservations.
Quinn would ensure that she had it.
Chapter 4
If the wedding feast had been a war, Melissande would have lost before the first foray.
It was clear that Quinn launched an assault against her senses, and it was one she could neither deny nor evade.He had the experience in this endeavor, which left Melissande susceptible to his every assault.He was seated beside her, on her right, with Tulley on her left.Quinn’s comrade, Bayard, was on Quinn’s right, and Melissande guessed that to be a choice by Tulley intended to keep his niece Heloise at the greatest distance from that knight.Heloise was on Tulley’s left.
She had seen at first glance that Bayard had a twinkle in his eye and more than a measure of good looks.Heloise was already casting glances at the two knights, which Tulley either blocked or ignored.Melissande had seen him glare at Bayard once and that knight seemed to have taken a warning.He flirted with Berthe, who appeared to take umbrage from his attention, a reaction that prompted him to tease her yet more.If Bayard thought to make an easy conquest there, he would have to think again.Berthe would never indulge him.
Caught between Tulley and Quinn, Melissande felt surrounded by those who desired her match to be a success, and worse, who cared little for her own view.
She was snared, and by the time the night was through and the match consummated, she would be secured as Quinn’s prize.
The meat was good, the wine was better, and the occasional brush of Quinn’s elbow against hers was enough to keep her tingling from head to toe.The marriage vows had been exchanged before witnesses and she was bound to respect them.She felt the weight of his ring upon her hand, an unfamiliar burden.The gold had been warm when he granted her the ring and she had seen the grief light his eyes when he spoke of his mother.How and when had Jerome’s wife died?Melissande did not recall exactly, and wished she had paid more attention.She had been young.She knew Jerome had had a daughter but not met Annelise, for she had been sent to a convent as a young girl and had only returned briefly to Sayerne.Was that of import?How Melissande hated that she did not know.She could feel the heat of Quinn’s thigh close beside her own and was well aware of the hard strength of him.She heard his low voice at close proximity—indeed, she felt it as a vibration deep within her.The sensation was not unwelcome.
It might have been the wine and not the allure of her new spouse.
In fact, Melissande was certain her cup was enchanted.No matter how much wine she drank, there was always another sip remaining.It was most curious and a puzzle well beyond her current capabilities to explain.Had she ever consumed so much wine in one evening?She could not recall ever drinking more than a cup or two, but on this night, she had no reliable tally.
Two from Berthe in her chamber, then this cup which seemed to have no bottom.Why, there was yet another mouthful within it!Melissande drank the wine and when next she looked, the cup was full again.
Worse than the muddle of the wine—or perhaps because of it—Quinn could not be ignored.He placed his hand upon the back of her waist when he leaned forward to confer with Tulley and the weight of it felt both proprietary and thrilling.He offered her the best parts of the meat—indeed, he even fed morsels to her, his eyes twinkling with an admiration that had to be feigned.He laughed at Bayard’s comments and told Heloise about Palestine’s wonders and captivated all at the board.He neither provoked her nor ignored her, but seemed to approve of whatever she chose to do.The man sought to beguile her and Melissande was shocked by his success.
Indeed, she found herself intrigued by her spouse, even though she knew that curiosity was treacherous.It was but a step from curiosity to concern and she knew it well.But still, she wondered.
Why had Quinn gone on crusade?Had it been merely Tulley’s suggestion or was there more to that tale?
