“And you have taken a lesson from her, for which I am glad.But these recent attacks upon Annossy show that the holding is vulnerable!”Tulley spoke with heat.“The marauders know the holding is governed by a woman.You know as well as I that their actions reflect their perception of weakness.”
“I am not weak!”Melissande protested.“The villeins are satisfied and the tithes have been beyond expectation.Annossy is well-ruled...”
Tulley interrupted her.“But not sufficiently well-defended.”
“I could hire more men-at-arms,” she began but Tulley waved off her suggestion.
“They will follow a man, and you know that as well as I do.”He leaned forward and his tone softened slightly.“I hold these lands for the emperor by grant of the Count of Arles.Should any of them be lost, my own position would be compromised.You know that I cannot risk that.The attacks upon Annossy compel me to make a choice, Melissande.I have let you temporarily administer your family holdings, but I will not invest you with the seal.”
Melissande glimpsed the warrior that the Lord de Tulley had once been, and appreciated anew his reputation as a man who would see his will done against all obstacles.
If she had been a man, she would have openly defied him.If she had been a man, there would have been no criticism of her administration.If she had been a man, she would have chosen her own spouse freely.Or taken none at all.
She could not remain silent.“I will choose...”
“Nay, Melissande,” Tulley said with impatience.“You will wed and, as befits my right as your liege lord, I have decided to whom.”
“It would please me to keep my pledge to wed Arnaud de Privas, my lord.”That was an understatement in the extreme.Melissande’s word was her bond, a habit taught by her beloved father, and a source of pride.“When he returns from winning his fortune...”
“He will not return,” Tulley said briskly.“At any rate, the gaining of his fortune ensures that he cannot wed you.”
“I do not understand, sir.”
“Do you think, child, that after all these years I would ignore what I know to be important to you?”he demanded.“I did seek out that rogue Arnaud and I found him.”
Melissande’s heart leapt even as she noted that the lord’s tone was disparaging.
“That rogue has taken a wife himself.”
“A wife?”Melissande echoed.
“A wife.A rich wife.”Tulley nodded.“It would appear that your loyalty has been misplaced.”
This could not be.She and Arnaud had been sworn to each other as children.Though Privas had fallen upon hard times after the death of Arnaud’s father, still the match had been the wish of all four parents, and Melissande could not simply ignore what had been promised.
She doubted that Arnaud would have done as much either.It was true that she did not know him well—she scarce remembered the boy who had taken her hand in his on that long-ago afternoon and repeated the words of the priest—for he had left soon after their betrothal to train for his spurs with a distant uncle.By the time he had been knighted, Privas had been desolate, and Arnaud had sent word that he would seek his fortune then return for her.
Melissande had waited, refusing all suitors for the man her father had chosen.
What if Tulley was trying to remove her objection, even with a falsehood, so that she cede to his plan?He did not approve of Arnaud, she knew it well, although she could not understand why.
“That must be untrue,” she said before she could consider the wisdom of her words.
Tulley’s gaze turned cold.“The source was reliable beyond doubt,” he said.“Arnaud wed Marie de Perricault a year past.”
“Marie!”Although Melissande had not seen the older woman in years, she remembered her testy manner.Perricault was over the mountains and to the north of Annossy, closer to the court of the French king.“Arnaud would not break his word to me!”
“I regret to tell you that he did just that.”
“Might your source be deceived in this?”
Tulley gave her a warning look.
Melissande took a steadying breath.She had to speak her thoughts aloud.“All these years, you have treated me with respect and honesty.Please do not abandon that path now, my lord.”
Tulley’s expression remained impassive.
“Tell me that you did not find Arnaud,” she dared to continue.“Tell me that you refuse to seek him out for whatever reason; tell me what flaws you find in his nature or why you find our fathers’ scheme to be a poor one, but do not lie to me about his fate.I know that I must do as you dictate.Do you think that deception will reconcile me to your will?”
