Kevin nodded, still snorting. “That is why he is heading back to Hawkstone Castle, where Caius lives,” he said. “The de Lohr brothers tried to break William of his habit and couldn’t do it. So, he is returning back to Cai and more than likely, a life that includes crime.”
She started to giggle because he was still laughing. “He says he is going to be the greatest knight England has ever seen.”
“To be perfectly honest with you, I would not be surprised.”
“He’s that good?”
“He’sthatgood.”
They enjoyed a chuckle over Juliandra’s badly misguided opinion of William, but it was in good fun. But the laughter soon faded as they lost themselves, for a moment, in each other’s eyes.
“And how are you feeling this morning?” he asked softly. “Happy?”
Juliandra wound her hands around his big forearm, leaning into him affectionately. “You’ll never know how happy,” she said. “I’ve never felt like this.”
“Nor have I.”
She looked at him, smiling sweetly. “You are happy, too?”
He nodded. “More than you know.”
She squeezed his arm. “I am glad,” she said. “I feel as if my whole world is here at Wybren and always has been. But I also know that is not true. There is still The Neath, and my father’s stall in Pool, and my father himself. Do… do you think we could send word to him that we have wed? I am not asking you to release him, but I would at least like him to know. It would be better if I could go to him and tell him myself.”
Kevin’s good humor faded.
He was perfectly happy to push aside the greatest mistake he’d ever made and it was very easy to do right now as he basked in the euphoria of his marriage to Juliandra, but he knew he couldn’t ignore it. The more he ignored it, the more it would weigh down upon him until it suffocated him. Already, he was living on a steady diet of regret.
Christ, why did I have to be so stupid in the first place?
But in her polite question, he saw a way out. He could send “word” to the alleged location where he was holding her father and then receive word in return that the man had perished. It would be the easy way to do it, the coward’s way out. But at this moment, he couldn’t stand the thought of losing what he’d gained.
A woman he adored.
More and more, he knew he couldn’t lose her, but he hated that he had to lie in order to save himself and his marriage.
Quite possibly her love.
His love.
“I will send word,” he said after a moment. “I will do it today.”
Her face lit up. “Will you?” she said. “Thank you ever so much. It means a great deal to me.”
He patted the hands that were wrapped around his arm. “I would do anything for you,” he said. “I am going to go speak with Sherry and Peter before they depart, but I will send the missive when I am finished. What are your intentions for today?”
Juliandra pointed to the kitchen yard ahead where they could see William spreading the straw. “First, I shall scold William for gambling,” she said. “Then, I have a few chores to attend to. I will be around the kitchens if you need me.”
Reaching out, he grasped her by the upper arms, pulling her against him. “I will always need you,” he murmured seductively. “I need everything about you.”
She grinned, unaccustomed to such affection, but loving every moment of it. “Do you?” she whispered.
His answer was to kiss her, lustily, and leave her standing there with weak knees. He walked away, winking at her, as she licked her lips. Heart racing, Juliandra turned back for the kitchens, thinking of the man she had married.
Thinking of joy she couldn’t fully describe.
All she knew was that it was flowing through her veins with every beat of her heart.
Entering the kitchen yards, she could see that William had mostly distributed the straw and was spreading it around with a rake to soak up the excess moisture in the cooking area. Considering the young man had let her believe that he’d been a victim of unscrupulous soldiers, Juliandra let him rake. Whenhe looked up at her, clearly unhappy with the fact that he had to do manual labor, she simply smiled and waved.
