“I am not in want of a second husband,” she told him slowly.
Niel’s eyes narrowed.
“And I am not looking for a second wife,” he answered. “I’m offering you an escape from this rotten place, Lady Blackfell. Not a deal of some kind.”
She blinked at him rapidly, her eyes shifting between his left hand and his face. Had she missed a ring on his fingers? But no, they were as bare as before. Her stomach felt sour, which made no sense. Whyshouldn’tthe knight be taken? It wasn’t like she wanted a traitor for herself. She’d just told him as much.
“Second wife?” Ayla said at last, echoing him. “But—you don’t—you don’t wear a ring?”
His own eyes glanced down at his hand, still curled on the table.
“No,” Niel agreed. “I do not.”
“You’remarried?”
He should have mentioned a wife, her petty inner self said.What kind of man takes over a castle and makes a lady his captive, and doesn’t even mention having a wife?
“You sound as amazed as if I just told you I knew a bear who could speak Ancient Himrek,” Niel muttered, sounding embarrassed rather than angry now. “Is it that improbable?”
“It surprised me, that’s all. Youaremarried, then.”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“Marriage is rather a yes or no sort of question,” Ayla informed him.
“I am half-married.” He wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“That isn’t possible.” Did he mean just that he’d promised himself to a woman? Some lover he revered so dearly as to call her ‘wife’ without any bonds tying them together? But the knight hadn’t struck her as a romantic.
“It is. We wed by proxy. It is not consummated.” His tone was tradesman-like, serious. She relaxed a little, though not much. Not a romance, then. He hadn’t even spoken vows to her face, or washed her hands in the marriage-bowl, or fed her a sip of wine from the marriage-cup. She hated the idea of him performing any wedding ceremony with some unseen, devastatingly beautiful woman, one who was doubtlessly courageous and bold and made her own choices. The sort of woman Niel would want.
Why did it matter? She wanted nothing to do with the knight, not in that way.
“You haven’t met her?” Ayla asked, trying not to sound too interested. Just minutes ago, she’d been terrified of this man’s anger. What waswrongwith her?
“I have,” Niel said, cutting off a piece of his meat with a frown. “Years ago. I went a few times with my father to treat with them. But she was betrothed to my brother then. He renounced our family to get out of the betrothal, and it fell to me instead.”
Corin, the Queen’s general. Ayla frowned. Surely no heir to a dukedom would give up all his power just over a betrothal.
“Wait. I thought he renounced his titles to side with the Queen.”
“No. Not at first. It was to break the betrothal.”
Ayla’s head tilted to the side.
“Mercy. Is your wifethathorrible?”
Niel shook his head quickly.
“I don’t think it was about her. Corin had a woman of his own he wanted. Anyways,henever met her, funnily enough. He was off at court every time I traveled with father.”
Such was the lives of women, Ayla thought wearily as she lifted a bite to her mouth and slowly chewed. Traded to men, or tied up in betrothals, at men’s mercy to keep or break.
“Well… did you like her?” she forced herself to ask. She kicked down the strange jealous surge in her blood at the thought.
“I tend not to like anyone,” he muttered. “Anyways, as I said. Half-marriage. I don’t intend to honor it. But if Iwanteda wife, I could take the one I already have.”
And not me, she filled in. Well, that was fine. It was best if Lord Niel wanted nothing to do with Ayla, just as she wanted nothing to do with him.
