Hawke nodded grimly.
Katherine stared. Exile. She was being condemned to an exile in Cornwall as punishment for her sins. She would reside there—as Hawke’s wife.
Hawke held out his hand. Katherine saw it but couldn’t touch it. Comprehension finally filled her. If she remainedwith Hawke now, she would be breaking God’s law. No woman could have two husbands.
His mouth tightened and, very firmly, he took her arm. “And now I will take you to your lodgings,” he said. “I think it best if you stay in your chamber, Katherine, until we leave tomorrow.”
And as John led her away, Katherine flung a last, desperate glance over her shoulder, and met the queen’s triumphant and hostile gaze.
The queen had won. Yet Katherine had never dreamed that the outcome of their battle would be a forsaken exile for herself in Cornwall as Hawke’s wife. And it was Liam she thought of, disheveled and foul, bound in manacles, imprisoned in the Tower. Panic filled her breast.
How could she go with Hawke, when she was married to Liam? And if she left the court, how could she help Liam?
Outside the queen’s doors Katherine balked, spinning to face John, gripping his uniform. “John! There is something I must tell you,” she cried. “I…I am married to O’Neill—and I have the signed documents to prove it.”
31
Hawke stared at her, frozen.
Katherine realized what she had said. Her heart raced wildly, and she tried to think, but logic failed to come to her now. She did not know if she should have told him the truth, especially here and now, just outside the Queen’s Privy Chamber, with the ladies and gentlemen of the court staring at them and whispering to one another about them. But it was too late to take back her words, and somehow, she was relieved that she had declared the truth.
Hawke gripped her arm. “We will not talk here,” he ground out, and he moved her forward. Almost miraculously, the crowd parted to make way for them, and just before they exited the antechamber, Katherine’s glance found Anne’s. The baroness appeared genuinely sympathetic to her plight.
Then Katherine stumbled as she realized who stood behind Anne. Leicester stared at her.
Hawke held her firmly so she did not fall, saying, “Do those two belong to you?”
Katherine saw that Macgregor and Guy were following them. “Yes.” She hesitated. “I am fond of the boy, and Macgregor escorted me here. I was afraid to come alone.”
Hawke sent a quelling glance at Macgregor. “I have no need of pirates, and neither does Katherine. Not anymore.”
Katherine began to shake, realizing that she was goingto be truly alone now. “It’s all right,” she said softly to Guy and Macgregor. “I will be all right.”
Hawke said nothing as they hurried down a long corridor, leaving Macgregor and Guy behind. Once through the hall, Hawke’s grip upon her eased somewhat. They paused at the entrance to one of the covered walkways that led to other parts of the palace. His stare was impossible to read, but his blue gaze was powerful, immobilizing hers. Katherine could not look away from him. A lump seemed to have wedged itself in her throat.
“Tell me if I am wrong. You were as shocked as I was by O’Neill’s abduction of you on our wedding night.”
Katherine nodded slowly.
His stare was angry. “So he seduced you with his handsome face and ready smile.”
Katherine did not dare agree. She did not dare speak.
“And when he asked you to marry him, you eagerly agreed.”
Tears blurred her vision. “No, John,” she said softly. “’Twas not like that at all.”
“Then how was it?” he demanded.
“He dragged me to the church, ignoring my protests. He claimed that in all likelihood you had already divorced me. The Catholic priest there married us immediately.” Katherine did not continue. She hugged herself. She would never tell John that she had already been half in love with her captor, and had readily accepted their marriage once it was done.
“He forced you to marry him?” Hawke asked sharply.
She bit her lip. Hawke did not understand—and she could not explain. She blinked back tears. “Do I have two husbands? What shall I do?” she cried.
John took her arm again. When he spoke, his tone was soothing, kind—firm. “Does anyone else know of this marriage?”
She shook her head.
