“God’s mercy, Leonie, what can you be thinking? This is no longer a woman’s whim. Your lord is serious!”
“I tell you he will not attack us,” she insisted. “He has brought his army only to frighten me.”
“You would risk all our lives on an assumption?” he cried.
“Guibert, please,” Leonie pleaded. “This is my whole life that will be decided here. Let me at least hear what he has to say. If you give me up to him without even that, he will never believe he must take my feelings into account.”
Guibert looked out again at the men. A man did not order a paid army to follow him unless he meant to make use of that army. She was fooling herself. The Black Wolf was prepared to attack.
“You will talk to him yourself?” he asked, and when she said “Yes,” he asked hastily, “You will not provoke him?”
Leonie shook her head. “I will be careful, but he must know I am firm. How else can we come to terms? But I swear, if it does not go well, I will surrender.”
“Very well.” Guibert sighed heavily. “But remember a man’s pride, my lady, and do not push him too far. Pride can make a man do things he doesn’t really want to do, for honor’s sake.”
Rolfe and his knights had ridden to the gatehouseand halted. Rolfe slowly surveyed the manned walls to each side of the gatehouse, the weapons trained on him, the closed gate. Tension crackled in the air.
Rolfe demanded entrance and was refused. Leonie held her breath, waiting for his reaction. How far, indeed, would Rolfe go for honor’s sake?
“My lady wife is within?”
“I am here, my lord,” Leonie called down to him.
“Lean forward. I cannot see you, madame,” he shouted up.
She leaned forward. She could see him fully. He wore full armor, and because he didn’t remove his helmet, even his eyes were hidden.
Rolfe moved his destrier so that he and the horse were standing directly beneath her. “You have readied Pershwick for war?”
“Keeps should always be kept in a state of readiness,” she said evasively. “I would as well ask you why you have brought your army here.”
“Why, to please you, of course,” he called. “Isn’t war what you want?”
Leonie gasped. “I take precautions, my lord, nothing else.”
His voice whipped out fiercely. “Against me!”
“Yes!”
“Why, Leonie?”
The answer was too embarrassing to be shouted down at him, but shout she must.
“My lord, I will abide no more at Crewel with your…with Lady Amelia in residence.”
“I cannot hear you, Leonie.”
She had heardhimplainly enough. Did he mean to shame her?
Leonie steeled herself and leaned farther over theparapet. “I said I will no longer abide at Crewel with Amelia there also!”
“Isthatwhat this is about?” He sounded quite incredulous.
“Yes.”
And then the unthinkable happened. Rolfe began to laugh. He removed his helmet and his laughter grew louder and louder. It carried over the walls into the quiet keep.
“Your humor is misplaced, my lord.” Her tone was bitter. “I mean what I say.”
