“Sire … you shouldn’t converse with that woman. Send her away now before she corrupts you further.”
“Enough, bishop.” Aldfrith’s command was harsh. “Another word, and it will be you I shall cast out.”
A mutinous silence followed. Osana dared raise her gaze to see that Wilfrid stood, hands clenched at his sides, his face red. However, he wisely held his tongue.
“Osana,” Aldfrith repeated her name, his voice softening slightly. “Please go to my alcove.”
Defeated, she turned and walked across the hall, under the weight of curious stares. It felt like the longest stretch she had ever traveled. Humiliation bit deep with every step. Reaching the northern edge of the hall, she stepped up onto the platform that ran around the perimeter. She then pushed aside the heavy tapestry that shielded the king’s alcove from sight and went inside.
Osana had never been inside Aldfrith’s private quarters. She had often wondered what it would be like. Yet this was not the day to find out—today it was the last place she wanted to be.
Letting the hanging fall behind her, she gazed around, taking in the expanse of furs covering the floor and the huge tapestry that covered the wall. There was a single shuttered window, and three cressets burned low. A hearth glowed in the center of the space, throwing out long shadows.
Osana’s gaze shifted to the large pile of furs in one corner, and her breathing caught.
God’s bones … don’t look there.
She hurriedly glanced away, instead focusing on the small table and stool that sat under the window. They were the only items in the room that spoke of the character of the man occupying it.
Hands clasped before her, Osana moved toward the glow of the fire pit. Her heart fluttered like a caged bird as she waited for Aldfrith to arrive.
Beyond the alcove, she heard the rumble of conversation and the clang and rattle of supper being prepared. She caught raised voices then—one of them clearly the bishop’s—and winced.
No doubt he was saying more foul things about her.
Osana closed her eyes.I wish I could leave here tonight.
A moment later she felt a draft behind her. Her eyes snapped open, and she turned to see Aldfrith stride into the alcove.
The look on his face cowed her. His eyes had darkened almost to black, and his skin had drawn tight across his cheekbones. His hands clenched in fists at his sides.
Osana swallowed. She had never feared the king before, but having once been married to a man who had raised his hand to her on occasion, she suddenly felt a tremor of fear.
The emotion must have shown on her face, for Aldfrith stopped short. “You look at me with dread in your eyes,” he rasped. “Do you really think I’d harm you?”
Their gazes held for a long moment before Osana shook her head.
Aldfrith took a step toward her before raking a hand through his hair. “Satan’s bones, Osana … I’ve made a mess of things. I’m sorry … I—”
“Is this why you wanted to see me?” Osana finally found her voice as her anger rose. “To apologize?”
He stared at her, his gaze pleading. “Aye … you don’t deserve to be treated this way.”
Osana watched him, her fury simmering. She was tired of his apologies, tired of being made a fool of. “I will go at dawn,” she growled. “I never wanted to cause trouble here.”
His face twisted. “This is my doing. I knew what would happen if we were alone together. I knew, and I sought you out anyway. I saw you go into scriptorium—and I followed you.”
Osana frowned. “I don’t understand … why should we be ashamed of what happened between us? All we did was succumb to something as natural as breathing.”
The king flinched. It was as if she had loosed an arrow and scored a direct hit.
“I don’t want this.” The words tore out of him. “Love has always been madness for me, and I will have no part of it. Long ago I chose the path of reason. I can’t have you near me.”
Osana stared at him, her anger ebbing as confusion rose within her. Why would someone make such a choice? When she spoke, her voice shook. “Not everything can be reasoned, Aldfrith. Some things must be guided by your heart.”
He shook his head, vehement. “I will not live that way.”
Osana clenched her jaw. “Then you have chosen a lonely life.”
