Roger and his men silently obeyed. Edward waited untilthey were retreating down the main aisle with the two injured knights before hespoke again.
"Your arm, deWarenne.Does it need medical attention?"
Guy looked down at Leila and wished desperately thatthey were alone so he could wipe the tears from her face. "No,sire. I'm sure my wife will tend to it quite ably."
"Indeed. Then let us walk back to the feast, shallwe? We'll have water, ointment, and bandagesbrought,anything you need."
"Thank you, sire. I am in your debt."
With a thin smile on his lips, Edward drew close andsettled a glinting gold medallion around Guy's neck.
"No trouble, my lord. I'd wager this addedexcitement has only made the occasion that much more memorable for all of us,yes?"
Guy's throat was so constricted with a hitherto unknowndepth ofemotion,he did not trust himself to answer.Instead he tenderly kissed the crown of Leila's head, holding her close againsthis heart as he followed Edward from the bloody transept.
Chapter 19
"Do you like the room, Leila?" Guy toyedabsently with his medallion, waiting for her answer, which was long in coming.
It was all he could do not to walk over to the windowand capture her in hisarms,she was so bewitchinglybeautiful with her ebony hair streaming like a silken waterfall down her backand her silvery tunic clinging to her body so provocatively. But hewilledhimself to remain seated. He was determined to movevery slowly with her this evening.
It was their wedding night. The night he had notexpected for days, maybe weeks. It was still hard for him to believe that Leilawas actually his wife.
It was the night which would set the tone for countlessothers to come. He wanted it to be special for both of them . . . no smalltask.
Leila had been coolly distant since they had returnedto the coronation feast, scarcely speaking except when spoken to, and now,hours later, she was still aloof, almost as if she were resolved to keepherself tightly in check. He could also sense her nervousness, though she wastrying hard not to show it. He knew her well enough to recognize the defiantjut of her chin as a sign of stubbornness, and a good measure of apprehension.
He was glad he had managed to dissuade his knights andEleanor's ladies-in-waiting from the traditional bedding ceremony. Having acrowd of observers cramming into their chamber, he and Leila stripped nakedbefore them and ensconced in their nuptial bed, would have unsettled herentirely. No, he wanted to do things at his own pace and in his own way.
He would have to be endlessly patient with her andinfinitely caring, no matter how she might try to goad him to anger. He wantedto please her, to make her laugh and smile as she had that afternoon on theRhone. He wanted to make up for all the unhappiness she had known since she wasunwillingly wrested from her home.
He wanted her to see that she could find happiness withhim, and love, if she would only open up her heart and allow him to enter. Hewould relinquish everything he possessed to hear her say those three simplewords: I love you. He would not give up until she did. So he had silently vowedwhen the priest pronounced them man and wife.
Guy sighed softly when still Leila did not reply to hisearlier question. Finally he spoke.
"My cousin, the earl of Surrey, and his wife weremost gracious to exchange this room for my smaller one, don't you think?"
Leila cast him a wary glance. Her breath snagged in herthroat at the sight of him sitting so casually in that high-backed chair, onesinewedleg slung over the low armrest, his gold medallionreflecting the flickering candlelight as he dangled it between his fingers. Yetthe tension she sensed in him belied his relaxed posture. She purposely avoidedhis eyes and skipped her gaze to the embroidered tapestry on the wall behind him,a colorful yet disturbing scene of a wounded unicorn surrounded by hunters andbaying hounds.
Even the tapestry proved too much for her. Gripped byuneasiness, she turned back to the window and stared outside at the ink-blacknight.
That was exactly how she felt right now. Hunted, likethat unicorn. And Guy was both the hunter aiming his arrow and the houndsnapping at her heels.
Oh, why had she ever agreed to marry him? She couldhave wed that London merchant, stolen his money, and escaped on horseback toDover long before it would have ever come to sharing a bedchamber. Why hadn'tshe had her wits about her enough in Roger's tent to think of such a plan, orwhen Guy demanded she choose? Fool! "Leila, why won't you talk to me?"
She started but did not turn from the window. "Ihave little to say, my lord. I am very tired."
"Fair enough. Then why don't you ready yourselffor bed."
She gasped softly and met his eyes. There was no guilein them, although he was looking at her quite intently, half of his handsomeface masked by shadows. Could she hope he had no plans to . . . ?
"I'm tired myself," he said, swinging his legfrom the armrest and kicking off his boots. "It's been a most eventfulday, and tomorrow's tournament will come soon enough."
Eventful day! That was an understatement, Leilathought, watching as he stood and unfastened his sword belt, dropping it on thechair with a clanking thud, along with his medallion. When he began to stripout of his tunic, she lowered her eyes, her heart thumping, and hurried to thefar side of the bed where she drew the blue damask curtains. Thank God shewould at least have some privacy while she undressed.
She noted a familiar saddle bag propped against thebedpost and realized someone must have been sent to retrieve her belongingsfrom Roger's tent. With trembling fingers she slipped out of the tunic Maudehad had cut down for her and then herchainse, bothof which were somewhat soiled from her escapade that afternoon. She rolled downthe gauzy white stockings which were hopelessly beyond repair, with huge holesat the knees.
Anxious that Guy might come around the bed and find hernaked, Leila quickly drew on her white linennightrail.Though the fabric was thin, it was a plain, unassuming garment, and for thatshe was grateful. She brushed her hair and braided it loosely, then blew outthe two candles on the ornately carved table against the wall, plunging herside of the room into darkness.
