He didn’t need anyone.
Damn sure didn’t need children. Wace was aggravation enough.
And yet…
Cursing himself for loving a woman who was obviously insane, hecrumpled the parchment into his fist. Why hadn’t he listened to himself and left England right after William’s coronation?
If he had any sense, he’d defy his brother and go now.
Your wife needs you.
Valteri flinched at the voice in his head. Whatever was he going to do?
She was mad and he was a fool.
Mad.
That one word chased itself through his thoughts like a silent phantom seeking blood. He’d had plenty of experience dealing with the deranged.
His brother being the most recent one.
Damn the loons of his youth.
The last thing he wanted now was a return to having to walk the eggshells of his past, where every word had to be measured with care.
For that was the thing about insanity.
It only grew and became stronger. In time, she’d become a stranger. Not the lady who’d won his heart, but someone he’d never recognize.
And what would she be like once her reasoning fled? Would she be violent like the others who’d attacked him for no reason, or one of the poor souls who curled up like a tiny kitten afraid to move?
And what then?
Would her brothers cast her to the likes of Edred for exorcism, or worse?
He flinched as he saw himself as a boy being tortured by them.
Damn them all! They were the monsters in this world. Not the imagined demons they claimed they were after.
Valteri closed his eyes against the pain in his chest. He wanted to leave and yet he couldn’t make himself give up on her. Of all the things in his life, she alone was worth saving, worth protecting.
Damn you, William, for getting me into this.
Hours later, Valteri came out of the stable just in time to see Ariel heading for the hall.
“Milady?” he called.
She continued on her way without pausing.
Frowning, Valteri started to walk away, but stopped after two steps.
Was she avoiding him? It wasn’t like her to ignore him so.
Concerned that something might be wrong, he hastened after her. “Ariel?”
She hesitated. Panic flickered in her gaze a moment before she lifted the hem of her gown and sped forward.
What was that?
