“Addax and Essien and I must join him,” he said. “With your permission, I will bid Cori farewell.”
Alastor nodded, but as Cole moved past him, he reached out and grasped the man’s arm. “Your father told me about Teviot and Lady Audrie marrying another,” he said. “I told you when that situation was settled, you would have my permission to marry my daughter. That is still true. You have my blessing.”
Cole smiled broadly. “I had hoped you would say that,” he said. “I promised you once that I would love her for the rest of my life, my lord. That has not changed.”
“Good,” Alastor said. “Go, now. Bid her farewell. We have a busy day ahead of us.”
That was an understatement. Cole headed over to the big de Bourne tent, quietly calling to Corisande until the tent flap moved aside and she appeared.
The smile on her face filled him with comfort and contentment and joy such as he’d never known. He could look at that smile until the end of his days and never, ever grow weary of it.
“Gaia is already asleep,” she said softly. “Poor dear. She is exhausted.”
He reached up, moving a stray piece of hair from her face. “And you?”
She shrugged. “Weary, of course,” she said. “But I am thankful for my life. I am very thankful for your life. It was heroic of you to come and save us.”
“And you think that I would not?”
“I did not mean it that way. I simply meant that you are a brave and bold man.”
Reaching out, he took her hand in his big mitt, bring it to his lips for a tender kiss. “I am a brave and bold man who loves you more with each passing moment,” he said. “I would do anything for you, Cori. Anything in the world.”
“As I would do the same for you.”
“Then go home. Take Gaia and leave this field of battle so I know that you are safe.”
Her smile faded. “You know I cannot leave,” she said. “As you have obligations, so do I. I know you do not like that, but you cannot change it. Not now, at least.”
He didn’t want to get into a tussle with her when he had only just gotten her back, so he backed off. He didn’t want to ruin this moment by being belligerent.
“You may as well know that I am selfish,” he said. “I only want you to be safe, my queen. You know that. And that makes me selfish because it is for my peace of mind.”
Corisande relented a little. “It does not make you selfish,” she said. “It makes you sweet and wonderful and thoughtful. But right now, I will not leave. My father needs me and so do my brothers. I must be here to see this through, but once we are married… if you do not want me to go on any de Velt battle marches as your surgeon, then I suppose I shall have to obey you.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “Your father just told me that I have his permission without reservation to marry you,” he said. “When this battle is over, I intend to do precisely that.”
She broke out into a big smile. “There is nothing I want more,” she said. “I am looking forward to it more than you know.”
“As am I,” he said. But then, he turned his attention in the direction of the mobilizing army, moving towards the river. “But first, we have a city to hold and Northmen to chase away. I am going to have to leave you for a while.”
Her smile faded. “Where are you going?”
He looked over his shoulder, towards the castle in the distance. “To Berwick Castle,” he said. “I must help my father hold the fortress. Our suspicion is that the Scots will try to take it back with the help of the Northmen, so I must be there to defend it to the last man if that is the case.”
She reached out her hands, clutching his big fingers. “You will be careful,” she said softly. “You are a great and noble knight and I should like you to father my children. And we are going to have a lot of children, so I will need you around for some time to come.”
He chuckled. “How many children?”
She lifted her shoulders. “A dozen, at least,” she said. “Mayhap more. I’ve not yet decided.”
He wriggled his eyebrows. “That is a lot.”
“Complaining?”
He shook his head, pulling her into an embrace. “Nay,” he murmured in her ear. “Because the fun will be in the practice.”
She giggled as he hugged her tightly, lifting her off the ground so that her feet were dangling. Her arms were around his neck, her hands in his hair, as they simply held one another. It was a big day and they both knew it, but Corisande couldn’t evenentertain the thought that this would be the last time she would ever hold him. To her, he was big and strong and indestructible.
