“The room would be for you.”
She thought that was a rather sweet gesture. “I would like that.”
“I thought so,” he said. “Speak to your father while I go into town and see about a room for you.”
Corisande thought that was a smashingly good idea. She thought about suggesting bringing Gaia but thought better of it. Her lazy sister could sleep in the wagon. Perhaps she and Cole could spend a few quiet moments together if she had a room all her own.
With that thought on her mind, they drew near the de Bourne tent and Ares suddenly appeared. Before Corisande realized what was happening, he reached out and took her hand off Cole’s arm. In fact, he separated them quite obviously.
“Inside, Cori,” he said, speaking to her but keeping his eyes on Cole. “Father has something to say to you.”
He was posturing as if he wanted to throw a punch at Cole. There was an expression of hostility on his face and Cole simply backed away, turning to leave without another word. Corisande thought her brother had been exceptionally rude, glaring at him before stepping into the tent where her father and brothers were.
It was warm in the tent because of a brazier, but it smelled of dampness because of the tent being wet when packed away for travel. Mold grew in the seams, scrubbed away by servants, but the smell still lingered. Her father was seated next to the brass brazier, sharing some wine with her brothers.
Corisande looked at them curiously.
“What do you want?” she asked. “I am helping the cooks prepare the meal for the men but Gaia is sulking in the wagon and she is completely useless. Really, Papa, you should not have forced her to come. She is miserable and when the fighting starts, I fear how she will react.”
Alastor lifted his eyebrows in resignation. “She is a de Bourne and much is expected of her,” he said. “I’m only sorry I sent her away to foster at Prudhoe, although you went to the same place and you did not acquire the bad traits that Gaia has. She is a pretty lass, and a smart one, but she’s as empty-headed asa piglet. Finding a husband for her will be a challenge. But for you…”
He trailed off, looking at her as he sipped his wine, and her brow furrowed.
“Whataboutme?” she asked.
Alastor looked away as he set his wine down on a nearby table. “I was telling your brothers that Cole has asked permission to marry you,” he said. “I have asked them what they think of him and his request.”
Corisande wasn’t surprised that her father had spoken to her brothers about it, but she was miffed. This wasn’t a group decision as far as she was concerned.
“This is not their choice, Papa,” she said. “It is yours. Cole is a fine man and I would be honored to be his wife.”
“He’s already betrothed,” Anteaus blurted out. He seemed agitated, an unusual state for the usually sedate brother. “Essien told me that he’s betrothed to Audrie de Longley.”
Corisande went on the defensive. “Essien misspoke,” she said flatly. “If you had asked Cole, he would have told you the truth. Did you know that he was married before? His wife and child died of a fever two years ago. He has been completely honest with me about everything, including Audrie de Longley. He never asked to court her, but he has visited her and her brother at Northwood. Any betrothal is simply expectations from the de Longley family– there has never been a formal contract.”
Anteaus frowned as Alastor spoke up. “He should have told me that from the beginning,” he said. “It would have been the honorable thing to do.”
Corisande threw up her hands. “He barely had a minute of your time before The Marshal’s army arrived,” she said, exasperated. “He did not have the time to tell you that.”
Alastor conceded the point. “Mayhap,” he said. “Our conversation was barely started before it was over. But theseexpectations you speak of with Audrie de Longley concern me. I do not want to be viewed as having taken a prospective husband away from an earl’s daughter.”
Corisande looked at him, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her. “He was never hers to begin with, Papa,” she said. “And he will make that clear to them as soon as he is able. As soon as the Scots and the Northmen settle their troubles. He will not shirk that duty, Papa. He is an honorable man in every way and… and I love him. I want to marry him, Papa. Please do not deny us.”
Her lower lip was quivering by the time she was finished and Alastor, having a soft spot for his daughter, put up a hand.
“Do not fret so,” he said. “I have no intention of denying him, for the general consensus is that Cole is a good man and your brothers approve of him. But he must settle the issue with Audrie de Longley before I will give him my permission.”
Hope filled Corisande. “But youwillgive it?”
“I will.”
With a shriek of delight, Corisande ran at her father to embrace the man, nearly tipping his chair over in the process. She was so happy that she hugged Anteaus and Atlas and finally Ares, who still didn’t look convinced. She grinned at him.
“Be truthful,” she said, pinching his chin. “You do like Cole. I know you do.”
Reluctantly, Ares nodded. “I do,” he said. “He will make you a fine husband. But you are too good for him, Cori. He does not deserve you.”
She laughed. “Spoken like a true brother,” she said. Then, she turned excitedly to her father. “Papa, Cole is going to secure a room in town for me so I am not sleeping in the wagon bed. He thought it would be more comfortable for me. I… I thought I would take Gaia with me so we can both sleep in a warm bed for tonight. May we?”
