Page 16 of Forbidden: Claude

“You wouldn’t like that, would you? Because if so, you would never get Lady Rose to love you the way she loves her husband, Toft.”

“Bid the devil, I will whip you if you say one more word.” He stood up so quickly that his towel slipped from his hips, falling to the floor and leaving him standing in front of her, naked.

At the same moment, the door opened behind her, and his squire entered the room.

“My lord I have brought wine and – oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in the midst of bedding a woman.”

Evelina turned on her heel and ran from the room.

Claude pickedup the towel and wrapped it back around his waist. He sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. What had just happened? And what had the nursemaid meant about him wanting Rose to love him the way she loved her husband? She didn’t know what she was talking about. Or did she?

“Come in and close the door, Squire,” he spoke into his hands. Ever since he’d arrived in England, things hadn’t been going well at all. Why did every day have to be harder than the one before?

“What was Evelina doing in here?” asked Felix, closing the door.

“That’s what I want to know,” he replied. “She said she came to apologize, but all she did was say horrible things about me instead.”

“Oh,” said Felix, pouring a cup of wine and handing it to Claude. Claude took it and chugged it down, trying to use the alcohol to numb his mental turmoil. “Did she call you unlikable again, my lord?”

Claude didn’t know how to answer. Evelina was right in saying he couldn’t go to Lady Rose and tell her about this. After all, his squire had seen him standing there naked with the girl in the room. Who the hell knew who else saw it as they passed by in the corridor. It wouldn’t paint him in a good light at all.

“Do you think I’m unlikable, Felix?” He held out his cup for more wine.

“Well, on occasion you do come across as, shall I say, grumpy?” Felix filled up the cup with wine and put the decanter on the bedside table.

“I’m not unlikable, and neither am I grumpy.” He felt the frown on his face as he said it. “God’s eyes, who am I fooling? The girl was right. I am unlikable. But she was wrong when she said I wasn’t an honorable knight.”

“She said that about you, my lord?”

“She did.”

“Are you going to tell Lady Rose her servant is speaking out of line?”

“I’m not.”

“You’re not?” Felix scratched his head.

“Nay. Instead, I am going to prove to her, as well as to everyone else, that I am an honorable knight, and I am not a wretched cur nor am I a pig.”

“Cur? Pig? Did Evelina say that about you, too?” Felix’s eyes opened wide.

“It doesn’t matter what she said because it is not true. She is only a servant and knows nothing at all.”

“What are you going to do to prove it to her, my lord?”

“I am going to show her that I know how to treat a lady.”

“Oh. Are you going to kiss her?”

“I am talking about a lady, Squire. Evelina is not a lady. She is naught but a servant who needs a good scolding if naught else. But I won’t be the one to give it to her. I am here for Lady Rose at her request. From now on, I am going to be the most likable person in the castle. Lady Rose won’t laugh at me ever again. When she has her baby, I will be at her side. I will be there to walk her to chapel every day and to escort her to the dais for every meal. I will treat her with kindness and respect, and show her the ways of courtly love, like the knights practice in France.”

“Lady Rose? I’m confused. I thought we were talking about the nursemaid, Evelina.”

“Evelina? Why would I care what she thinks? I told you, she is only a servant.”

“But I thought you said you didn’t think she was who she pretends to be. Perhaps, she is not a servant at all.”

“I changed my mind. She might not be a nursemaid, but I assure you if she is anything else it is naught but a peasant or a ragpicker, disguising herself so that she can take up residence at the castle.”

“So, I’m confused, my lord. Is it Lady Rose or Evelina you are trying to impress?”

“Impress? I am not trying to impress anyone,” he said, holding out his cup for more wine. He said the words but, in his heart, he knew they weren’t true. Evelina was right in saying he wanted Rose to love him. But the nursemaid confused him. She had him so disturbed that he couldn’t think straight. After looking into her hazel eyes and getting lost in those little green specks, and smelling the damned rosewater on her skin, he almost kissed her. What was wrong with him? Girls like her were not what he wanted. He was a knight of a castle and lands now. What he needed was a noblewoman for a wife. Someone just like Lady Rose. Tomorrow, he would show everyone just how honorable a knight he could be.