Page 49 of Forbidden: Claude

Chapter 15

Claude left Rose’s room and headed down the corridor, wanting to get as far away from Evelina as possible.

“Claude, please wait,” Evelina called out, running after him. “I need to talk to you.”

“It’s a little too late for that,” he growled, having been devastated to hear that Evelina was not only a lady pretending to be a servant, but also already betrothed to someone else. First, he’d had his heart broken by Rose. And then when he decided to open his heart to a woman he thought he loved, the door was slammed in his face, and a dagger pushed through his heart once again.

“Claude, please.” Evelina reached out and grabbed his arm and he spun around on his heel, feeling angrier than hell.

“Why, Lady Evelina?” he asked. “So you can make a fool of me once again? Why didn’t you tell me who you were and that you were already promised to another man before we made love?”

“I tried to, but you didn’t give me a chance.”

“You had more than enough chances, but yet you continued to lie. I gave my heart to you, but you thrust a dagger right through it.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Claude.” Tears formed in her eyes.

“I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you, but I let down my guard. That is what I get for making the mistake of falling in love.”

“I love you, Claude.”

“God’s eyes, Evelina, stop already.” He threw his hands up into the air. “I bent down on one knee in front of everyone and asked you to marry me although I thought you were only a merchant’s daughter pretending to be a maidservant.”

“I wanted to tell you, but Rose was dying. Please, you need to believe me that I never meant to make a fool of you.”

He ignored her pleas and shook his head. His top lip curled up as he said his next words. “I took your innocence. Now, I might go to war over it. I am an honorable man and would never take another man’s bride.”

“You don’t understand. I don’t want to marry Lord Onfroi. He is evil and hurts women. I love you and want to marry you.”

“We can’t be married, Evelina. You are betrothed to another man. So, once again, you are forbidden to me.”

“I’ll ask my father to break the betrothal. I’ll tell him it is you I love and no one else.”

“I am disappointed in you,” he told her. “I truly loved you, and now you’ve broken my heart.”

“I didn’t break your heart. Everything I said about loving you is true.”

“How can I believe you? You have done nothing but lie to me since the day I met you. Even if we did marry, how could I trust that you wouldn’t tire of me and go looking for another husband instead?”

“I would never do that, Claude.” The tears ran down her cheeks. He longed to reach out and comfort her and wipe her tears away, but he couldn’t. She belonged to another man. He had no right to love her. Once again, he had fallen into a trap and found himself in a situation with a forbidden love.

“Go to your betrothed, Evelina. You belong to him, not me.” Claude turned and quit the keep, heading for the stable to take a ride alone to clear his very confused mind.

“Evelina,”said Celestine, coming up to her side. “I saw Claude leave. Is anything wrong?”

“It is,” she told Claude’s mother. “I have done something very foolish. I am afraid I have hurt Claude deeply. I am a lady, but I didn’t tell him. I left France because I didn’t want to be betrothed to a man my father chose.”

“You need to talk to Claude.”

“I did. He doesn’t want to listen. He thinks I purposely betrayed him just to hurt him, but I didn’t. I love him. He asked me to marry him earlier, but now he wants nothing to do with me.”

“Claude asked you to marry him?” Celestine seemed surprised and pleased.

“I never even had a chance to give him my answer. Now it is too late. Oh, Lady Celestine, what am I going to do?”

“The first thing you need to do is to confront your father and your betrothed.”

“I’m frightened,” said Evelina.