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“What is wrong with the bread?” he asked.
“Naught, milord. ’Tis very good. I… am not hungry.”
He nodded, as though he understood perfectly the emotions roiling inside her. She swallowed again, wishing desperately that whatever he had to say, he would say it quickly and be done with it.
Tension lined his mouth. “My men and I leave for Clovebury shortly. You will stay here, until my return.”
As she’d expected, he ordered her to remain at the keep, likely under armed guard. Mayhap even in a dungeon cell. Even as his judgment settled in her mind, the sense of rightness burned within her again. She could not stay here, imprisoned within Branton Keep’s walls, while Dominic’s life was threatened.
For the love they’d once shared, for all that he meant to her, she must be brave enough to voice what was in her heart.
Drawing a fortifying breath, she looked up at de Lanceau. “I respect your decision, milord, and vow to abide by it… upon my return to the keep.”
His eyes flared. “Return—?”
“Aye, milord. You see, I must come with you.”
“God’s blood!”
Fear fluttered beneath her determination, like a butterfly trapped under ice. She didn’t intend to sound disloyal or insolent. She had to make him understand. “I know Clovebury’s streets,” she said quickly. “I know Crenardieu.”
De Lanceau’s lips tautened.
“Geoffrey—” The lady again placed a hand upon his arm.
He thrust up his palm, a clear refusal of his wife’s protests. “I will not be distracted by fear for Gisela’s safety. The situation could be extremely dangerous.”
“I am aware of the dangers,” Gisela said. “Yet, I cannot sit idle while Dominic may be suffering. I am to blame for what happened to him.”
“Mama.” Ewan snatched up his wooden sword lying on the table. “I want to come, too.”
“Nay, Button,” she said gently. “You must stay here, because”—I could not bear for aught to happen to you—“you are needed to help protect the castle.”
Doubt shadowed his eyes.
“’Tis an excellent plan,” Lady Elizabeth said with a smile. “You can patrol the battlements with the other guards.”
Ewan’s eyes grew huge. “Really?”
De Lanceau sighed. “Damsel!”
Gisela sensed her opportunity slipping away. Never must she lose her chance to save Dominic. She rose from the bench, then dropped to her knees on the rushes by de Lanceau’s boots, her drab gown pooling around her.
“Please. I beg you. Let me journey with you.”
“Gisela—”
“I love him.”
De Lanceau stood motionless. “What did you say?”
“I love him. Very much.” Her tone roughened with anguish. “I have not yet told him.”
De Lanceau was silent a moment. “By law, you are wed to another. But, you love Dominic?”
Another confession she must make, but she’d not let de Lanceau believe she had any loyalty to Ryle. “Aye, milord, I married because I had no other choice. However, I call no man husband now, and for good reason.”
“Indeed?”
