He leaned his head so that it was resting on hers, a sweet and simple gesture that meant the world to him. “That is what’s so strange about this,” he said. “I do not want to leave you. I want to be with you every day for the rest of my life, so I want to determine the course of our future now. I will have to leave with The Marshal, but I will return for you as soon as I can.”
She chuckled; he could feel her. “You must still speak with my father, you know.”
“I know. And I will do that as soon as I can.”
“What will you say to him?”
“That I wish to marry his daughter and ask for his blessing. That’s to the point.”
She lifted her head, forcing him to lift his. She stared at him for a moment. “Then… then you simply do not wish to court me? I have seen couples court only to have them move on to others when they realize that are not compatible. I have not seen it often, but I have seen it. I thought… I thought mayhap you meant we should know each other first before…”
She trailed off and he frowned. “What did you think I meant when I said I would stop at nothing to make you mine?”
She grinned, nervously. “I… I suppose marriage, but I did not wish to presume anything.”
He grinned because she was. “Silly wench,” he growled. “Of course I meant marriage. Why do you think I have been trying to figure out our future?”
She eyed him. “You are not going to be like Bric and lock me up in a castle somewhere, are you?”
He laughed. “Not you,” he said. “You’d find a way to break out and then you’d come after me and throw bones at me.”
Christin laughed right along with him, finding something so wonderful and giddy about laughing with a man she was quickly coming to adore.
“I would never throw bones at you, I promise,” she said, sobering. “But it’s as I told you before – I like serving with The Marshal. I feel as if I am making a difference as few women can claim.”
He sobered also, reaching out to cup her face. “That is because you are young and beautiful, and he makes you do things that, as my wife, I would not permit you to do.” He watched her as she reconciled herself to that. “If you wish to continue in that capacity, however, all you need do is tell me. I would not want you to be unhappy. But I will not marry a woman who wishes to continue her duty of flirting with men.”
Now she looked wounded. “It is much more than that,” she said. “I may not do important work like participating in battles or commanding men, but my work is important, too.”
He immediately put his arms around her, his face finding delicious refuge in the side of her head. “I am sorry,” he whispered into her hair. “I did not mean to suggest you were not valuable. You are; you are very valuable. But you are more valuable to me than anyone else on this earth. You will have to decide if that is more important than serving The Marshal.”
Christin was all folded up in his massive arms, her chin on his shoulder. It was a moment that drained everything out of her until she was putty in his arms, for the man had an embrace like no other. She felt so very safe and adored, and it was something she never wanted to be without.
Certainly, serving The Marshal had been fulfilling. But being adored… even loved… by Alexander was more fulfilling than even that. For the first time in her life, she felt whole.
“There is no decision to make,” she said, her arms around him, caressing him. “My choice is you. It will always be you.”
“You are certain?”
She lifted her head to look at him, her features alive with all of the warmth and adoration she was feeling. “I’ve been waiting all of my life for you,” she whispered. “I simply did not know it until now.”
He pulled her close, looking into her eyes, seeing a life he never thought he’d have. Never did he imagine he’d fall for a woman, but Christin wasn’t just any woman.
She was the most remarkable woman he’d ever known.
“I told you that I could only offer you me, that I had nothing more to give you,” he said. “That is not entirely true. I have been thinking about my father… I will try to reconcile with him after all of these years. I am his heir, after all. You deserve your own home, Cissy. Mayhap… mayhap it is finally time to face my father. Every man must face his mistakes at some point, so mayhap it is my time to do that.”
She smiled. “Do not do it for me,” she said. “You must do this for you. But if I can be the catalyst to greater things for you, I am happy to be that.”
A smile spread over his lips as he bent over her and kissed her gently on the cheek. “You are wise, indeed,” he said. “I am looking forward to a lifetime of coming to know that wisdom. What a great privilege it will be.”
With that, his lips claimed hers and he kissed her sweetly but with passion that quickly overwhelmed him. He had to fight the urge to ravage her, so the kiss was passionate but not lengthy. They were not in a private place, after all, and he’d probably shown her too much affection already. As he released her from his embrace and picked up both of her hands, kissing each one gently, they both heard a voice from over near the yew tree.
“I believe this is a good time to ask what I have been witnessing.”
Christin gasped and stood up quickly, but Alexander didn’t move. He remained on the bench with Christin’s hands still in his grip as Christopher de Lohr moved from his position near the tree and began the slow, deliberate trek in their direction.
And he did not look pleased.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“You summoned me, your grace?”
Sean was standing in the doorway of John’s chamber, the master’s chamber that Old Daveigh and Lady de Winter had surrendered to the king upon his arrival. The chamber was spacious and comfortable, and afforded John a perfect view of the gatehouses that protected Norwich Castle. He could see the groups of nobles coming into the castle to attend his celebration.
So many groups, which John thought was rather impressive. He had no idea so many of them would have attended his feast. He wasn’t well liked in Norfolk and was pleased to see he’d been wrong. The castle was filling up quickly and he could see encampments being set up in the baileys below.
But it wasn’t today’s feast on his mind.
It was last night’s.
“Come in,” he said to Sean as he remained by the window, feeling the cool breeze caress his face. “It seems that everyone in Norfolk has decided to come today. Free food and drink will bring them in, you know.”
Sean entered the chamber, shutting the door behind him. “I believe they are coming to pay their respects to you, your grace.”
John snorted as he came away from the window. Dressed in a silken robe, he was nude beneath it and the robe wasn’t exactly covering him. He’d had a somewhat fit body in his youth that, in his advancing years, was starting to shift and he was getting a belly on him. It was his belly poking through the opening of his robe and being that he was well-endowed, his flaccid member could also be seen. Sean found himself looking the man in the eyes because he didn’t want to see anything else.
It was disturbing enough as it was.