Lady Thief - By Rizzo Rosko Page 0,21

her bottom, knees up and spread apart beneath her gown.

She looked up, expecting to see Archer and intending to reprimand him for treating her so roughly. William’s upside down face glared at her from above.

He bore his teeth at her, his fists clenched and body shaking. “What is the meaning of this savage behavior?”

Marianne’s mouth fell open, horrified that she had been caught. Adam stood behind his master, a sheepish look on his face. She immediately knew that he had gone to fetch her husband to put an end to the brawl that would have occurred while she had been too angry to notice. Archer returned to cleaning out horseshoes without another word from anyone, ignoring everything around him, including Marianne.

“I…I…He insulted me!” She pointed her finger at Blaise’s hateful face, but her eyes did not leave William’s.

To her surprise, William turned, a single brow raised at his son, and the smile melted from Blaise’s lips. “Is that so? What did he say?”

Marianne’s face colored. She could not tell him such things, he would never understand her position, and to mention the comments would only spark more questions. Questions she would be unable to answer.

Her silence prompted his scowl to return. “Enough! You will tell me of this nonsense that has you behaving like an animal or I shall beat it out of you.”

“You cannot even discipline your own servants!” Marianne regretted saying it the moment the words left her lips. She did not wish to test him but her insides still burned from Blaise’s taunts, from today as well as all those months ago in his letters.

Taunts that were much more hurtful than simply, ‘old pest.’

William’s jaw tightened, and his face became the same color as her hair. Without another word he stormed to his son, grabbed a fistful of orange hair on the back of his head and forced Blaise to stand on his toes when his father yanked him upward, which essentially only made Blaise that much taller than William, though he did not retaliate.

“You cannot be taking her side!” Blaise yelled, his eyes comically wide as he stood on his toes with his hands behind his head, as though trying to keep William from pulling out the hairs he held.

Marianne could hardly believe her eyes, but she stamped down any happiness that threatened to rise. She would surely receive her punishment when Blaise was not around to gloat, so she held her tongue.

“I take no one’s side! Your behavior towards my wife is unacceptable and you’ll practice your swordsmanship until sundown for it!”

William released his son and shoved him away. Blaise stumbled but did not disgrace himself like Marianne did when she fell over. Robert went to assist his young lord, the smirk no longer present on his face. Blaise righted himself on his own and glared at his father, the taunting image of his former self a shadow compared to how he stood now.

“Why do you defend her? After what she did to you? She is an embarrassment. I can only be so glad to have prevented my own downfall in tying myself to her as you let her do to you!” Spittle flew from his mouth as he roared Marianne’s disgrace.

Marianne let out a tiny shriek, afraid Blaise would let out more than what William would want Adam or Robert to hear.

She had not known Blaise was made aware of her plot to force him into the marriage, only to capture his father instead. Her humiliation intensified.

Adam cocked his head curiously at Blaise’s angry speech, but Marianne waved her hands and shook her head at him. The topic was not to be discussed. Archer loyally ignored everything around him but his work.

Good man. He would get into William’s good graces soon if he kept it up.

Blaise stormed away and took a new horse, pulling himself into the saddle and riding off. William stood still with a fist clenched, like he wished to strike something. Marianne shrank into herself, hoping not to be noticed.

Instead of lashing out at her, he turned and snatched her wrist, yanking her up and dragging her along. She dreaded their coming confrontation. Even if he did not beat his servants, after her behavior towards him what was to stop him from harming her?

Then a different horror came to her. What if he demanded his marital rights tonight? He graciously allowed her the freedom of denying him the first time, but after the scene she caused what would stop him from