Lady Thief - By Rizzo Rosko Page 0,45

heart, especially with his servants, and Marianne could not believe that he had gone away to simply not return with Hawisa and Molly.

She could not bring herself to share her thoughts with Clovis or Archer in case she was mistaken, but since she was forced to live in the same castle as her father, she told him of her suspicions while they breakfasted by themselves and away from the servants. Something that William rarely did despite the fireplace in their chamber.

Her father nearly spit out his ale with laughter.

“The man has more servants than he knows what to do with, why else would half of them be lazing about like they are?”

Marianne muttered and crossed her arms. Some servants still outright refused to do their jobs, but definitely not as much as half.

“He’s bringing them back,” She argued more to herself than to him. She already planned on having them help her convince the other maids to start pulling their weight. Hawisa had a scream that rivaled Marianne’s, and Molly’s nimble fingers made her very quick with her work. She could teach the sluggish women here a thing or two about working faster.

“And, did his lordship tell you of this?” Holton did not bother to look at her while lifting his goblet to his lips. When William left his castle her father had taken the liberty of making himself more than comfortable with his new lodgings, which included helping himself to as much wine as he wished.

The question, and his manner, prompted Marianne into a standing rage. “He is not a greedy toad like you! He will do it!”

And she had been correct.

Marianne clasped her hands together over her mouth and watched with barely suppressed joy as Archer kissed his wife and held his small son to his chest, Clovis doing the same while Hawisa wept openly in his arms, her feet not touching the earth beneath her since Clovis lifted her and appeared in no mood to put her down.

Pleasure and envy swirled through her blood, pleasure for their reunion and envy over how joyful and filled with love it was.

Molly melted in the presence of her husband, keen on touching his face and keeping their noses close together, the boy latched to his father’s neck, his feet did not yet reach Archer’s waist and between the three of them he had a much calmer disposition than his parents.

Marianne looked at William, he had a curious look similar to hers on his face. As if sensing her study of him, he turned and their eyes met briefly before he turned away.

He quickly sent an order to Robert to return the horses to their stalls but the man was already moving.

It could be the same for us. She thought, but then dismissed the idea as quickly as it had come to her. William felt lust for her and naught else.

The realization brought a sharp pain in her chest. Marianne became aware of the hard beating of her heart and the heat in her cheeks.

This beating was different from the other times when she was overly excited with anger, this beating represented something entirely different that she had never before experienced. And she shocked herself with the notion that she might know exactly what it was.

She covered the area above her heart with her palm, willing it to slow so that she might catch her breath, but looking at William again, who busied himself explaining to the men reunited with their families that he couldn’t bring anyone else from the former Holton House, only worsened her symptoms, and heat spread from her chest to the rest of her limbs at a delicious pace. Her knees threatened to crumble beneath her.

Good Lord, she loved her husband.

Even without ever experiencing the emotion in any way other than the sisterly love she felt for her brothers when they still lived, she knew what it was. There was naught else it could be.

Marianne nearly panicked and had to turn away from the beautiful reunion and tug at her red braid to force calm upon herself. She breathed deeply and closed her eyes.

Really, she thought, there are worse things.

Loving her husband was a luxury most married women could not pay for, or reach, her father and mother included, and at least if William did not love her back, he did show a physical interest in her, which was also more than what she could have hoped for.

The pain in her chest returned, though mixed in with