Lady Thief - By Rizzo Rosko Page 0,61
him by searching through the private affairs of his past.
Before she took her first step towards the courtyard the sight of two unfamiliar horses galloping in her direction stopped her.
She thought it might be Bryce and William, but no, neither rider was so big as Bryce, and the other horseman not as beautiful as her husband.
They slowed to a stop before her and Olma. James inched forward to make his presence known, and the two dismounted. Both men were of similar size and dress, though Marianne could never mistake them for brothers.
Their familiar faces suggested she had met them before. The lighter haired of the two sported a short cropped beard that had been well trimmed and curious green eyes that seemed to seek out all knowledge as he studied his surroundings.
The darker haired man stood straight with a wild air about him and a pair of equally dark eyes that flattered Marianne as they studied her.
They certainly did not come across to her as forgettable men. She must have met them briefly during the wedding celebration but then put them out of her mind when the horrible night finally ended and she was able to rest.
The men eyed her once and both grinned brightly as they recognized her. The man with the finer hair bowed respectfully while the dark haired man went to one knee, took her hand into both of his and, after some caressing placed a dramatic kiss on the skin. Marianne took her hand back, her entire body burning with attention.
“Milady Gray, forgive my sudden interruption of your walk. We were called by your husband, I am sir Nicholas Godwyn.”
“And I am sir Hugh Steele.”
The name sparked another memory. She curtsied when her hand was released. Forcing her blushing body under control, Marianne straightened and welcomed her guests. “Sir Nicholas, sir Hugh, my husband spoke of both of you. Had I known you were coming I would have had your rooms prepared. Or must you take leave at once?”
Nicholas laughed, but before he could reply either way William and Bryce ran to join them.
Bryce embraced Nicholas like an older brother would his much younger brother, by lifting him into the air for a tight bear hug with much back slapping.
When released Nicholas and William clasped hands like old friends. Hugh would not allow himself to be greeted like Nicholas and took Bryce’s much larger hand for a shake.
“Nicholas, Hugh, may I reintroduce my wife.”
Marianne curtsied again. William’s formerly joyous appearance melted from his face as he looked at her.
“My dear, why are you here?”
She detected the warning in his voice, and the way Bryce looked at him with a strange mixture of sympathy and caution. Marianne knew neither what to say nor where the warning came from.
Her body stiffened. He must suspect her prying.
“Only enjoying a walk, ‘tis a beautiful day and we have so few left before the first snow.”
He eyed her, as though judging whether or not her words were truthful.
Even though the chill in the air made it impossible, a bead of sweat rolled down her neck as she waited for him to make his decision.
Then, realizing that Hugh and Nicholas were seeing to their own horses, he seemed to forget about her. “Do not see to your horses, let the grooms handle them. Where is Robert?”
Though men did rush out, flustered, Nicholas and Hugh still escorted their animals inside to see to their care.
Marianne watched them go. “I am not sure where he is hiding, he is not to be found by anyone.”
Marianne turned away from the stables to look at her husband and found him staring at her with a strange sort of accusation in his eyes. She knew not from whence it came. Of the answers to the two questions he asked, the latter had been spoken truthfully and with ease, yet his jaw clenched.
Bryce continued to give William that peculiar stare until he placed his hand on William’s shoulder, which prompted him to cease his hurtful glaring at her.
Nicholas and Hugh returned from the stables, both laughing over some story Nicholas was telling until they came close enough to sense the thickness in the air between Marianne and her husband.
No movement commenced from any of William’s guests while he stared down at Marianne.
Suffocating under the intense heat of his stare, Marianne could no longer stand there and suffer in silence. Surely he must know what she had been doing, and now she would be fortunate if he waited until