Lady Thief - By Rizzo Rosko Page 0,64
needin’ any help, milady?”
Marianne forced a smile to her trembling lips. “Nay, I merely came to enjoy the animals.”
He nodded and bowed, though before he turned away his eyes went to hers. There was concern on his face.
Marianne wiped her cheeks. Moisture touched her fingers.
She sighed. ‘Twould be obvious to any who saw her that she’d been weeping.
She took a breath and allowed herself to relax. The grooms returned to their duties quietly, occasionally they gazed at her, as if they assumed she was only there to search for flaws in their work.
She was not. The scent of horses, leather, and old grass soothed her. She went to the mare her father brought with him and debated on taking her for a ride. She should give her a name at the very least. None of those things would take her mind from her husband.
She made up her mind to brush the mare when William’s voice stopped her. She stiffened.
“Could you explain to me why I am not surprised with your presence here?”
Stiffly she turned and faced him. She distinguished the red mark on his cheek as her own handprint even from the distance. She looked away. “Despite what you are thinking, I came here to spend time with my horse.” As if to prove it she found the brush and began grooming her.
His voice rumbled. “Everyone out.”
There was a brief and curious hesitation among the men in the stables before they dropped their tools and did as their lord bid them. Marianne heard the footsteps and watched the shadows of each man disappear outside the stable. She flinched when the door closed behind them.
She was alone with her husband.
He came forth at a leisurely pace. The sound of his feet made her pause. Soon he stood on the other side of the mare. Though she detected no anger in him she grimaced when he spoke. “I shall help you.”
Her head flew up, he picked up another brush and worked on the mare’s other side. The act shocked Marianne into dropping her own brush.
She rushed to pick it up. “Are you not furious?”
“Aye, but knowing you, ‘twould likely not matter.”
She flinched, and her voice came out small as she thumbed the brush in her hand. “‘Twould matter.”
He stopped his actions to stare at her. “Does it now? Ye run so wild that it seems ye care very little if I am humiliated or not.”
“You said you loved my spirit.” A useless defense, yet it was all she had. The only thing he ever claimed to love about her, and she clung to it.
“Aye, but spirit and foolishness are not quite the same, are they? Your temper, in front of my guests, good friends or not, will need to be controlled from now on.”
She remained silent, knowing he was waiting for her to argue, but nothing came to her. She had no urge to go against him.
She nodded instead. “Aye.”
She looked up in time to see his brows had shot up. “You agree?”
She nodded again. “Aye.”
He swayed comically on his feet. She could not help the little smile on her lips. “Will wonders never cease? You agree with me?”
She looked him straight in his blue eyes. “I do, but you must forgive me this one time. ‘Tis difficult to be constantly accused of having affairs with the men in the household.”
“I never accused you of such a thing with Robert.”
Marianne grumbled. “You had no need to. I saw right through you.”
He said nothing at first, then nodded. “You are correct. I apologize.”
She waited. “And?”
The confusion in his eyes brought out her temper. She took a deep breath. Hadn’t she just agreed with him that her temper needed to be controlled?
“You accused me of having a lover’s tryst with Blaise.” She said, though despite her efforts her words came out in a hiss.
Understanding dawned. “Ah. Aye, yes, I remember that now.”
She waited for him to explain, but he continued to brush the pleased mare.
“Will you not tell me why you feel the constant need to insult your wife?”
He looked at her, sighed and lowered his brush. The mare turned to see what the trouble was but he walked around her nose towards Marianne and took her hand.
“I shall assume that ‘tis no secret you already suspect Blaise’s parentage.”
Her words to Blaise came back to haunt her. She flushed.
“And I do not believe for one moment that you are of William’s blood.”
More proof that she did indeed need to control herself.
William expression turned curious