Reckless (Age of Conquest #5) - Tamara Leigh Page 0,119

return to Wulfen Castle where much use could be made of him. And so it would come to pass, though Vitalis no longer dwelt in the shadows of ignorance regarding the timing of Richard’s confession.

Hopefully, he would not long be angered with the prince. And hopefully, Lady Nicola’s allusion to pregnancy was merely a means of gaining concessions from her king who she could not know would have given them one way or another in return for Vitalis’s capitulation.

Being baseborn was of considerable disadvantage, and for that and great affection for his wife, William had made no children on the wrong side of the sheets despite endless opportunities. However, there were advantages to illegitimacy, taunts and disrespect capable of strengthening one’s resolve were they a survivor. Though it had made him who he was, and very much he liked William the Great, were it possible for a misbegotten child to find strength of resolve elsewhere…

William returned to the past where he had spent much of his childhood moving place to place to stay ahead of his departed sire’s family and supposed friends who, deeming the duke’s baseborn son unworthy of Normandy, either sought to seize power by gaining control of the boy or slaying him.

He growled, and finding his eyes closed, opened them on a chamber that was not the one across the narrow sea where that boy had awakened to find his protector, Osbern, slain. This chamber was in England, and the only slain ones here would be those he chose to slay—as he had not chosen the rebel leader and would not providing Vitalis remained worthy of living. To ensure that, it seemed right the Saxon’s firstborn son be fostered away once it finished suckling at its mother’s breast, but better that told later than now.

William nodded, then to sooner ride out this restlessness that made him twitch, he lowered to his knees and offered up prayers that had long held God firm to his side.

Chapter Thirty

William was not here. But then, this was no joining of two nobles of great import. And Nicola could not have been more grateful as she lay face down alongside the man made her husband at the chapel door a half hour past.

She needed no more worry than that already piercing her, the greatest of it delivered by Vitalis whose only words to her were those first spoken by the nervous little priest and grudgingly repeated as warm brown eyes gone cold stared into hers.

He would forgive her, she was certain of it—or nearly so. But if never they returned to the place they had been before she and falsehood danced around Le Bâtard, she would not regret preventing Vitalis’s death, which she had been led to believe was a given. Her only regret would be if William revealed to others the possibility she was with child, causing her family further humiliation. Of course, it would be disproved when she did not birth a child ahead of its time.

She frowned, felt her brow bunch against the cool stone floor.

Or it could appear to be proved should Vitalis and she make a babe this night and, because of her husband’s height and breadth, their offspring had mercy on its mother’s relatively slight body by entering the world early. If Vitalis would even touch her…

Sinking her teeth into her lower lip, she turned her head slightly to look upon him where he lay in the shadow of the pall held over them by Guarin on one side and Dougray the other as the priest intoned the mass.

She could not see whether his eyes were open or closed, nor his expression with his thick red hair fallen forward, but when she crept a hand toward him and settled it against the side of his, he did not react in any way to indicate he found her touch offensive. Though she knew she should let that be enough, she slid her hand atop his. It flexed as if to pull away. Then as if overcoming distaste, he spread his fingers, hooked them over hers, and curled them into his palm.

All will be well, she told herself as she breathed out relief, one less thing to worry about.

Still, there were more immediate concerns. One was what he felt toward her brothers and cousin for allowing her to shred what remained of her reputation—and his. She did not know what had passed between Vitalis and her kin other than glowers while they prepared the groom for his marriage