longer would she be called Nicola D’Argent now she was wed to Vitalis Boursier, a scholar of arms.
“I thank you,” Vitalis said, then between his teeth, “Your Majesty.”
There that shrug of the mouth, then William, the prince, and their guards departed.
Nicola tried to keep her feet firm to await her husband’s encouragement, but when his wrestling proved too great, she stepped toward him. And he turned aside as if he could not bear to look upon her.
As Dougray and Maël followed, lightly Guarin gripped her arm. “Look at me, Nicola.” When she tore her eyes from Vitalis’s back, he said, “Because he loves you, he cannot hate you. I have been very near where he now finds himself, and I know if you go slow and think through your words, sooner he will embrace this new life with you at his side. And years from now, if not months, he will be glad of this day.”
She sighed. “That I pray, and if you have not noticed, much control I exercise over this tongue—because I love him.”
“This I know. I just wish you more prepared for the night ahead.”
She frowned. “No matter what words leak from me, he will not be rough. You know that, do you not?”
“If I believed otherwise, you would not enter that chamber, Nicola. Lest you forget, longest I have known Vitalis, and though we began as enemies, it was only because we stood different sides.” He brushed a tress off her brow. “My greatest concern is words he may speak if provoked, and those which are spilled in anger can go as deep and take as long to heal as any blade.”
She laughed half-heartedly. “You are right to give warning, but let me further assure you I am not as loose of thoughts as I was before the Danes abducted Mercia and me.”
He smiled. “Even does it offend, I shall never cease being your brother.” Sliding an arm around her shoulders, he urged her forward.
“When you, Dougray, and Maël, were preparing my groom to speak vows,” she said, “what warnings did you give him?”
“That were we wrong in believing he cared enough for our Nicola to wed her under duress, we would not feel badly about beating sense into him.”
“Lord,” she breathed.
“And he was reminded that the allusion to your being with child that further tarnished your reputation and took the shine from his, was done to save him. Desperate, oui, and for that only William bore witness.”
“Vitalis’s response?”
“None visible to the eye, but he listened.”
“What else passed between you?”
“Only my assurance the D’Argents stood his side since we are certain no other man could make you happy nor keep you safe.”
Feeling near to tears for how much she was loved in this world she had not known was so ugly until she crossed to England, she said, “Still he only listened?”
“That is far more than speaking without listening, Nicola.”
She jumped in front of him and, as he sought to arrest his progress to avoid stepping on her, threw her arms around his neck. “How I love you! When the ages speak of the healing of these heinous years, you will be on their tongues—Baron Guarin Wulfrith, he with whom it all began.”
He chuckled. “You do love me much, but as well I know and you ought to, it all began with a woman.”
She smiled so wide her lips hurt. “If you have not spoken that to your beautiful wife who has given you two fine babes, I shall.”
“I have spoken something similar,” he said, then kissed her brow, took her hand, and led her to the door behind which her husband awaited her.
“Pray, cease, Nicola!”
Giving a squeak of surprise, she hastened from his backside with bloodied cloth in hand. “You speak to me!”
Only because she forced him to it. All this bustling about him where he perched on a stool wearing only chausses to allow her to clean away the stench and blood made him want to loose another battle cry.
“I need you to be still,” he said.
She opened her mouth, closed it, then dropped to her knees and sat back on her heels. “Is this still enough?”
“If ’tis as still as you can be, aye.”
Her eyes shifted left and right as if she checked all her limbs, then she said in his language, “Forgive me, but I am at war with myself.”
He did not want to be drawn into that war—certainly not now—but she had paused as if requesting permission to continue and bit