Warrior's Ransom (The First Argentines #2) - Jeff Wheeler Page 0,38

did not turn back to face him.

“I should have been more up-front with you,” he said, taking a few steps closer. “The master of the rolls told me the same thing. He encouraged me to marry you as the king wished. Now the king has changed his mind again. He would prefer for me to marry the heiress of Bayree. But I tell you this, truly, there is but one woman whom I love. She has been my friend since we were children. I wait on her and no one else.”

Elodie turned her head slowly, a look of relief on her face. “Do you mean Lady Claire de Murrow?”

“She is the one,” Ransom said. “I gave Dearley permission to write to you, to let you know that I will not force you to marry anyone, let alone me. You are my ward, it is true, and I want you to be happy. In fact, I think Dearley cares for you.”

Elodie’s smile brightened the room. “Do you think so?”

“I’ll let you decide that for yourself. As far as my intentions are concerned, I should have been up-front. I don’t intend to marry any woman but Claire.”

“But what about the king? Won’t he be angry?”

Ransom sighed. “Perhaps. I can only hope I’ll earn his approval. In the end, Lady Claire is the one who chooses her fate. She cannot be forced to marry, as per the custom of her people.”

Elodie looked at him seriously. “I’ve heard Lady Claire serves Queen Emiloh now. I feel sorrow for both of them. That tower must be a lonely place.”

“It is,” he agreed. “Do you like staying at Josselin?”

“I do,” she said brightly. “It’s a beautiful castle. I will make it a place that you will want to bring Lady Claire to someday. I could look for some tapestries from Legault, perhaps?”

“That would be splendid. Thank you.”

Elodie smiled at him. “I’m grateful you shared what you did. I wasn’t opposed to the match. I didn’t expect you to be so . . . kind.”

Her praise embarrassed him, so he said nothing. She left, and he walked across the room to the other window, the one overlooking the castle gardens. A few moments later, he spotted Elodie and Dearley walking side by side down the gravel path, talking animatedly to each other.

The sight made him smile, but there was a heaviness in his heart as he imagined doing the same with Claire. Would it ever happen?

Within three days, Ransom reached Lord Ashel’s camp on the border between the Vexin and Bayree. The men had been provided for, and there were provisions to spare for Ransom’s men when they arrived. He walked with Dearley to Lord Ashel’s pavilion, which was soot-stained and dirty. The men had not been given any respite since the battle, and they looked tired and ill humored.

Lord Ashel was eating a bit of roasted chicken when Ransom entered, his fingers wet with grease. His gray-streaked beard had specks of food in it.

“Took you long enough to get here, Barton,” growled Lord Ashel after licking his dirty fingers and rising.

“We came as quickly as we could,” Ransom answered.

“Pardon my grousing, but I’d like to get back to my own duchy. Let me tell you where things stand.”

“I’m eager to hear it.”

“Good, although I’m not a man of many words. I delivered the news to her ladyship, Lady Alix, at Kerjean. The duchy had six hundred knights who fought with the duke in the battle, and they’ve lost over half. They are ill prepared to resist. The injured have returned and are being cared for at the manor. She hardly had time to speak to me, and I didn’t want to linger because the whole place stinks of blood. Enjoy your new duchy, Barton. You’re welcome to it.”

Although Ransom had assumed Lady Alix wouldn’t be happy to meet the man who’d slain her uncle, he hadn’t considered how the casualties of war might impact the duchy. He was coming as a conqueror.

“Thank you, Lord Ashel. I’ll see you again at Kingfountain, I’m sure.”

“Indeed. We’ll meet again when the king gets the urge to grab something else. Hopefully he’ll want to rest his old bones as I do. If I were you, I’d leave most of your men here in camp. Kerjean is full at the moment.”

“It is good advice. Thank you.”

Ashel started eating the chicken again. “Oh,” he said around a mouthful. “Duke Bennett came by on his way back to Auxaunce. He said he wanted