Beneath a Midnight Moon - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,46
no desire?
At length, Selene commented that she was weary and begged to be excused. Apologizing for her endless chatter, Sharilyn escorted Selene to the living quarters upstairs, summoning one of Hadj’s cousins to look after Selene’s needs, telling Selene to be at ease, assuring her that Castle Argone was her home now.
Hardane stared into the fire. Was it only this morning that he’d promised Kylene that she’d never return to the Sisterhood, that she would be his, that he would never let her go?
He heaved a sigh. The responsibility of his birthright weighed heavily on his shoulders. He was betrothed to Selene, had been pledged to take her to wife since the day of her birth. In spite of what he felt for Kylene, in spite of the promises he had made her—promises he’d had no right to make—he knew he would do what was expected of him. He would wed Selene so that their sons might bring peace to the war-weary lands of Argone and Mouldour.
Because he was an honorable man, he could not ask Kylene to be his concubine, though it would be within his right to do so when he took the throne.
Because he was an honorable man, because Kylene meant more to him than his own life, he would send her away from him. Better the pain of a clean break than the torment of seeing her each day and knowing she would never be his.
How could he send her away? How could he face the future, knowing he would never see her again?
Why did he have no bond with Selene, who was his rightful bride? Unless she was not meant to be his bride at all. But she was Carrick’s seventh daughter . . .
He closed his eyes, his head pounding.
“What troubles you, my son?”
Hardane met his father’s gaze. “Nothing. Everything. I do not wish to wed Selene.”
Lord Kray released a deep sigh. “Sometimes it isn’t easy to do what’s expected, what’s required. Sometimes one has to put the welfare of the many over the desires of one’s own heart.”
“It was a pledge made long ago,” Hardane muttered. “Who knows if the prophesy is true? Perhaps there will never be peace between Mouldour and Argone. Perhaps, if it’s meant to be, peace will be achieved no matter who I marry.”
“Perhaps.”
“I want Kylene for my wife. I’ve lived like a eunuch my whole life, Father. When I finally bed a woman, I wish it to be one of my own choosing, one who fires my blood.”
“That’s how the feud between our countries started in the first place,” Kray reminded his son.
“Then let it continue!” Too restless to remain seated any longer, Hardane stood up and paced the floor. “Who’s to be offended? Her parents are dead. Her sisters have allied themselves to foreign nobles.”
“What of my honor? I pledged my word that you would marry Lord Carrick’s seventh daughter. Whether you find her desirable or not, she is still your betrothed. Would you shame her?”
“Won’t having a husband who despises her bring her a greater, more lasting shame?”
Lord Kray shrugged. “Perhaps we should ask the lady in question.”
Hardane came to stand in front of his father. “And if she agrees to release me from my vow?”
“I shall discuss it with your mother and with Druidia.”
Hardane nodded. It wasn’t much to hang on to, but at the moment it was all he had.
Kylene spent the day in the safety of her room. Lying on her bed, she stared up at the ceiling. She had a sister. All this time, she’d had a twin sister she hadn’t known existed.
And that sister was betrothed to the man she loved.
It had been Selene the Interrogator was looking for. Selene who should have received Hardane’s tashada in her dreams. Selene who would be his wife, bear his children, share his throne, his joys, and his sorrows.
Tears burned her eyes and she let them fall freely, hoping they would ease the ache in her heart, knowing they would not. She loved Hardane of Argone with every fiber of her being, and she would never love again. She could not return to the Bourne Sisterhouse. It was unlikely that she would be able to return to the Sisterhood at Mouldour, but there were other empires, and other abbeys. She would ask to be sent to Bierly or Dunsmere. Both had large cloisters. Perhaps one of them could find a place for her.
But the thought of spending the rest of her life in selfless