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Authors: Linda Lael Miller
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is good.”
“Milady,” Dane replied, by way of greeting, and would have bowed if she had not gripped his shoulders and prevented him. She searched his face and saw the tears he would not permit to come to his eyes.
“My Dane,” she said, with affection, “you grieve for me, but you shouldn’t. I am the happiest of women.” Elaina turned briefly to Edward, who stood beside the abbess and the open gate, looking as though he would bolt. “Go, Edward,” she said. “Youare uncomfortable here.” It was not a complaint, this last, but a simple statement.
The boy left the courtyard willingly, and the abbess followed, closing the metal gate behind her.
Dane embraced his sister-in-law and planted a brotherly kiss on her forehead. Her hair and clothing smelled pleasantly, as Gloriana’s did, of summer herbs and fresh air and oil smoke. “Why do you stay in this place?” he asked. “You are no more mad than any of the rest of us.”
Elaina turned away at this and hugged herself, as if struck by a chill. “This is my lot, and I am content with it, for the most part.” She lowered her lovely head briefly, bowed by some secret grief, and then rallied, turning to face him again with shining eyes. “How did you find my husband? Is he hearty?”
“Gareth is well. He misses you, as do we all.”
“Yes,” Elaina answered thoughtfully. “I suppose he does, though he has his Irish mistress, you know—the lady Annabel.”
Dane opened his mouth, but before he could utter some foolish platitude, Elaina came to him and silenced him with the light touch of her fingertips.
“Hush,” she said. “Do not court damnation by speaking lies. I cannot begrudge Gareth his poor comforts—he was always kind to me, though I have been no sort of wife to him. Do you think she will ever bear him a child?”
“I cannot predict the future,” he answered gently, “but I think not. Such women profit by their barrenness, and surely know how to maintain the advantage.”
“It makes me sad to think that Gareth may never have children,” Elaina confessed, and again she seemed to hear some silent piper, some tune just beyondthe ken of Dane’s ears. “He would make a fine father.”
Dane nodded. “Gareth has been a good brother to Edward and me, as near a thing to a father as we’ve had.”
Elaina returned to the bench where she had been sitting when Dane first entered the little courtyard with Edward and Sister Margaret. She folded her hands in her lap and looked as pure and peaceful, sitting there, as an angel indulging in a daydream. “I had despaired of you, Dane,” she said, just when he thought she’d forgotten his presence entirely. “I wondered if you would ever return and be a husband to your lovely Gloriana.”
“You know her, then.” It was all Dane could say in that moment.
“Of course I know her,” Elaina scolded, laughing, and she was herself again, her old self, when she met his eyes. “Gloriana has lived in or near Hadleigh Castle since she was twelve, after all. How old was she when she became your bride, Dane?”
“Seven,” Dane admitted. “It’s barbaric, this marrying of children to children. I will not countenance such a thing when I have sons and daughters of my own.”
Elaina arched an eyebrow and smiled. “Beware of rash vows, Kenbrook,” she warned, in a teasing tone. “Fate is tempted by words like ’never’ and ’always’ and invariably seeks to make a mockery of whoever uses them. Anyway, in this case the match was a good one, made in higher kingdoms than our own.”
Dane sat beside her, uttering a heavy sigh as he did so. “I believe I love another woman,” he said. Even that morning, before prayers, he would have said he loved Mariette without qualification, but now hewasn’t so sure. He had been seared, however much he wished it weren’t so, by Gloriana’s peculiar fire. He had never expected such beauty, such spirit, such exquisite nobility.
“Goose,” Elaina said.
“Milady,” Dane replied, by way of greeting, and would have bowed if she had not gripped his shoulders and prevented him. She searched his face and saw the tears he would not permit to come to his eyes.
“My Dane,” she said, with affection, “you grieve for me, but you shouldn’t. I am the happiest of women.” Elaina turned briefly to Edward, who stood beside the abbess and the open gate, looking as though he would bolt. “Go, Edward,” she said. “Youare uncomfortable here.” It was not a complaint, this last, but a simple statement.
The boy left the courtyard willingly, and the abbess followed, closing the metal gate behind her.
Dane embraced his sister-in-law and planted a brotherly kiss on her forehead. Her hair and clothing smelled pleasantly, as Gloriana’s did, of summer herbs and fresh air and oil smoke. “Why do you stay in this place?” he asked. “You are no more mad than any of the rest of us.”
Elaina turned away at this and hugged herself, as if struck by a chill. “This is my lot, and I am content with it, for the most part.” She lowered her lovely head briefly, bowed by some secret grief, and then rallied, turning to face him again with shining eyes. “How did you find my husband? Is he hearty?”
“Gareth is well. He misses you, as do we all.”
“Yes,” Elaina answered thoughtfully. “I suppose he does, though he has his Irish mistress, you know—the lady Annabel.”
Dane opened his mouth, but before he could utter some foolish platitude, Elaina came to him and silenced him with the light touch of her fingertips.
“Hush,” she said. “Do not court damnation by speaking lies. I cannot begrudge Gareth his poor comforts—he was always kind to me, though I have been no sort of wife to him. Do you think she will ever bear him a child?”
“I cannot predict the future,” he answered gently, “but I think not. Such women profit by their barrenness, and surely know how to maintain the advantage.”
“It makes me sad to think that Gareth may never have children,” Elaina confessed, and again she seemed to hear some silent piper, some tune just beyondthe ken of Dane’s ears. “He would make a fine father.”
Dane nodded. “Gareth has been a good brother to Edward and me, as near a thing to a father as we’ve had.”
Elaina returned to the bench where she had been sitting when Dane first entered the little courtyard with Edward and Sister Margaret. She folded her hands in her lap and looked as pure and peaceful, sitting there, as an angel indulging in a daydream. “I had despaired of you, Dane,” she said, just when he thought she’d forgotten his presence entirely. “I wondered if you would ever return and be a husband to your lovely Gloriana.”
“You know her, then.” It was all Dane could say in that moment.
“Of course I know her,” Elaina scolded, laughing, and she was herself again, her old self, when she met his eyes. “Gloriana has lived in or near Hadleigh Castle since she was twelve, after all. How old was she when she became your bride, Dane?”
“Seven,” Dane admitted. “It’s barbaric, this marrying of children to children. I will not countenance such a thing when I have sons and daughters of my own.”
Elaina arched an eyebrow and smiled. “Beware of rash vows, Kenbrook,” she warned, in a teasing tone. “Fate is tempted by words like ’never’ and ’always’ and invariably seeks to make a mockery of whoever uses them. Anyway, in this case the match was a good one, made in higher kingdoms than our own.”
Dane sat beside her, uttering a heavy sigh as he did so. “I believe I love another woman,” he said. Even that morning, before prayers, he would have said he loved Mariette without qualification, but now hewasn’t so sure. He had been seared, however much he wished it weren’t so, by Gloriana’s peculiar fire. He had never expected such beauty, such spirit, such exquisite nobility.
“Goose,” Elaina said.
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