acquainted with me, they quickly lost interest.”
“Or were persuaded to lose interest?” Hugh asked dryly.
She turned a shade of pink. “Aye, well, I could not tolerate any of them for more than a few minutes. The thought of actually marrying one was enough to induce hysteria.”
“Hysteria? You do not appear the type of female who is prone to hysteria.”
Her eyes gleamed. “I assure you, I fell into the most severe fits in front of two of my suitors. There were no others after that.”
“You found the prospect of remaining in your uncle’s household preferable to marriage?”
Alice shrugged. “Until now it has been the lesser of two evils. So long as I am unwed, I have at least a chance of obtaining my own ends. Once married, I am lost.”
“Would marriage be so terrible?”
“Marriage to any of the louts my uncle chose would have been intolerable,” Alice said forcefully. “Not only because I would have been unhappy but because none of them would have had any patience with my brother. Men who are trained for war tend to be cruel and unkind to youths who cannot be trained in arms.”
“I take your point,” Hugh said gently. He realized that her concern for her brother underlaid most of her decisions.
Alice’s mouth tightened. “My father had no use for Benedict after my brother fell from his pony and injured his leg. He said Benedict could never be trained as a knight and was therefore quite useless. For the most part he ignored his son after that.”
“It is understandable that you do not want to expose Benedict to similar unkindnesses from another lord.”
“Aye. My brother suffered enough from being ignored by our father. I did what I could to make up for the poor treatment he received but it was not enough. How does one take the place of a father in a boy’s life?”
Hugh thought of Erasmus. “It is not easy, but it can be done.”
Alice gave herself a small shake, as though she were mentally casting aside unhappy memories. “Ah, well, ‘tis not your problem. I shall see to Benedict.”
“Very well. I shall speak to Sir Ralf at once.” Hugh turned to leave the study chamber.
He was vastly pleased with the results of the bargaining. True, he had only succeeded in coaxing Alice into a vow of betrothal, but a betrothal was near enough to awedding. Once he had her under the roof of Scarcliffe Keep he would worry about the details of the arrangements.
Alice raised an imperious hand to hold his attention. “One moment, Sir Hugh.”
He paused and turned back politely. “Aye?”
“I warned you that you must not arouse Sir Ralf’s suspicions and thereby induce him to demand a king’s ransom for my hand. We shall need to concoct a reasonable explanation to explain why you wish to wed me. After all, you have only just met me and I have no dowry to offer.”
“I’ll think of something.”
She gave him a quizzical look. “But what?”
Hugh stared at her for a moment. It occurred to him that in the morning light, her hair was a lovely hue. There was a straightforward, clear-eyed perception in her gaze that drew him. And the curve of her breasts beneath her blue gown was very enticing.
He took a step back toward her. His mouth was suddenly dry and he could feel a distinct tightening in his loins. “‘Tis obvious that, under the circumstances, there is only one reasonable explanation why I would ask for your hand.”
“And what is that, sir?”
“Passion.”
She stared at him as though he had just spoken in some strange, unknown tongue. “Passion?”
“Aye.” He took two more steps toward her, closing the gap between them.
Alice’s mouth opened and closed. “Nonsense. You will never convince my uncle that a legendary knight such as yourself would be so … so utterly witless as to get himself betrothed for such a trivial reason, my lord.”
He came to a halt and closed his hands around her delicate shoulders. He was astonished at how very pleasant it was to touch
“Or were persuaded to lose interest?” Hugh asked dryly.
She turned a shade of pink. “Aye, well, I could not tolerate any of them for more than a few minutes. The thought of actually marrying one was enough to induce hysteria.”
“Hysteria? You do not appear the type of female who is prone to hysteria.”
Her eyes gleamed. “I assure you, I fell into the most severe fits in front of two of my suitors. There were no others after that.”
“You found the prospect of remaining in your uncle’s household preferable to marriage?”
Alice shrugged. “Until now it has been the lesser of two evils. So long as I am unwed, I have at least a chance of obtaining my own ends. Once married, I am lost.”
“Would marriage be so terrible?”
“Marriage to any of the louts my uncle chose would have been intolerable,” Alice said forcefully. “Not only because I would have been unhappy but because none of them would have had any patience with my brother. Men who are trained for war tend to be cruel and unkind to youths who cannot be trained in arms.”
“I take your point,” Hugh said gently. He realized that her concern for her brother underlaid most of her decisions.
Alice’s mouth tightened. “My father had no use for Benedict after my brother fell from his pony and injured his leg. He said Benedict could never be trained as a knight and was therefore quite useless. For the most part he ignored his son after that.”
“It is understandable that you do not want to expose Benedict to similar unkindnesses from another lord.”
“Aye. My brother suffered enough from being ignored by our father. I did what I could to make up for the poor treatment he received but it was not enough. How does one take the place of a father in a boy’s life?”
Hugh thought of Erasmus. “It is not easy, but it can be done.”
Alice gave herself a small shake, as though she were mentally casting aside unhappy memories. “Ah, well, ‘tis not your problem. I shall see to Benedict.”
“Very well. I shall speak to Sir Ralf at once.” Hugh turned to leave the study chamber.
He was vastly pleased with the results of the bargaining. True, he had only succeeded in coaxing Alice into a vow of betrothal, but a betrothal was near enough to awedding. Once he had her under the roof of Scarcliffe Keep he would worry about the details of the arrangements.
Alice raised an imperious hand to hold his attention. “One moment, Sir Hugh.”
He paused and turned back politely. “Aye?”
“I warned you that you must not arouse Sir Ralf’s suspicions and thereby induce him to demand a king’s ransom for my hand. We shall need to concoct a reasonable explanation to explain why you wish to wed me. After all, you have only just met me and I have no dowry to offer.”
“I’ll think of something.”
She gave him a quizzical look. “But what?”
Hugh stared at her for a moment. It occurred to him that in the morning light, her hair was a lovely hue. There was a straightforward, clear-eyed perception in her gaze that drew him. And the curve of her breasts beneath her blue gown was very enticing.
He took a step back toward her. His mouth was suddenly dry and he could feel a distinct tightening in his loins. “‘Tis obvious that, under the circumstances, there is only one reasonable explanation why I would ask for your hand.”
“And what is that, sir?”
“Passion.”
She stared at him as though he had just spoken in some strange, unknown tongue. “Passion?”
“Aye.” He took two more steps toward her, closing the gap between them.
Alice’s mouth opened and closed. “Nonsense. You will never convince my uncle that a legendary knight such as yourself would be so … so utterly witless as to get himself betrothed for such a trivial reason, my lord.”
He came to a halt and closed his hands around her delicate shoulders. He was astonished at how very pleasant it was to touch
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