“It was the best I could do for you, my lady.” His voice and eyes contained an apology.
I understood then what he’d left unsaid, that if my father still refused to pay the ransom money and remained unwilling to subject himself to Lord Pitt and thereby the king, then I would be obligated to marry the knight underneath my rank and quite possibly live in poverty and obscurity. Such a sentence was indeed serious punishment for a noblewoman like myself, especially after I’d already envisioned myself living at court as an attendant to the queen.
I straightened and lifted my shoulders in an attempt to be brave. At least I would be alive and would have more time to figure a way out of my predicament. “Again, I thank you for using your influence to save me. You were more than generous to avail yourself of my plight.”
“You wouldn’t be in this plight if I hadn’t taken you from your home.”
“I cannot fault you for what your master ordered you to do.”
Our gazes connected in a moment of understanding. In some ways, we were both pawns in a game much larger than ourselves.
“The betrothal ceremony is to take place at once,” he said. “Afterward Lord Pitt will allow me to move you to the tower. It won’t be as comfortable as your previous guest chamber, but it’ll be much better than the dungeons.”
“I shall not complain.”
“Then we need to be on our way and finalize the betrothal before Lady Glynnis persuades Lord Pitt to change his mind.”
“Very well, sir. I shall make haste.”
“The ceremony will be in the chapel,” Aldric said to Sir Darien. “Have the ladies there at the next ring of the bells.”
Sir Darien nodded.
Aldric spun and began to stalk away. As I watched him, I realized I’d neglected to ask about the knight chosen for my betrothal, likely the lowliest and poorest among the ranks. Was it someone I already knew? Hopefully one of Aldric’s loyal men. At least they’d been kind to me.
“Who am I to pledge myself to?”
Aldric’s footsteps faltered only slightly. Without turning, he spoke over his shoulder. “Me.”
The one word rendered me speechless, and I could only watch as he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.
A distant bell rang the call to Vespers as Sir Darien stopped in front of the open chapel door.
Izzy fidgeted with the caul of gold thread that encased my hair like a net. A jeweled coronet held the silk cap in place. Studded with emeralds and pearls, the workmanship was stunning and matched the dark evergreen gown I wore. The gown was lush and trimmed with tiny seed pearls sewn into elaborate embroidered leaves. It was the most beautiful gown I’d ever worn. One of the servants had disclosed that Aldric had handpicked it for the betrothal ceremony.
In preparing for the occasion, he’d given me every luxury I could want—hot bath water, scented oils, perfumed soaps, along with a half a dozen servants to assist my every move. Although I would have relished the chance to soak in the bath until the water cooled, the servants rushed me along so that now I was perfectly cleaned and groomed.
With every passing moment, my guilt had swelled until now it pressed hard in my chest. Aldric had made his wishes known to me on more than one occasion. He had no interest in taking another wife. In fact, he’d been quite adamant that he planned to remain single.
I had the feeling he hadn’t changed his mind, that he had no wish to bind himself to me any more than I did to him. But somehow in attempting to save my life, Lord Pitt had cajoled him into this new plan to lure my father into submission. Aldric wouldn’t have agreed to the arrangement if he’d had another option.
He was even nobler than I’d realized. Not many men would sacrifice their own desires and plans to save a lady like me from death.
“Are you ready, my lady?” Sir Darien paused in the chapel doorway.
“No, but I have no other choice, do I?”
My guilt pulsed against my rib cage. How could I make Aldric go through with a betrothal? Even though the contract wouldn’t be as binding as marriage, it was still a serious move. If I had any hope of getting out of it, Father would have to pay Aldric for a release.
I’d have to start praying Father would be willing to hand over the required amount so Aldric could be free again. In the meantime, I had to go through with the ceremony or face death.
Sir Darien stepped aside to allow me entrance to the chapel. The hum of voices ceased and silence descended. At the front of the small chapel, the priest stood speaking with Aldric and Lord Pitt. Several other of Aldric’s closest knights stood a short distance away.
Lady Glynnis sat stiffly on the front padded bench with one of her ladies by her side. While all other heads turned in my direction, she kept her focus unswervingly on the ornate iron cross that hung on the wall behind the altar. I couldn’t see her expression, but the stiff hold of her shoulders told me she resented being present and had no wish to act as a witness to the betrothal.
If only she knew how well I understood her resentment. I didn’t want to go through with the betrothal any more than she wanted me to.
As I started down the aisle toward the front, I avoided making eye contact with any of the men, including Aldric. I wasn’t sure I would be able to state the betrothal vows if I witnessed the pain it was causing him.
When I reached the front, I took my place next to Aldric. I noticed he, too, had taken the time to bathe and groom. Gone was the dust of travel. He’d donned a fancy tunic hemmed with a golden braid. His hair was freshly washed, neatly slicked back into submission, and tied in place. He’d even taken the time to shave so that his face, though still ruggedly handsome, was less foreboding.
He didn’t say anything as he offered me the crook of his elbow.
I took it, leaning in as I did so. “I am sorry.”
He gave the barest of nods to acknowledge my apology. His jaw was granite, his brows furrowed, and his lips pursed tightly. His attention was upon the priest and didn’t swerve.
I had the overwhelming urge to turn around and run from the chapel. But the thought of hanging from a noose and leaving Izzy alone in this world held me in place. I looked at the priest so he’d know I was ready to begin—at least as ready as I could be given the circumstances. With Izzy at my left and Lord Pitt next to Aldric, we had more than enough witnesses. There was nothing stopping us from the betrothal, except that neither of us wanted it.
I vowed silently that I would eventually find a way to release Aldric from his commitment to me even if I had to pay the price myself.
The ceremony was over within minutes, nothing more than simple vows of intent from each of us. When Aldric reached for my hand and touched a ring to my finger, I couldn’t mask my surprise. I wanted to tell him he needn’t give me anything, that I would find a way to end our betrothal as soon as possible. But as he gently slid the ring down the length of my finger, I shivered with a strange anticipation.
The thick silver band contained a cross at its center and was engraved with a fancy swirl of jewels. It was as lovely as everything else he’d given me today. Was the ring special to him or merely one of the many treasures he’d claimed during his battles against rebel lords?
“Now that you’ve pledged your troth,” Lord Pitt said, clamping Aldric on the shoulder, “you must seal your vows with a kiss.”
“We most certainly will not,” I started indignantly. But at the rapid warning look Aldric slanted at me, I let my protest die. I guessed, even without him having to explain, that Lord Pitt would take perverse delight in making me do something I had no wish to do, that the only way to stop him from making matters worse was to give him what he wanted.
Yet, I had no desire to kiss Aldric. He might be handsome and chivalrous, but if we had any chance of severing our oaths at some point in the future, we would fare better if we didn’t entangle ourselves deeper into the betrothal.