Chapter Twenty #3
Alexander knew he wasn’t serious. Well, not too serious.
But there was anguish in his expression.
“If I thought you meant it, I would do it without hesitation,” he said.
Then he put his hand on Curtis’ shoulder.
“I’ll leave you to tend your wife, and I must tend mine.
I’m not entirely sure she is not going to go after Munstone’s wife, regardless of what you say, so I will need to talk her out of it.
And I will probably need to calm your father down. ”
Curtis nodded quickly. “Go,” he said. “And Sherry… thank you.”
Alexander gave him a brief smile before going to collect his wife, who was secretly planning how to end Lady Munstone’s life and make it look like an accident.
As Alexander put an arm around her and escorted her from the chamber, Curtis stood over Elle and watched her with great concern.
His heart was breaking for her in so many ways.
He only hoped he could repair the damage that had been done this night.
In truth, he wasn’t entirely certain he could.
What a mess.
“May I have some water?”
Elle asked the question so pathetically that Curtis immediately went to the pitcher they had in the chamber, the one that had boiled water and fruit juice.
Elle wasn’t hugely fond of wine, and her pregnancy was making her gag with ale, so the watered fruit juice was the only thing she could really drink.
He poured her a cup and quickly took it over to her just as she was sitting up.
He helped her to drink it, all the while watching her anxiously.
“Can I get you anything else?” he asked. “Bread, mayhap?
She lay back down, closing her eyes. “Nay,” she said softly. “I just want to sleep.”
“Of course, my love,” he said, pulling the coverlet over her and tucking it around her.
Then he sat there and watched her, his heart absolutely breaking.
“I’m so very sorry for this. If I had to guess, I would be willing to bet my life on the fact that Larue started those unsavory rumors. I’m so deeply sorry.”
Elle didn’t open her eyes as she rolled onto her side. “You know her.”
“I do.”
“She wanted to marry you.”
He nodded regretfully. “She did,” he said. “I should have told you.”
“Did you know she was going to be here tonight?”
“Nay,” he said. “I did not know she’d married Munstone until my father told me this evening.”
“Yet you did not tell me,” she said. “Just like you did not tell me about Gruffydd. What else have you not told me, Curtis?”
Suddenly, he could see trouble. There was a trust issue now, and the realization cut him to the bone.
“Nothing, I swear it,” he said. “I did not tell you about Gruffydd because I needed you to find some peace with him for the sake of our alliance and for no other reason. If you knew he was coming, I feared it would have clouded your entire evening, and I wanted you to look forward to it. As for Larue, it simply did not occur to me. Had she behaved herself, there would have been no issue, but given what I know about her, I should have anticipated trouble. That is my failing, and I apologize for it.”
Elle didn’t answer right away. He thought she had fallen asleep, and he’d stood up to bolt the door and prepare for bed when she spoke softly.
“Now, that entire group knows our most private secrets,” she muttered.
“They know my private secrets. They know I was not a virgin when you married me. They know I am a widow who fought alongside Welsh rebels. But they will never fully believe you when you told them I was not a whore. They will always think terribly of me.”
He looked at her. “That’s not true.”
“It is.”
“Then what do you want me to do?” he asked in a tone bordering on pleading. “Do you want me to go back to the hall and speak to each one of them? I will if you want me to.”
Her eyes suddenly opened, and she sat up in bed.
“And tell them more intimate details of me?” she said.
“Of course not. The less they know about me, the better. Your family has been warm and wonderful, Curtis, but your allies are exactly as I imagined the English to be. Petty, nasty, and vile. Do not give them any more information on me. I do not care what they think. But you should have told me about Gruffydd, and you should have told me about Larue. It makes me wonder what else you’ve withheld from me in spite of your denials. ”
He went to stand in front of her. “I do not lie,” he said, his voice low. “I will swear to you that there is nothing else I’ve not told you. If you do not believe that, then we do indeed have a problem.”
She eyed him before lying back down and closing her eyes.
“Please leave me alone,” she said. “I want to sleep, and I want to do it alone. Go back to your family, Curtis. They’ve come a long way to see you, so you must not ruin their evening.
But I will not go back into the hall as long as your allies are there. ”
“I do not blame you,” he said. “But know this—I love you, Ellie. With all that I am, I love you. If I could have prevented what happened tonight, had I known it was coming, then I would have stopped it. I will defend you to the death. I hope you know that.”
The tears began to trickle out of her eyes again.
“I know you love me,” she whispered. “I love you also. But love didn’t stop the hurt and humiliation.
It didn’t stop you from withholding information from me.
I had a right to know what I was facing tonight, and you took that away from me.
You left me vulnerable and then tried to protect me after the fact.
All I know is that I would have never done such a thing to you. ”
Curtis felt as if he’d been hit in the gut.
He felt desperation as he’d never felt in his life.
She was hurt and she was withdrawing, and the last thing he wanted was for her to return to the woman she was when he met her…
guarded and suspicious. Had something been damaged tonight that could not be repaired?
It made him sick to think about it.
A soft knock at the door caught his attention, and he went to open it. He pulled back the panel to reveal Melusine, who was looking at him anxiously.
“I came to see if I could help,” she said softly. “Is Ellie well?”
Curtis looked over to the bed where Elle was huddled up. “I do not know,” he said honestly. “But I think she would rather not have me here right now, so do come in. At least someone will be with her if she needs something.”
Puzzled, Melusine came in while Curtis went out. As he headed down the stairs, she closed the door and threw the bolt, moving toward the bed with hesitation. She peered at her cousin with great concern.
“Elle?” she said timidly. “What did he mean by that?”
Elle’s response was to burst into gut-busting sobs.