Chapter 18 #2
Alexander remained a long moment in the dark, staring at the ceiling.
My love, Gwenllian had said.
My love. The two words wrapped around his heart…
My love.
“My lord, the deeds you requested.”
Alexander took the piece of paper the clerk was handing him and nodded his dismissal. He was eager to get this signed so that his brother could ride to Throckmorton before nightfall to claim his prestigious prize.
With luck, it would then be years until they met again.
Paper in hand, he walked over to where Hugh was sitting, nodding to himself as he read the deeds Christopher’s man had drawn the day before.
It was not long before Alexander lost patience.
What was there to think about? Everything was in order, all that was missing now was his signature.
It was already late afternoon. No doubt wanting to inconvenience him as much as possible, Hugh had not returned from town in the morning, as promised.
“Here.” He placed the piece of parchment in front of Hugh and handed him a quill already dipped in ink. “It’s all ready for you.”
“Yes, so I see…” A pause. “But before I sign this, I have one more condition.”
Of course, he did. Nothing was as simple as it seemed with Hugh. Alexander had known his blasted brother would not surrender easily, even when a satisfactory solution had been found. He would want to ascertain his domination one last time.
“Let’s hear it.”
What would it be? Would he have to agree to send his efficient steward to Throckmorton? Would they have to go through the accounts one last time so that Hugh could spot a supposed mistake?
“Your little Welsh guest. Lady G… Whatever.” Hugh crossed his arms over his chest and sat back into the chair. “She’s tickled my fancy, if you must know. Let me spend the night with her and—”
“Out of the question.”
“Wait. I haven’t finished. I think you’ll need to hear the rest.” A snort. “Because the only way I’m going to sign your paper is if you let me spend the night with her. Refuse me, and I will have you ride back to Throckmorton to give your lover his deeds back.”
The very air seemed to still inside the great hall. Alexander’s chest went hollow.
Bloody hell. It seemed that he and Christopher had overestimated the appeal of becoming master of Throckmorton.
Clearly, nothing, not even a mighty castle, would make Hugh forego the pleasure of besting him.
And, after all, why should it? Throckmorton might be grander, but Audley was more than enough to reassure Lady Elizabeth’s father and secure her hand.
It was all that mattered—that, and stamping his authority over his brother by taking his woman and forcing him to agree to the deed.
The idea of Gwenllian in Hugh’s arms was enough to make Alexander’s stomach roil. He planted himself in front of his eldest brother, who thought he could blackmail him into such a despicable bargain and said, enunciating each syllable clearly, “You will touch her over my dead body.”
“Take a moment to think about all you stand to win—or lose, as the case may be. Women come and go. Is this one really worth the risk?”
Yes. The answer flashed through Alexander’s mind without hesitation. She was more than worth it. And even if she had not been special to him, he would never use a woman so cynically, for his own benefit.
“It’s not a question of worth,” he said with as much calm as he could muster.
It was important that he didn’t show Hugh how much she meant to him.
It would only make him more determined. At the moment, he only wished to make a point.
But if he realized that Gwenllian was much more than a passing conquest, he might well pursue the matter until he had her, regardless of whether Alexander or Gwenllian herself agreed.
“You will fight me on this then?”
“I will. With a sword if need be. And make no mistake. If we end up locked in a fight together, I will kill you.”
There. It was clear enough. Brother or not, Audley or not, Hugh was not to place a hand on Gwenllian, on pain of death.
“Very well. Then I guess this is of no use to me.” Hugh threw the deeds to Throckmorton on the table with a sneer. “As for you, brother mine, you had better ask your squire to pack your things. Not that you have much, do you?”
Gwenllian retreated to the shadows, making sure that neither Alexander nor his vile brother could see her.
Too upset to feel guilty at her indiscretion, she mulled over the atrocious conversation she had just heard.
It seemed that, despite the deal they had struck the day before, Hugh still had the means—and the will—to take Audley Castle from Alexander.
Why was she not surprised at this underhandedness?
When he had voiced out his “condition,” she had almost burst into the room, crying out her outrage. How dare he use her like this? Then, Alexander’s response had stopped her in her tracks.
Out of the question. You will touch her over my dead body.
The possessiveness and aggression in his voice when he had refused to even entertain the possibility of her sharing his brother’s bed had sent goosebumps all the way to her heart.
He cared about her. If he did not, surely he would have at least taken the offer into consideration?
But he had not hesitated, and he was risking it all to protect her.