Page 70 of The Sword and the Damsel

“Yes.”

“You taste like my peach.”

“I like to eat dessert before dinner.” He handed her a comb from the dressing table.

She dragged it through her tangles with difficulty. “There,” she said, tucking in the last of her hair. “Do I look presentable?”

“You look delectable. I can’t wait to take it all off again.”

Without a word, she grabbed his hand and dragged him out the door.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

As Alais rodethrough the southern gate of Winchelsea, she was greeted by the familiar sights and sounds of Fish Street. Workmen bellowed. Sailors swore and gambled. Ships creaked against their moorings. The briny scent of fish guts and ocean breezes tickled her nose. She wanted to climb down from her horse and kiss the slimy, filthy cobblestones.

Home!There had been moments over the last few days when she’d feared she’d never see it again. But here she was, safe and sound, with her husband by her side. Nothing had changed. While her world turned upside down, Winchelsea had gone on without her as if nothing had happened.

They turned onto Castle Street, and the castle came into view. Tears prickled in the corners of her eyes, and she tried to blink them away. She glanced at Victor. He was watching her carefully.

“Are you all right, my love?” he asked in a low voice, just barely audible over the clatter of hooves.

She smiled reassuringly. “I’m fine. It’s good to be home.”

Together, they rode through the castle gates and relinquished Snow and Socorro to the grooms. Victor immediately came to her side, taking her hand and folding it into the crook of his arm. She leaned against him, enjoying the ripple of his muscles beneath her fingers.

“Did we look at each other like that when we were newly married?” Carenza asked Daniel behind her.

“You still do,” her mother chimed in with a chuckle. “I’m very glad to see my girls so happily settled.”

Alais tamped down a burst of irritation. Her mother had tried to force her to marry Robert, and now she pretended to care for her happiness? But then, shehadapologized.

Taking a deep breath, Alais reminded herself that her mother no longer had any meaningful power over her. She was a married woman and, as such, belonged to her husband’s family now.

Though Winchelsea hadn’t changed a whit, Alais was not the same. She knew her own strength in a new way, and she was bolstered by Victor’s love and adoration. Perhaps it didn’t matter anymore what her family thought of her.

With this new knowledge in mind, Alais said, “I’m glad you’re happy for us, Mother. We’re both very lucky that fate steered us away from the terrible marriages that might have been.”

“Let’s not speak of those horrible men.” Her mother crossed herself.

Carenza had nearly been forced to marry a murderer, and Robert wasn’t much better. But if her mother wanted to pretend she hadn’t had a hand in either of those disasters, Alais wasn’t going to bother to argue. Her own peace of mind would be better served by accepting her mother as she was, with all her flaws, and letting it go.

“Now I just need to find a good husband for Iselda,” her mother announced as they walked through the portcullis and into the entrance hall.

“God help Iselda,” Carenza whispered in Alais’s ear.

“We’ll help too,” Alais whispered back. “We can’t let Mother force her into a bad match.”

“Agreed.”

“What was that?” her mother asked, peering at them.

“Nothing,” Alais and Carenza said in unison.

Her mother’s eyes narrowed.

“My dear,” said her father, catching her mother’s arm and pulling her away, “we should let them rest and recover. There’s something I wanted to consult with you about.” He winked at his daughters as he led their mother off toward the solar.

Grateful for the reprieve, Alais leaned over to Victor. “Let’s head upstairs.”

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