Page 105 of His Betrothed
“We thought what better way to distract you from romantic woes than to give you noble purpose—and to make a man out ofyour brother by giving him the responsibility of a title to protect.”
She walked toward Alex, whose face had flushed in obvious anger.
“The ladies of the court did not recognize Sir Alexander’s masquerade. Your faces resemble one another, but the difference between you is obvious when one looks in the right place.”
She suddenly grabbed Alex’s backside, and he jumped away from her, breathingheavily and glaring at the laughing courtiers.
“A man’s body in dance always gives him away,” the queen continued smoothly, moving back to sit upon her throne.
Spencer stared helplessly at his brother, whohad been the viscount for a year and a half. Alex would now go back to being the second son, although Spencer’s claim as heir was only by minutes.
He saw at once how difficult such an adjustmentwould be—and the queen’s humiliation only made matters worse. “Alex,” he said, “how can I ever thank you for your help?”
Alex only nodded and stalked away without the queen’s permission, and Spencer realized with regret that their relationship had been damaged further.
When the queen turned her formidable gaze upon Roselyn, she knew that her time of reckoning was at hand.
“Lady Roselyn,” shesaid in a voice sure to carry throughout the privy chamber. “We understand that you fled from the marriage we had sanctioned, and pledged yourself to a less worthy man without our permission.”
Roselyn moistened her suddenly dry lips, but before she could speak, Spencer did.
“Your Majesty, Roselyn was but a young girl who followed her heart when my own behavior proved so abhorrent. The faultis mine, not hers.”
“Spencer, no,” Roselyn quickly said. “Your Majesty, I have indeed paid dearly for my mistakes, but I pray you will say that I have re-deemed myself in your eyes by my actions here today.”
“You wish much of us,” the queen said in a cool voice.
Spencer slid his hand into Roselyn’s, and she gripped it tightly.
“Your Majesty,” he said, “I come to you freely and beg for thiswoman as my wife. She means more to me than life itself, and if you do not give your permission—”
“Lord Thornton, do you threaten us?” the queen demanded. “Surely you do not dare to marry without our permission?”
“Your Majesty already granted it to us, two years ago. Will you not, in reward for my service, grant it again?”
Roselyn was aghast that Spencer would demand such a thing from the queen,all for her. Did he feel he owed her a debt, or could he actually be in love with her?
But the queen was frowning down at her. “Lady Roselyn, this man you pledged yourself to without our permission—he is dead?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Then since you did not carry out our wishes two years ago, we will see it done now. Let us retire to our chapel and conduct this wedding.” She rose to her feetand swept from the dais.
Roselyn stared in stunned dismay. This was happening so fast! She needed to be certain marriage was truly what Spencer wanted.
Spencer slid his arms about her, and she resisted the urge to surrender to the comfort of his embrace.
“You do not need to marry me,” she whispered. “I lied to you about the letter, when you would have been grateful for the peace of mind itcould give you.”
He caressed her cheek. “You merely protected yourself and our country. I thought of nothing but marrying you every moment I was in the Tower, Roselyn. God—and the queen—has granted me a second chance to make you my wife, and I will let nothing stop me.”
She slid her hands up his chest and cupped his face. “Tell me why, Spencer, after all we’ve done to one another, you stillwish to marry me.”
He kissed each of her hands. “Such an easy task you ask of me, my heart. It is because of love that I would wed you, the love that even now makes everything worth the price. Can you love a man who betrayed you in more ways than one?”
“Oh, Spencer,” she whispered, standing on tiptoes to kiss him. “How I love you.” She kissed each of his cheeks, then brought up his hands tokiss as well. “We were both young andfoolish, too blind to see what we could have. I only thank God that we saw the truth. Now I can finally be a part of your wonderful family.”
A darkness seemed to pass over his face. “Rose, I don’t know how I can ever ask my mother’s forgiveness.”
