Page 6 of A Husband for Esyllt
At that precise moment Esyllt looked up at him. Her lips parted as if, even after so many glances in his direction she was still surprised by how appealing she found him. This unexpected desire they felt for each other would make for satisfying nights and compensate in some way for the trying days ahead. And if they were compatible in bed, as he was starting to suspect they might be, it would only help build a satisfactory relationship outside of it.
Perhaps this would not be such a disaster.
He moved out of her line of vision for a moment, wishing to see if she searched for him when she found him gone. It wasn’t long before he saw her crane her neck to see where he had disappeared to. He smiled to himself.
Yes. This marriage might not be so bad after all. He’d never thought to gain any sort of personal advantage through it. That had never been the point, but perhaps, against all odds, he would. He had chosen his first wife for practical reasons, and had not thought twice about doing the same a second time, despite a lacklustre marriage. Everyone knew that to marry for love was an unattainable dream, perhaps even unwise, as it could make you act the fool. But if his union to Esyllt could bring him more satisfaction than his union to Helen had, he was not going to complain.
He would take what he could by night, and be on his guard by day, at least until he knew whether he could trust his Welsh wifeor not. Then, once he knew where matters stood between them, he might relax.
Satisfied with what he had seen so far, he slipped away toward the kitchen, intent on learning more about the workings of Esgyrn Castle before going to bed. Tomorrow it would be too late, as he would be restored to his normal role as master of the place.
And married.
Damnation, where had the squire gone? He’d been here only a moment ago, now he was nowhere to be seen. Esyllt craned her neck, in vain, before resigning herself to the fact that he had left the banquet.
Without the devilishly handsome man to distract her, she had no choice but to focus her attention back on the conversation around her. Gruffydd was acting like the man in charge, which did not surprise her, but she let him do what he pleased. She noticed that Lord Sheridan didn’t contribute much to the conversation either. Or, at least, that he didn’t ask the interpreter to say more than a few words at a time, because, as could have been expected, her future husband could not speak a single word of Welsh. Even a simple greeting had been beyond him.
The fact that he relied on his English interpreter to translate his words to the lords grated. Could he not have trusted her to do that? He’d brought a man from Sheridan Manor, not knowing whether the two of them would be able to converse. It was a sensible decision, one she could not fault. However, now that he’d seen she was more than proficient in his language, surely he could have dispensed with the man?
This unwillingness to see her as a woman in her own right, merely a wife he was forced to marry, didn’t bode well for the future of their marriage. Attractive as he may be, her husband didn’t think her worthy of interest or capable of intelligence.
“You will be married tomorrow at dawn,” Gruffydd concluded, as if everyone had not already been aware of the fact.
Lord Sheridan nodded. Esyllt remained silent. What was there to say?
Besides, this marriage would never go ahead, not if she had anything to say about it, because meeting her betrothed had only strengthened her resolve to foil Gruffydd’s plans. It had not taken her long to see that she and the Englishman would never get along. If he was not prepared to see her as a reliable, trustworthy ally, then his breathtaking physique did not matter, and there was no point to this marriage. The plan that had started to hatch in her mind moments ago was slowly taking form, now that she was not distracted by the handsome squire’s smoldering gaze. Long before dawn, Lord Sheridan would consider her unfit to be his wife, and with luck, before the week was over, his retinue would be gone.
She would be free.
Her first action would be to call Siân back to Castell Esgyrn. When she’d been told about the arrival of the English, she had sent her daughter away to her mother, just in case her stepfather proved a violent man who would object to his wife having a child by her late husband and treat the little girl like a burden. It was one thing being used by Gruffydd, but she refused to let her young daughter pay the price.
Her immediate fears on that score were allayed. Lord Sheridan did not seem like a child abuser or indeed a wife beater, but she preferred not to have to worry about her daughter at this time.
“I shall retire now, if I may,” she said, heart thumping hard in her chest. The moment to put her daring plan to execution had come. Would she be brave enough to see it through? That was the question. “I need to look rested in the morning, my lord, if I am to please you.”
“My lady. No need to fret. You already look enchanting. Any man would be honored to call you his wife.”
Lord Sheridan took her hand and kissed it with exquisite gallantry. His brown eyes sparkled, daring her to protest at this treatment. Esyllt had no choice but to acknowledge the compliment. At least the man had exquisite manners and seemed determined to give the illusion that this marriage pleased him on a personal level. Was she not making a mistake? After all, if she rejected this suitor, Gruffydd would only find her another, one who was less attractive and did not even bother to pay her compliments.
No, she decided. She had to go through with her plan. The compliment was only for the benefit of the audience watching their every move. If he’d really valued her and wanted her to feel important, he would not have acted as if he didn’t know she could speak his language until now. That he thought her a pretty trinket could not compensate for the slight on her abilities. She could not be married to such a man.
“I thank you, my lord. I will see you on the morrow.”
On the way out of the great hall, she went to give the castle steward her instructions. As soon as the banquet was over, he and two guards were to find Lord Sheridan’s squire and bring him to her room, securely bound.
Then she would take over.
Chapter Two
“Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Esyllt stole a glance to the man at her side, so tall and determined, and almost laughed. Though in reality she’d been asked a question, not issued an order, she knew she did not have any choice. Unflinching green eyes met hers, confirming it. She was to say yes, without further delay. Behind Lord Sheridan, Gruffydd bared his teeth in menace, urging her on.
With the two men in league against her, she would never be allowed to get away with a refusal now.
“I do,” she whispered.
The Englishman had already given his agreement, and so the deed was done. Only one thing remained to make this union indissoluble. Consummation. Her heart skipped a beat. No one knew that it had already taken place late last night, after a fashion. They were married, as surely as if they had both wanted it.
