Page 34 of Saxon Blade Norman Blood
“Like a prisoner,” she finished in a small voice.
William could not help a snort at this answer. “If you do, you have only yourself to blame. I did not ask you to try and kill me. Besides, the conditions of your incarceration are considerably less restrictive than a real prisoner would expect. You are free to go wherever you want, are you not?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. She had proven that by going alone to the forest. “Might I suggest, however, that you take someone along with you when you feel the urge to go wading in the river?”
“Is this supposed to make me feel less like a prisoner?” she challenged, displaying her usual brazenness.
But this time he did not smile. He wanted to impress the point upon her. She ought to be more cautious. “I’m worried about your safety.”
She blinked. “You are worried about the safety of the woman you found in your bed with a dagger?”
“Yes, I am. And so should you be. Just because I do not want you to kill me doesn’t mean I want you raped.”
The girl paled, as if the possibility had not occurred to her before. He was not so naïve. Without a doubt, the men would have assaulted her had he not been there when they found her.
“You are so protective of women… Why are you not married yet?” she asked, resuming her walk. The purpose of the question could have been to shift the focus away from her, but she sounded genuinely curious.
“How do you know I’m not married?” For all she knew, he had a wife waiting for him in Normandy. He was after all, well past the age of matrimony.
“Doyou have a wife?”
He let her question hang for a moment. “No.”
“Then we are back to my original question.”
Her perseverance wrenched a snort from him. “I am not married because I do not trust the women who approach me. They all seem to have an ulterior motive.”
“So you send them on their way?”
“Absolutely, I do. Eventually.” He looked her straight in the eye and had the satisfaction of seeing her blush. “I don’t want to marry them, but there are many things we can do before I send them on their way.”
“What type of ulterior motive do they have?” Though she tried not to betray any confusion, her cheeks had gone a delicious pink color.
“At best, they want to make the most of my position. At worst, they want to use me for a purpose. I told you about the comtesse. I’m sure after having heard that story you will understand my wariness.”
Wariness. Yes. Since this misadventure he had been careful not to let himself be influenced by his urges. He was careful to choose women without husbands as his lovers, and he never let his emotions become too involved. The only exception to that rule had been Cwenhild. Keeping his feelings under control had never been an issue, but she was undoubtedly married. He had allowed himself to be seduced one night, when after a somewhat lively dinner, she had slipped her hand underthe table and proceeded to show him just how far she was prepared to go to have him in her bed.
At least he had put an end to that folly now. It had been high time, for he could not afford a repeat of Lady du Vallon’s story. Besides, Cwenhild’s charms had not long outlived the frisson of transgression he had felt at first.
“I resolved to marry only someone I could trust and without whom life would seem impossible. So far, I haven’t met anyone who fits the description.”
He winced. What had made him justify his decision not to marry to this girl? He did not owe her any explanation, but to his surprise, he wanted to give her an honest answer.
“Not all women are devious and manipulative. The women who approached you might have done so because they were attracted to you as a man,” she observed.
A smile tugged at his lips. She was effectively saying she thought him handsome enough to turn women into reckless wantons. Good. He would have hated to be the only one not thinking straight in this odd relationship of theirs.
“Yes. Maybe you are right. Remind me, why did you come to my bed that evening at Old Sarum? Was it because you were attracted to me as a man? Because you wanted me to make love to you all night?” he purred, enjoying himself. “Or did you have an ulterior motive?”
He watched her flounder with amusement. They were both only too aware that she had gone to him so she could kill him.
“I…”
“I will allow that your reason for pursuing me is more extreme than most, but still, I’m sure you get my point,” he said when it became clear she wouldn’t be able to give him a coherent answer. “But I do not lay all the blame at your door. I am at faultas well. I should have been more prepared, but, fool that I am, I only wanted to help you.”
William heard the undercurrent of hurt in his voice. Undeniably, it had been a blow to realize the girl had used his selfless impulse to get her out of Hugues’ clutches for her own purpose.
Well. Selfless at first. William had quickly found a way to make the most of the opportunity. It made him uncomfortable. Perhaps she was right to be wary of him. Perhaps he was not as honorable as he’d like to think. After all, it hadn’t taken him long to turn the moment to his advantage.
“Is there anything else you would like to know?” he asked, annoyed at his failings. “If I have any children for example?”
