Page 226 of Historical Hotties
She could read him like a book.
“Let me see if I understand you,” she said. “You are an ambitious knight if you serve Henry directly, and if you have your father and Henry fighting for your services, then you must be well aware of your value. Henry gave me to you so that you could become the next Earl of Tamworth, something your ambitious blood pines for. Now, you will marry a de Wylde and your children will carry not only the line of the Visigoths, but the line of Mercian kings. Surely you know my father was a direct descendant of the last king of Mercia. Did Henry tell you that?”
He nodded slowly. “He did.”
He didn’t seem impressed by that in the least, and that only fed her sense of embarrassment and shame. The man clearly didn’t want her. Taking the pitcher of warm wine, she poured herself a full measure and drank deeply.
“Now,” she said, wiping her mouth with her hand. “Since neither one of us can refuse this marriage, I suggest we cometo an agreement. I will provide you with the Tamworth title, of course, and should you decide I am worthy of your bed, I will hopefully bear you an heir. I will, of course, surrender Edingale Castle to you, the seat of Mercian kings, and you will allow me to live in Stafford Castle and go about my business as I choose. I will not bother you and you will not bother me. Is that acceptable?”
She was being businesslike, but there was more to it. The embarrassment she had been trying to keep hidden was coming out in her words and actions. She could see that Thor was watching her carefully, tracking her like a hunter would track prey. His gaze never left her. When she was finished speaking, there were a few moments of pause before he replied.
“If that is what you wish,” he said, though he didn’t sound enthusiastic about it. “I am agreeable to whatever you wish, my lady, but I have some questions.”
“What are they?”
He regarded her a moment, toying with his cup. It was obvious that something was on his mind. “I’d like to know something,” he said. “If you were not being held at Gomorrah against your will, then why were you there?”
“Because I enjoy the entertainment and the wine.”
She hadn’t hesitated to answer him, short and concise. He pondered her response, his brow furrowing when he realized she didn’t seem ashamed at all about her choice of entertainment establishments. For a woman, that was rather bold and reckless. Certainly not ladylike.
“There are other places you can attend that are not nearly so unsuitable,” he said. “Surely you know that Gomorrah’s reputation isn’t entirely suitable.”
“Suitable for whom? For you? For me?” Caledonia shook her head at him. “That is something else we must establish fromthe start. I will choose my own entertainment, where I go, and whom I see.”
“You will not shame me.”
“What do you care? You’re getting the money and the title. That should be enough to compensate for any perceived shame.”
He was taken aback by her attitude. He’d never heard anything so bold or brazen. In fact, it greatly perplexed him. The woman looked like an ethereal goddess with her white hair and dark, intense eyes, but her behavior… He was stumped.
“Are you serious?” he finally asked.
She cocked her head, and her hair, which was unbound and immodest for a widow, fell over one eye when she moved. “What do you mean?”
“I mean your view on how this marriage shall be conducted,” he said. “Are you truly so callous about it?”
“How should I be?”
Thor couldn’t tell if that was truly her attitude or if she was being defensive because she thought that was what he wanted.
This marriage will be what you make of it.
That was what Daniel had said to him and, truthfully, he was right. But Thor was up against something he’d never been up against before—a woman who was indifferent to him. Somehow, perhaps he’d arrogantly believed she would take one look at him and be agreeable to the marriage. Subservient, even. Fall at his feet like all women did. But that wasn’t the case. Was it possible he’d met the one woman in all of England who didn’t find him attractive?
That realization was enough to fill him with outrage. If she didn’t want him, there was nothing he could to do make the marriage feasible. Perhaps it was best that Henry see what he’d done to two people he claimed to value.
“Come,” he said, suddenly bolting to his feet. Reaching over the table, he grabbed her by the wrist. “The king is expecting us and we will not keep the man waiting.”
Caledonia stumbled after him as he pulled on her. “Why so rushed?” she wanted to know, looking longingly at the table they’d just left, laden with food and drink. “Can we at least finish our meal?”
Thor didn’t answer. He was furious and, if he was willing to admit it, oddly disappointed. Caledonia de Tosni was a seductive beauty if he’d ever seen one and her apathy toward their marriage disappointed him. A woman like that was beyond price. As he pulled her out into the night, his mind wandered to the future, where he had a gloriously beautiful wife as the Earl of Tamworth. He could see sons bearing the blood of ancient Mercian kings, sons who would bear the powerful de Reyne name. Sons that would be the most sought-after knights in England, like their father. He saw so many things now dashed at his feet.
They were going to settle this once and for all.
CHAPTER THREE
He was bloodywell furious.
