Page 228 of Historical Hotties
Out of all the things Henry said, that was the most stinging.
The statement she resented the most.
“Your grace, you know my family history,” she said, trying to keep her formidable temper under control. “You know that I ama direct descendant of Ceowulf, the last king of Mercia. Before him, his great-grandmother many times over was Aethelflaed, the greatest warrior queen of all. She built fortresses and conquered tribes of Saxons and Danes, so much so that she united a great deal of the country. She ismygreat-grandmother, many times over.”
Henry nodded his head. “I know of the mighty warrior queen of the Saxons,” he said irritably. “Her blood flows through your veins, lady. Bold and fearless. Your husband, Robert, was a weak man. He let you do as you pleased. He let your wild blood boil and did nothing about it.”
Caledonia stood up, facing the king as he insulted her. “My blood is royal onbothsides, your grace,” she pointed out hotly. “My mother descended from the last King of Strathclyde, so I have the blood of kings from both sides of my family. Few men can claim that, your grace, so I would say I am more than capable of managing my affairs. I do not need any interference.”
Thor was up, putting himself between the angry lady and the king. “Lady, you will not show your king disrespect,” he growled. “I suggest you rein in your bold tongue, because it is not helping your cause.”
Caledonia found herself looking in the man’s chest. He was so tall that she had to crane her neck back to look at him, and even then all she could see were those bright blue eyes, now smoldering with hazard. Before she could reply, however, Henry came around Thor and gently pushed the man away from the confrontation, back to the bench he’d been seated upon. When he was certain Thor wasn’t going to rise up and wring the lady’s neck, he faced her again.
“I do not dispute that you have more royal blood than most,” he said, with less annoyance than before. “But you failed to mention that the kings you descend from were both defeated. They were too weak to hold their kingdoms, so I do not wantto hear anything more about them. This is not about your royal bloodlines. This is about a marriage to Thor, who is most deserving of the Tamworth title. If you would only stop throwing a tantrum long enough to speak with him and come to know him, then you might see something pleasant in this association. You will be marrying a man that many women want.”
Perhaps mentioning that Thor was much desired was meant to make him more enticing in her eyes, but it didn’t work. Caledonia was once again fixated part of the king’s statement rather than the whole—on the fact that he mentioned she was descended fromformerkings. It was a low blow as far as she was concerned. More than that, the king was trying to make it seem that if she would only accept the marriage, then everything would be wonderful. They would live a pleasant coexistence and everyone would be happy.
But that wasn’t the case at all.
Caledonia suspected the king hadn’t told Thor everything about her situation. All the nasty little details that one didn’t like to make known, especially in delicate negotiations like this. Perhaps if the man knew, he might very well put up more of a fight and Henry would have both of them vigorously opposed to the union. Perhaps it would be too much for him and he would surrender.
She was willing to take the chance.
“I understand the situation for what it is, your grace,” she said. “What you see is not a tantrum, but genuine concern for Sir Thor. I assume you’ve not told him of my uncle and cousin? If not, you should have. If he is going to become the Earl of Tamworth, then he should know there are others who greatly covet the title.”
As Thor’s brow furrowed at the mention of an uncle and cousin he’d not yet heard of, Henry quickly turned to him.
“She is correct,” he said. “The lady has an uncle who has been a thorn in my side for years. I was going to tell you of it but the opportunity did not present itself.”
It was clear that Caledonia had forced his hand into confessing something he wasn’t ready to confess. Not until he at least had a hint of Thor’s agreement. But now, Henry was compelled to come clean. If he didn’t tell Thor everything, the lady surely would, and Thor seemed to sense that because his gaze lingered on Caledonia for a moment before he turned his attention to Henry.
“What does she mean?” he asked. “Who covets the title?”
“Rotri de Wylde.”
Thor’s eyebrows lifted in recognition. “I know of him,” he said. “Lord Dordon.”
“That is correct,” Henry said. “Rotri is Robert de Tosni’s brother.”
Thor nodded as if suddenly remembering that. “I know his son, Domnall,” Thor said. “But Dordon and his son fought with Simon de Montfort.”
Henry nodded. “Indeed, they did,” he said. “While I did not confiscate their lands because Robert asked me not to, and Robert was ever-loyal to me, that does not mean I forgive Rotri or his son for what they have done. Since Robert’s death, Rotri has done everything he could to obtain the Tamworth earldom. He has been in London for the past several months, in fact, trying to convince the church to issue a papal dispensation to allow Domnall to marry Lady de Tosni, thereby assuming the Tamworth earldom.”
Thor was starting to catch on. The entire reason Henry wanted him to marry Lady de Tosni was now blatantly obvious. “And that is why you pledged her to me,” he said. “To prevent this.”
Henry simply cocked his head in a gesture that conveyed Thor was correct. The implication was clear and now…now, the betrothal was starting to make more sense. Thor thought it was something that Henry had abruptly decided, but he could see by the expression on the king’s face that it wasn’t.
The man had a reason for it.
To keep it away from Dordon.
“Now I understand,” Thor said. “Rotri must not have found a prince of the church willing to issue such a thing, and you fear that he might. With enough money, even a papal representative can be coerced.”
“He tried to gain my consent right after Robert died,” Caledonia said, sounding far more like a reasonable woman than she had since Thor had met her. When Thor and Henry turned to look at her, she seemed almost calm about it. “Rotri has always coveted what my father had. He was my father’s heir until my brother was born and, oddly, he didn’t seem to covet the earldom when Constantine was alive. I suppose he was resigned to the laws of inheritance at that point, but when Constantine died and I became the heiress, he became quite… strange.”
Thor looked at her seriously. “Strange?” he said. “How?”
Caledonia pondered his question as she sat down, rather heavily. The alcohol and the mushrooms had given her a headache and reality was starting to set in. She didn’t like reality much.
