Page 229 of Historical Hotties
But at the moment, she had to face it.
“I was married to Robert when my brother died,” she said. “That meant Robert was to be the next Earl of Tamworth when my father passed away because of his marriage to me, the Tamworth heiress. At first, Rotri was vocally opposed to it. He was angry and told anyone who would listen that he should be the next earl. He tried to get close to Robert and become an ally, but Robert did not trust him. That offended him greatly.When Robert died, however, Rotri was back—this time, to try to convince me that I needed to marry Domnall. When I refused, for I would not marry Domnall if he was the very last man in England, Rotri tried to find a priest who would petition for a papal dispensation. It would be a consanguine marriage because we are cousins. So far, Rotri has not found a priest who will support his quest but I am certain he will not stop until he does.”
So there it was, concisely outlined. It put a different cast on the situation, to be sure. As Thor digested the information, Henry turned to him.
“Now you know everything,” he said. “Rotri de Wylde covets Tamworth, so when you marry the lady—the lone de Wylde heiress—I am certain you will become his mortal enemy.”
Thor snorted softly. “That matters not to me,” he said. “If I were Rotri, I would worry about provoking my wrath if he angers me.”
As Henry nodded sincerely, Caledonia spoke quietly. “Robert was positive that Rotri tried to kill him at least twice,” she said. “My uncle is a man with no conscience. He is not beyond murder to get his wants. You should know that if you and I are wed, he will consider you a target.”
Thor gave her a half-grin. “If he thinks he can hit this target, I invite him to try.”
“Then it does not concern you?”
“Hardly,” Thor said. But his smile quickly faded. “You have been the sole heiress for some time now, since your husband’s death. Has he tried to move against you?”
She shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “He would rather I marry his son. Rotri is a believer in bloodlines.”
Henry seized on the moment. “Would you not rather have Thor as your husband than your pimple-faced cousin, Lady de Tosni?” he said. “Clearly, Thor would be able to defend youagainst your uncle. Rotri would have no chance at all against Thor de Reyne, the man once known asEl Martillo.”
Bewilderment washed over Caledonia’s features. “What does that mean?”
“The Hammer,” Thor said hesitantly. “I served with a mercenary army years ago—my uncle’s army, Uncle Varro—in Navarre. I was given the name by his men.”
Strangely enough, she seemed interested in that. “The Hammer,” she repeated. “Because of your prowess in battle?”
Thor nodded. “There were a few reasons,” he said, not wanting to divulge that one of the reasons had to do with his sexual adventures with willing maidens. “It is because of my skill in warfare, but also because Thor is the god of the Northmen who carries a hammer in battle.”
Caledonia let her gaze linger on him a moment, nodding, but kept silent. For the first time since their introduction, she seemed to be interested in him. “I know,” she said. “I studied with a priest who was fond of the history of gods in different cultures. I remember Thor and Odin and the rest. But you have no Northman blood, so you are not named after the god?”
Thor shook his head. “As I told you, my bloodlines are Visigoth,” he said. “Mayhap there is some Northman mixed in there, but my name, Thorington, is my mother’s maiden name.”
As she nodded, Henry chimed in. “He has a twin,” he said. “Did he tell you that he has a brother who looks just like him?”
Caledonia shook her head. “We’ve hardly spoken, your grace,” she said. “He has not had the opportunity to tell me everything about him.”
Henry simply nodded, his gaze fixed on her, but there was something in his expression that suggested he wasn’t finished with this conversation or this situation. Not in the least. The lady was calmer now, which was a blessing, and Thor seemed to have returned to his normal cool demeanor. Henry was grateful. Buthe had something to accomplish here and wasn’t going to stop until he had.
“Thor,” he said, “send Peregrine to me.”
Peregrine was Henry’s favorite servant. The man did anything that was asked of him and probably wielded more power than almost anyone in court, much to the distress of Henry’s more official courtiers. Without hesitation, Thor went to the main entry doors, opening them and sticking his head out. He didn’t see who he was looking for, so he went to a secondary pair of doors. There, he found the man he’d been seeking and Peregrine de Grasse entered on Thor’s heels. He was a tall man, older, with thin white hair. He moved swiftly toward Henry, who looked at Thor and pointed to the lady.
“Take Lady de Tosni to the other end of the hall and wait for me,” he said. “Go.”
Thor did as he was told. He went to Caledonia, who was sitting down, and indicated the other side of the hall. With resignation, she rose and moved with Thor to their destination. There was a table that contained a bowl of fruit—small green apples, green pears, and fat plums—and a pewter pitcher with the king’s seal on it and several small, and dirty, cups. There were also chairs, but neither one of them sat down. They were watching Henry as he engaged in a quiet conversation with Peregrine, who was nodding eagerly.
“What do you think he is telling him?” Caledonia finally asked.
Thor was watching the pair. “I am not certain,” he said. “But it is possible he is arranging for some kind of celebration on the event of our betrothal.”
Caledonia looked at him. “But I’ve not agreed to this.”
Thor was still looking at Henry. “Henry does not need your agreement,” he said. Then he looked at her. “Nor does he need mine. This is what he wants, and we will obey.”
Caledonia geared up for an argument but all that came out was a loud hiss. “God’s Bones, man,” she said in an irritated burst. “Must we really go through with this?”
Thor took a deep breath because he didn’t want to rise to her anger, which was evidently easy to do when it came to her. He was a man of supreme composure, but she had sorely tested that today.
