Page 324 of Historical Hotties
Gloucester laughed softly. “He wants to meet you, of course,” he said, “but he seems agreeable. The House of de Russe carries great weight and you, my friend, seem to carry the greatest weight of all. This will be a fine match. Lady Gisella is a lovely and obedient girl. I am sure you will like her once you have come to know her.”
Bastian’s eyes were riveted to the woman as she gently twirled. “And what does she say to all of this?” he asked. “If she was in love with Maxim, then I cannot imagine she would be very agreeable to a husband.”
Gloucester shook his head. “She had no reaction to the news,” he replied. “When I informed her, she did not argue in the least.”
“Then she is not opposed?”
“She was not jumping for joy, either.”
Bastian watched the woman for a moment longer before running a weary hand over his dark head and turning away. Suddenly, he felt quite fatigued, the reality of the situation weighing heavily upon him.I do not want a wife!But he knew he had little choice. The decision had been made.
“When is this marriage to take place, then?” he asked, feeling his impatience return. “I have much to do and little time for social graces, Your Grace. I have much to do before returning to France.”
Gloucester nodded. “I know,” he said. “That is why you will marry her before you leave Bella Court. I have a priest on-call for just this purpose. Marry her now and be done with it. Then you can leave her here at Bella Court with my wife whilst you go about your business. Heading to Etonbury Castle, is it?”
Bastian was looking at the man with some shock.You will marry her before you leave. “I will be going to West Court Manor to see my father first,” he said, answering the man’s question. But he couldn’t help revisit the suddenness of his impending marriage. “I am to marry hertonight?”
Gloucester’s amiable expression tightened into the look of stone that Bastian had seen before. The man didn’t like being questioned. “You are,” he said. “Do you have something to say to that?”
It didn’t matter if Bastian did or not. He knew the man did not expect an answer to that question other than a display of obedience and thanks. “Nay, Your Grace,” Bastian said. “But surely her parents will wish to attend? Surely there must be plans and preparations for such a thing?”
Gloucester shook his head. “Richmond le Bec understands the life of a fighting man better than most,” he said. “He knows your time in England will be brief and there is no time to plan a grand ceremony. I told him after the ceremony, and after you have attended the young king for a time, that I would send you on to Lydford Castle in Devon, which is his seat. My brother granted it to him a long time ago. Le Bec is quite the mining baron now. He makes a fortune from the tin mines on his property, so your wife comes with a substantial dowry. You can go there to meet your new father-in-law and also claim her dowry.”
Bastian really didn’t care about the dowry. He was still reeling over the fact that Gloucester expected him to marry the lady without delay. He hadn’t been prepared for that. As he struggled to keep his opinion about the hasty marriage to himself, Gloucester pointed to the chaos going on in the center of the room.
“Go and retrieve your betrothed, Bastian,” he instructed. “Bring her to my solar so we can see this marriage through. My solar is at the end of the hall to the east and I will meet you there after I find my wife. She will want to witness this.”
With that, he walked away, leaving Bastian standing stunned and somewhat outraged with the turn of events. He wanted very badly to refuse the entire silly betrothal but he knew he had no choice. This was considered a reward. He looked at it as a punishment. Moreover, he could hardly imagine what the young woman thought of the whole thing. Of course she had no reaction when Gloucester informed her of her future. Much like Bastian, she had to do what she was told. Therefore, there was no use in delaying the inevitable.
Fighting down his fury and his frustration, he sought out Gannon and Lucas, who were still on the other side of the hall where he had left them. Retracing his steps back to them, heignored the stares and whispers of the guests in awe of the mighty Beast, now moving among them. But he also began to suspect their whispers were more than simply admiration. He had a feeling the Maid was being discussed as well. Rumors moved quickly. The courtiers were, if nothing else, a gossipy bunch. He tried to shake off thoughts of their rumor-mongering as he closed the distance between him and his knights.
“That is indeed your sister, Gannon,” he said as he reached them, pointing to the lady hanging by the silken cord. “I have been instructed to retrieve her and take her to Gloucester’s solar where a priest will marry us immediately. Since she does not know me and I do not wish to start out this marriage with a screaming, terrified bride, you will retrieve your sister and bring her to the corridor beyond where you will make the appropriate introductions to me. Is that clear?”
Gannon nodded, trying to hide his surprise. “You are to marry hertonight?”
Bastian sighed sharply. “It is not my choice, I assure you,” he said. “Gloucester has made the arrangements. Go and retrieve her and I shall meet you out in the corridor. Lucas, come with me.”
He took de Lara with him, leaving Gannon standing where he had left him, a bit stunned with the quick turn of events. As the noise and music and merriment went on around him, Gannon was in a world of his own, struggling to reconcile himself to his sister’s immediate future.
Certainly, he liked Bastian and had a great deal of respect for the man, but it was natural for him to want to protect his sister from suitors. Only this particular suitor was a reluctant one and Gannon began to worry that his sister would be trapped in a discontented marriage with an apathetic husband. He knew Bastian and knew the man could be hard and cruel at times. Nay, he didn’t like that thought at all.
But he had no choice but to obey orders, just as Bastian was obeying them. Gannon understood that. With a grunt, perhaps one of regret, he made way to his sister, dangling above the combatants, praying she wouldn’t hate him overly for being an instrument leading to a lifetime of unhappiness.
CHAPTER THREE
She hadn’t seenher brother in two long years but, suddenly, he was in her midst, reaching up a long arm to grasp her by the wrist. A good yank and he pulled her right down into his arms because the men on the gallery above lost their grip on her silken cord that had been suspending her over the writhing throng of actors. Over her brother’s big shoulder like a sack of grain, Lady Gisella le Bec shrieked as she was hauled off the floor.
“Gannon!” she gasped. “What in the world are you doing?”
Gannon didn’t reply as he tried to navigate his way out of the collection of fake soldiers, all of them slapping at each other with thin, wooden broadswords. One of those swords came too close to his face and Gannon angrily shoved the offending actor away from him, but it was such close quarters that when the actor stumbled back, several men fell back with him.
The guests watching the performance were fairly saturated with fine wine at that point and laughed uproariously as about a quarter of the cast fell down upon each other. Still, Gannon shoved through them, carting his sister unceremoniously away from the action. But Gisella would not be so easily moved. She began squirming, trying to push herself from her brother’s grip.
“Gannon,stop,” she commanded. “Put me down this instant!”
Gannon continued to ignore her. He was more concerned with removing her from the room and had little patience for her imperious demands. He was nearly to the entry of the great, fragrant hall, the portal that would take him to the corridor beyond where Bastian was waiting, but he lost his grip on his sister and she would have fallen on her head had he not caught her in time. As he righted her onto her feet, she slapped at his hands.
“Stop,” she barked at him as he tried to steady her. Off balance, she teetered away from him, fearful he was going to grab her again. “Are you mad? Why did you do that?”
