Anna recalled the sudden sheen in his eyes as he and Sir Bruno had embraced. William wants to be loved. Likely, he is unaware of it, but ever since he was a small boy in that convent, he has wanted to be loved. My one hope, my only hope, is to confess my feelings for him and pray he can forgive me. I should never have bought him. I should never have tried to use him for my own ends. I will confess as much and pray that he believes me.
Chapter Fourteen
William escorted Anna away from the glowing hall and into the night. The moon was rising in a sky that was full of stars. The air was cool and salty, the ground wet with dew. They followed the winding path into the copse until they came to a shadowy bench positioned snugly in a curve of the sea wall.
‘Please, my lady, be seated, if you are not too cold out here?’
‘I am not too cold.’
William’s mind was in chaos, this news had thrown him. How much has Anna understood? How much of what we said did Constantine manage to translate for her?
The bench creaked as William took his place next to her. In front of them, the roofline of the Hall of the Nineteen Couches was clearly outlined against a dark, starry backdrop. With candle-glow leaking from every window, the hall looked like a giant lantern that had been tilted on its side.
‘My lady, do you understand what this means?’ William could not blame her if she did not. He was himself struggling to absorb the implications of what he had learned.
‘I have not grasped the whole, but I do understand that you are the son of a count.’ Slender fingers rested briefly on his arm. ‘I am pleased for you, William, it is very gratifying to learn that your father has long wanted to acknowledge you.’
William nodded. ‘I confess, it is not easy to digest these revelations. For years, I thought my father uncaring, but Louis tells me that he moved heaven and earth trying to find my mother. She hid herself away and would have none of it. I am told that eventually, my father lost hope of finding her and made a marriage of convenience with an Apulian heiress. They had no children.’
‘And your father needed an heir.’
‘He named Louis his heir. Louis is the son of my father’s younger brother, Robert.’
‘So your uncle’s name must be Robert La Roche-Guyon?’
The moonlight was full on Anna’s face, she was looking very pensive, a deep crease was etched on her forehead. Reaching up, William smoothed the crease away with his thumb. ‘It is—what of it?’
She caught his wrist. ‘William, you said that in Apulia after you were ambushed, you heard a name you believed to be linked with the name of your unknown enemy—Gwion. I am not familiar with your Frankish names, but it strikes me that Gwion and La Roche-Guyon have a similar ring to them.’
Smiling, he leaned back. ‘You are perceptive, chérie, they do sound similar. My cousin has confessed that it was his father—my uncle Robert—who planned for me to be attacked. He wanted me out of the way because—’
‘He feared your father would find you and he wanted Louis to inherit!’ Her fingers tightened on his wrist. ‘William, how dreadful. You are united with your family only to discover that your uncle tried to arrange for your murder!’
Gently, William touched her cheek. Anna has the softest skin. I love touching her. Reluctantly, he pulled his hand back. Why was it so hard to remember that since they were in a public place, he must not touch her? We are not yet married. We may never be married.
‘On balance, I judge myself fortunate,’ he said. ‘I have a father who has named me his heir and a cousin who has proved himself the most honourable of men. When Sir Louis discovered Sir Robert’s perfidy, he spoke out against him in the name of justice—against his own interests.’
‘That is honour indeed,’ she murmured.
‘I am proud to be related to Sir Louis.’
There was a thoughtful silence before she spoke again. ‘William, have you learned why your mother would not marry your father?’
He lifted his shoulders. ‘My guess is that she felt she could not compete with the Apulian heiress in terms of wealth, but we shall probably never know.’
Anna lowered her gaze. ‘I see.’
He took her hand. It was cold, absently, he began to chafe it. ‘Anna, do you still wish for me to honour our agreement?’
Her chin lifted. ‘I do, but I would not force you.’ She gave a strange laugh. ‘Who am I to force a knight who will one day become a count? You will have lands, wealth, everything you ever wanted.’
‘Yes.’
‘This Lady Felisa Venafro—do you want her, too?’
‘At one time I thought I did,’ William said, carefully.
‘Lady Felisa will not like it if you return with an unwanted Greek bride.’
‘If I return with a Greek bride, she must accept it,’ William heard himself saying. He leaned towards her, close enough for her scent to make his gut clench—jasmine and that tantalising hint of spring. ‘Anna, I don’t have to leave immediately.’
‘You don’t?’
‘No. I should like to stand as your good friend. I should like to remain in the City until you have chosen the husband you want.’
‘The husband I want,’ she murmured, giving him a mysterious glance from under her lashes.
‘As opposed to someone your father foists upon you. I do not wish to leave knowing you are…unsettled. Also…I shall not leave until we know for certain whether we have made a child.’ When she shook her head, he ploughed on. ‘Anna, you trusted me with your body and we must consider that there may be a child. I shall not turn my back on my responsibilities, I shall stay in Constantinople until we know the outcome.’
Her face was milky in the moonlight. ‘Yes. I see. My goodness, circumstances have changed.’
There was a flatness in her tone that William could not read, some nuance of feeling she was concealing from him. Sadness? Regret? It was most likely regret. She had surrendered her virginity to a Frank and her father would never forgive her. Lord, she could end up blaming him for ruining her.
‘If there is a child, I will stand by you,’ he said.
‘I…I…thank you. Like your cousin, you are an
honourable man. William, there is something I must tell you—’
She broke off, staring silently into the night for so long that William squeezed her hand to prompt her. ‘Yes?’
She took a deep breath. ‘When I first saw you at the slave market, I saw a resemblance to someone I knew. But I also saw the most handsome man I had ever seen.’
He snorted, ruefully rubbing his chin and ribs. ‘You exaggerate, the bruises still ache. I was filthy…half-starved.’
‘I am not referring to your looks, William, but to other qualities.’
‘You saw qualities in a man on the slave block?’
‘I saw them,’ she insisted softly. ‘I confess that when I bought you my motives were mixed. I did not trust what I saw either. But the outcome is the same. I love you, William. I would be honoured if you chose me for your wife, your true wife. I love you.’
William stared—this sudden declaration made him uneasy. ‘You cannot mean this. You loved Erling and saw him in me, you are confusing me with Erling.’
‘It was not Erling who helped those children, it was not Erling who fought off that mercenary. Nor was it
Erling who kept me company in the Basilica Cistern.’ She smiled and lowered her voice. ‘And it certainly wasn’t he who made love to me so beautifully. You made love to me with more than your body, I know it or I would not be so bold. William, I love you.’
William was dumbfounded. Of all the things Anna could have said to him, this was the last thing that he had expected. She loved him? She had loved him from that first moment? That could not be true. The suspicions began to pile up and the sense of euphoria that had held him since leaving the hall began to fade.
‘You do not consider I have ruined you?’ he asked.
‘No!’
‘You love me?’
‘Yes, William, I do.’ Her voice was almost inaudible. ‘I did from that first moment.’
‘If this is true, why did you not tell me earlier?’
‘I did not think you would believe me, I scarcely believed it myself. In truth, it took time for me to accept the feeling as a true one.’ Her chest heaved. ‘You do not believe me.’
‘You are right, I don’t. I can’t. Anna, if you had told me when we took our joy of each other on the Imperial couch, then I might have believed you. But to wait until you hear that I am the heir to Count Jean La Roche-Guyon?’ He shook his head. ‘It pains me to say this, but I cannot believe you. You love the thought of the lands I will one day inherit.’
She sat very straight. ‘Do you really think that?’
‘Women want land, women want security. Lady Felisa is just the same, using me for her own ends.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Some time ago, I offered for Lady Felisa’s hand and she accepted me. What I didn’t realise was that she had only accepted me in order to force another knight, a landed knight, into declaring himself. Once he had done so, I was forgotten.’
‘She broke your betrothal?’
William nodded.
‘And now?’
Weary, he rubbed his face. The moon was trapped behind the branches of a tree, a white globe caught in a black claw. He wanted Anna, not Lady Felisa. Furthermore, he wanted her to want him for himself, not because he resembled Erling or because he might one day inherit a county…
‘What do you see when you look at me, chérie?’
‘I…I beg your pardon?’
‘Do you see Erling? My inheritance? What do you see?’
‘I see the man I love.’
‘I cannot believe you.’
‘Then we have no more to say.’ Rising, she shook out her skirts. ‘William, it is very late. Think about what I have said. I am speaking the truth, I love you. In the meantime, I would be grateful if you could ask one of Constantine’s servants to accompany me back to the Boukoleon. In any case, tonight is probably not the best time to make to any decisions—we both have much to digest. And…’ smiling, she gestured towards the hall ‘…you have loyal friends who have come a long way to see you.’
Mind reeling with this last revelation in an evening of revelations—Anna had said that she loved him, could it be true?—William rose and offered her his arm.
He was at last to meet his father, he was heir to a county, Anna would have him, Lady Felisa would have him…
William had never felt more miserable in his life.
* * *
From the steps by the hall portico, William watched as Anna and her escort made their way up the path. When the shadows swallowed them, he made no move to go inside. He had plans to make with Sir Bruno and his cousin, but he was in no hurry, too much in his mind was unresolved.
Above him, the moon had broken free of the black claw that had snared it, high above the tree-line, it was sailing serenely through the midnight sky.
Anna claimed to have loved him from the first moment—if she had told him earlier, he might have believed her. The ache in William’s chest told him that he wanted to believe her, he wanted to believe her more than he had wanted anything in his life. Except perhaps—a reminiscent grin touched his mouth—that irresistible body of hers.
Lady Felisa Venafro meant nothing to him. Once, William had longed for Lady Felisa’s hand in marriage. He had, quite simply, coveted her lands. Now his longings were more complicated. Lady Anna of Heraklea’s smoky grey eyes were ever in his mind. He longed for the touch of her hands, that delicate touch that wreaked havoc with his peace of mind. He would never forget her generous lovemaking, nor the way her head tipped back when she looked up at him.
Once William had thought Lady Felisa pretty, now he must struggle to recall what she looked like.
William was torn. Was he honour-bound to accept Lady Felisa? She had rejected him before, but he had never actually rescinded his offer. Was he bound to accept her?
He was certainly honour-bound to marry Anna, he had unquestionably agreed to her terms. Terms she made purely to thwart her father.
Mon Dieu, as he read it, he was honour-bound to two women! What was he to do?
As the moon drifted on through the constellations, it seemed that Anna’s grey eyes had blanked out the stars. Never had he met anyone with such long black eyelashes, eyelashes that she hid behind when she wished to conceal her thoughts.
Ought he to consider Anna’s father? For all that Anna and Lord Isaac disagreed over the question of her marriage, she obviously loved her father and wanted him to think well of her. If William was to marry Anna, and their marriage was not annulled, would Lord Isaac forgive her?
When the night breeze played over his face, and all he could feel was the whisper of Anna’s skin against his, his mind cleared. I want to marry Anna of
Heraklea. He wanted Anna to come back to the Duchy with him, he wanted her to meet his father even though it meant uprooting her from everything she knew—her own father, the Princess…
He rolled his shoulders. Lord, he had forgotten about the Princess! Anna was in some difficulties there, he was certain of it. If only she would allow him to help. Just before Sir Bruno had arrived, Anna had asked him to go with her to Commander Ashfirth’s house. If only they had got away. She had said that she trusted him—surely she had been about to open up to him?
Mon Dieu, William would never regret Sir Bruno’s appearance, but from the point of view of finally uncovering the mystery surrounding Anna and Princess Theodora, the timing of Sir Bruno’s arrival could not have been worse. William wanted to help Anna. He wanted her as his wife.
Light from the hall windows was spilling out, making oddly shaped patches of brightness on the grass. William stared broodingly at them. He wanted Anna, but he was promised to Lady Felisa, that was the sum of it. His thoughts had led him to a dead end. There was little use in knowing what he wanted, when he was still honour-bound to two women.
For the present, it looked as though his best course would be to stand his ground. His father might have summoned him home, but he could not leave, not yet. He would tell Sir Bruno that commitments would keep him here for a few weeks—that should be long enough for him to learn whether Anna was bearing his child.
Heart lighter than it had been all evening, William reached for the door.
* * *
Back at the Princess’s apartment, Anna could find no sign of Katerina. On being pressed, the young guard, Kari, confirmed that Katerina was still at his commander’s house.
Yes, Kari knew the whereabouts of the house and, yes, it was close, just off the Mese. And, yes, Kari would escort Lady Anna there, if she so desired.
* * *
Thus it was that, shortly after breaking her fast the next day, Anna left the apartment with Kari as her escort. Not only did she need to set her mind at rest about Katerina—whom she had not seen since the German mercenaries had chased her into Hagia Irene—but also she needed that document. She must sign William’s manumission, so that he would legally be free.
Commander Ashfirth’s house turned out to be a gracious three-storied building set behind a wall in one of the more prosperous streets. There was an airy courtyard with cypresses and a plane tree to give shade in the summer, there was a grand portico, a stable…in truth, there was every luxury a woman could want.
* * *
In any event, Anna need not have worried about Katerina—one look told her that her friend was thriving. And deeply in love.
‘The Commander asked you to marry him?’ Anna asked as she and Katerina sat on a cushioned bench in an inner courtyard that was open to the sky. The courtyard had a fountain and was as grand as any in the Imperial Palace. Outside, sparrows were chirping. ‘You accepted, of course?’
Katerina laughed. ‘Of course.’
Leaning forward, Anna pressed Katerina’s hand. ‘I am glad. The Commander is a good man and you deser
ve a good man.’
‘I am happy you approve, my lady. Some would say that a barbarian is a poor choice of husband.’
‘Not I,’ Anna said softly, even as she noticed some of the light went out of her friend’s expression. ‘Katerina, what is it?’
Katerina bit her lip. ‘There is one difficulty, and try as I might I cannot think how to overcome it.’
‘Oh?’
‘The Commander will not permit me to return to the Palace,’ Katerina confessed, grimacing. ‘He is adamant I may not leave the house until…until…the Princess herself returns. There is no arguing with him, I am afraid.’
‘He fears what may happen to you if it comes to light that you are not the Princess—he wants to protect you.’
Nodding, Katerina began pleating the skirt of her gown into folds. ‘Ashfirth tells me that Duke Nikolaos is one of the new Emperor’s closest allies, his regiment is camped outside the City.’
‘So close?’ Anna’s heart fell. ‘I thought he was in Larissa.’
‘As did I. Anna, the Duke is expected in the Palace any day—he is bound to want to meet the Princess. What shall we do? I can take her place no longer. It is one thing to pull the wool over the eyes of a handful of courtiers who have not seen the Princess in years—it is quite another to attempt to do the same to the man to whom she is betrothed.’
Anna leaned back. ‘Oh, Lord, I see what you mean.’ She and Katerina had agreed to this deception because they loved the Princess and knew that these might be the last few weeks she could spend with her daughter. At the time, everyone had believed Duke Nikolaos to be safely in Larissa with his ailing mother. But this coup had obviously changed all that. ‘The Duke is actually outside the City?’
‘Camped outside the very walls.’
Anna thought swiftly and came to a decision. ‘Commander Ashfirth is quite right—you have done your part, you must stay here.’
‘But the Princess…!’
Anna patted Katerina’s hand. ‘Leave it me. I notice the Commander has not withdrawn his men from the apartment.’
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