Today was no exception. Sensing her mood, Ranulf had donned his armor and told Ariel to meet him on the field when she was ready. Instead of going directly to him, she slung her armor over her shoulder before going to the meadow. The day was cold, but the sun shone brightly, giving a slight reprieve from the winter dullness. A light dusting of snow covered the ground.
Not until she reached the meadow did Ariel realize she was not alone. The earl’s guards were a short distance behind her. Ignoring them, she hoped they would go away and leave her in peace, but they were not to be put off so easily. She refused to acknowledge their presence, but they forced her to. She steeled herself as they slowly approached.
“Well, the little knight is alone. Where is your Norman friend? Did he finally get tired of looking after you?” Ariel did not respond, and the man grew angry. “It looks as if this boy thinks he is better than us. Is that not right, Godwin?”
“It would seem so.”
The one named Godwin stepped in front of Ariel and pulled her amour out of her hands. It clanged when it landed near her feet. He laughed. The one who had spoken first went to stand beside his companion.
“What do you think, Godwin? Should we teach this young one to respect his elders?”
“Aye, Hugh. I think he needs to be taught a lesson.”
Before Ariel could move away, both men lunged at her. They were larger than her, but she fought them with all her might. In the ensuing scuffle, the front of her tunic ripped open. She automatically tried to clutch the material together with her fist. Her attackers took the advantage of her distraction. They grabbed her and threw her to the ground. The air left her lungs in a whoosh as she landed in the snow. Gasping for breath, she realized the two men had seen what was under her tunic.
The one called Hugh straddled Ariel’s middle and then grabbed her by the throat. “I think this is our lucky day, Godwin. I think we have stumbled on to something here.”
His friend didn’t seem to understand, so Hugh took out his dagger from its sheath. He hooked it into Ariel’s tunic and cut it and the bindings around her chest. At the sight of her bared breasts, Godwin sucked in a breath.
Ariel panicked as Hugh worked on her belt buckle. She arched her hips as she tried to throw him off, but it was no good. All it accomplished was having Hugh put more pressure on her throat. Still she struggled until lack of air made the world blacken.
One minute Ariel struggled to take her next breath, and then the next, she sucked in large amounts of air. She remained oblivious to what went on around her. All that mattered was getting her breath back. The silence that suddenly fell was ominous.
Able to breathe normally again, Ariel looked around. Her attackers had gone, but she was far from alone. Broc stood above her with his gaze glued to her chest. While fighting to get her breath back, she had made no attempt to cover her breasts.
Ariel jerked the material together as she shot to her feet and then backed away from Broc. His gaze bored into her with each step she took. She had to get away. He now knew who she was. Turning, she ran and brushed past Ranulf who had just reached the meadow.
He must have seen her disheveled condition. He shouted as she ran by him. “Ariel, wait! What did those two do to you?”
Ariel did not stop or even let on that she had heard him. She had to get away from Broc. Behind her, he bellowed for her to stop.
She didn’t until she reached her father’s hall. She had nowhere else to go. Knowing Broc, he would search for her. He would want answers, and Ariel had no choice but to tell him. At least there his wife would not overhear what they would say to each other.
Ariel threw open the door. Lily was the only one there. “Where is Colwyn?”
Lily gasped at the state of Ariel’s clothes. “He is asleep in your chamber. What happened to you?”
“I will explain later. Right now, I need you to leave.”
Lily hesitated. “Are you sure you are all right?”
“Aye, just go. I will be fine.”
After giving her a reassuring hug, Lily silently walked out of the hall. A minute later, Broc burst through the door.
Once he came to stand just inside, he looked her up and down, taking her measure. “Why? Why would you pretend to be a boy?”
He tried to step closer, but Ariel held up a hand to stop him. “Do not come any closer. I will not be able to say what needs to be said if you come any nearer.” Broc had heeded her words. “It was the only way I could fight with the fryd. My father needed to stay at Elmstead, so I took his place.”
Broc roughly ran his hands through his hair. “Why not tell me who you are? You had to have known me.”
Ariel made a sad little chuckle. “Aye, I did, but you did not know me. No matter how close you came, you were blind to what was in front of you.”
That statement caused a groan to slip past Broc’s lips. “Oh, god. The women and what I did to you in London. You could have told me.”
Ariel pulled herself up straighter. “Nay, I wanted you to see me as I am. I knew you the instant I saw your face on that battlefield. I have never forgotten you.”
At Ariel’s words, Broc seemed unable to stay away any longer. He crossed the room and then tried to wrap his arms around her, but she would not allow it. She backed out of reach.
“Aye, I was blind, but that does not mean I had forgotten you. You have been in my dreams since I left. That was the reason I asked for Elmstead. I wanted to look for you. You have become a part of me.”
Ariel cringed at his words. “Really? Yet you can take another as your wife?” Knowing she had hit a sore spot, she continued. “Well, now you will have to forget about me. You belong to another. You were never really mine in the first place.”
Broc’s face turned white. “I could have been. If you had only told me who you were, I would never have married Alwen.”
Ariel found this harder to do than she had first thought, but she pushed on. “As I said before, it is too late. Alwen is your wife, not I.” Broc opened his mouth to speak, but she quickly cut him off. “I refuse to be your mistress. I have other people in my life to think about, and someone in particular who could be hurt if I did.”
She could see her words hurt him, but Broc had brought much of this on himself through his inability to see clearly. He looked at her now, his expression showing her that he realized how stupid he had been not to see through her disguise. With the truth out in the open, he would never see her as a boy again. It was through his stupidity alone that he had ended up with a woman he apparently did not want.
Neither one of them seemed to know what to do next. Ariel did not want him to comfort her. If he touched her, she would not be able to let him go. It hurt that he could not be hers. He had to realize he had to forget about her. It was the only way.
Broc opened his mouth to say something, but stopped at the sound of a child crying. Ariel’s eyes widened in panic. Without speaking, she went to the chamber where the cries came from.
Broc stepped through the open chamber door. Ariel sat on the bed with Colwyn in her arms. She bent her head over his face, obscuring it. After a few seconds, she lifted it. A single tear slipped down her cheek.
“I never meant for you to find out this way. After your marriage, I planned never to tell you.”
*
It was not until Ariel turned the child to face him that Broc saw what she had truly meant. The baby’s face spoke volumes. It was an exact miniature of his.
Unable to stop himself, Broc sat beside Ariel. His gaze never left the child’s face. “He is mine?”
Ariel swallowed. “Aye. His name is Colwyn.”
Without asking, Ariel lifted Colwyn and placed him onto his lap for the first time. At first, Broc held his son, feeling a bit uncomfortable, but as Colwyn turned and looked at him, giving him a winning smile, he relaxed.
He had a son. That thought almost overwhelmed him. He had never been this close to a small child, until now, that is. Broc had never realized a ba
by could smell so good. They actually had a scent all their own.
Looking at his beautiful little son, Broc felt the loss of not seeing him grow to what he was today. It saddened him and made him angry as well. So angry, in fact, he stood and walked out of the chamber with Colwyn still in his arms. He made it as far as the hall before Ariel let out a shout of surprise.
“Stop, Broc! You cannot take Colwyn.”
Broc turned on his heels and gave Ariel the blast of his anger. “Whyever not? He is my son as well. A son you have kept from me. I had a right to know!”
Ariel walked slowly toward Broc as she spoke. “Maybe I should have told you, but it was my decision to make. Most of Colwyn’s life you have not been a part of.”
Broc paced the room. “Through no fault of my own, I might add. So in my absence you arbitrarily took away my rights to my son.”
“You gave up those so-called rights when you left. Do you know how I felt when you just turned and walked away? It became quite clear to me that you had had your fun and nothing else seemed to matter to you.”
Broc he stopped pacing. “That is not true.”
“Aye, it is. You mistakenly took me for a peasant, therefore, fair game. You never even asked me my name. You assumed I did not speak French. You could have taken the time to find out those things.”
Broc was about to tell Ariel he had made more than a few mistakes with her when the hall door opened and Swein came inside. He walked to Broc and took Colwyn out of him arms.
“I will take the child. He should not be listening to the two of you go at each other like this. The sound of your yelling can be heard outside.” Swein gave Broc and Ariel a pointed stare. “Settle this in a quieter manner. We do not want what is going on here to reach the ears of those who have no business knowing.”
They remained in silence after the hall door shut behind Swein. They just looked at each other. Broc broke the quietness between them.
“At our first meeting, I might have gone about it the wrong way. Do you honestly believe I make a practice of using peasant women for my own pleasure? Well, I can tell you I do not.” Broc snaked his hand through Ariel’s hair and pulled her close so her body was flush against his own.
“I wanted you. I still do. You have always been with me, even after I left. I have wished to go back to that day, to do things differently, but I cannot. Please, do not push me away.”
He had to kiss her. Desire pounded through him now that he held her so close. He slowly lowered his head, letting his mouth hover a hairbreadth above hers. Ariel stiffened, but as his lips closed over hers, she relaxed against him.
Broc released Ariel’s hair, then wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her even closer. He swept his tongue along her bottom lip. She opened her mouth, allowing him entrance, which caused his body to crave her even more. A moan escaped her. He shifted so she felt the full, hard length of his cock pressed against her belly. He wanted her. She had to be able to feel the proof of it.
Broc reached inside the rip in her tunic and placed his palm on her bare breast. Her skin was soft and warm. His touch had Ariel stiffening once again. She wrenched his hand away from her breast and then gave him a hard shove. Not expecting her to reject him so violently, he lost contact with her lips.
“We have to stop this, Broc. We cannot do this. It can go no further.”
Desire pulsed through him. His heart beat wildly. No other woman made him feel that way. Broc had felt strong desire before, but not to the extreme that existed between Ariel and himself. He wanted not to just possess her body, but her soul as well. Emptiness washed over him now that he no longer held her in his arms. He needed her. It was as simple as that. Nothing could ever change that.
“What would you have me do? I need you and Colwyn to be a part of my life.”
Tears came to Ariel’s eyes once more. “I will not keep Colwyn from you any longer. You can be a part of his life. There will have to be some conditions made. If you break them, I will make sure you never see him again.”
Broc would do anything to see his son, and as much as she would allow, still be a part of Ariel’s life as well. “I understand.”
“You must never tell your wife about Colwyn or me. I will still be Wulf, if those guards have not already spoken to the earl.”
A spark of anger surged through Broc at the mention of Ariel’s attackers. “I agree with the conditions. Do not worry about those two. Let me assure you, they will be taken care of.”
The door opened before Broc could finish all he wanted to say. Much to his disgust, Ranulf stood in the doorway. The man gazed so intently at Ariel it made Broc tremble with anger. What hurt the most was seeing her look at Ranulf with such familiarity. If he did not leave now, he would in all likelihood do something to upset her. Broc gently caressed her cheek and then left the hall.
Chapter Thirteen
Her new life as wife to Broc had not turned out to be as pleasant as she had hoped it would be. Alwen had known there would not be much of a relationship between them from the start. It was only to be expected given the circumstances, but she had thought he would not have any problems performing his marital duty.
Since the disaster that had been their wedding night, Broc had not shared a bed with her. He would not even so much as come close enough for a fleeting touch. Something had to be definitely wrong with her husband.
Before the Normans’ arrival on English shores, Alwen had been considered one of the most beautiful women on the island. Men had fought each other just to gain her attention, but her Norman husband wanted nothing to do with her. Before their marriage, he had shown signs of willingness to bed her, but all that had changed.
Looking at Broc where he sat beside her in the hall, Alwen felt nothing but anger toward him. Something had happened two days before, something that had turned him completely from her. Her husband did not even acknowledge her as being alive.
Other slight changes had happened as well. Her father’s guards had all of a sudden disappeared, and they had left in a very great hurry. If the rumors going around Elmstead were accurate, Broc had run them off, threatening them with their very lives. It had all centered on Wulf, who was another thorn in her side. The boy was just too beautiful for the male gender. Broc had started spending a great deal of time with Wulf at the old thane’s hall. Alwen had not been asked to join in any of those visits.
Broc ate beside her, not trying to have any kind of speech with her. Alwen did not have to look very hard to find out why he was so silent. He watched Wulf and Ranulf. Now that the boy had his evening meals in the main hall, he always sat with the other knight. Broc’s gaze never left them during the entire meal.
Something had to be done. When the first opportunity presented itself, she would confront Broc and demand to be treated as his wife should be.
* * * *
God, she was beautiful in full armor, Broc mused.
A week had gone by since that fateful day. Broc just could not get enough of Ariel. Every day he found little excuses to be around her, even making it a point to go to the practice field to watch her train with Ranulf, something that took place right at that very moment.
He caused himself undo pain by watching them together, but he was afraid of what would happen if he left them alone, especially with Ranulf always at her side.
The sun flashed brightly off their chain mail. The sound of their swords clashing together echoed around the field. Broc focused on Ariel’s moves and knew the moment she would send Ranulf’s sword flying. He still had a hard time believing this extraordinary woman had actually given him a son.
Thinking of Colwyn brought a smile to his lips. He had come to mean a great deal to Broc, which surprised him a little. Small children had not been a prominent feature in his life. To be quite honest, he had not been very interested in any he had seen. Even William’s children had not interested him. Now that he had Colwyn, he understood how William could be so attached to his children.
The sound
of laughter brought Broc out of his musing. Ariel’s laugh was music to his ears. He had not heard much of it since he had returned from London. It irked him to know he was not the one to make her do so.
After the training session ended, Broc walked to the pair. Ariel and Ranulf fell silent as he approached. “Well, Ranulf, I see you are keeping Ariel in fighting form.”
Ranulf refused to look at Broc and kept his gaze on Ariel. “It would seem so. Truth be told, Ariel is the one who comes to me to train with her.”
Ariel let out a small laugh at Ranulf’s words. It seemed they had a joke only they knew about. Reaching the end of his patience, Broc barked an order at Ranulf. “You may leave us. I need to talk to Ariel alone.”
Ariel opened her mouth to protest, but Ranulf stopped her with a shake of his head. He left the field.
Broc waited until Ranulf was out of sight. He turned to look at Ariel and found the flat of her sword swinging toward him. She caught him completely off guard, and managed to land a blow on his shoulder.
Broc yelped in pain. Ariel left the field. “Wait, you have to hear what I want to say.”
Ariel angrily marched back to Broc. “Whatever you have to say to me, I do not want to hear.”
Broc grabbed her and stopped her from leaving. “Aye, you will listen. It has to do with you and Ranulf.”
“What about us? I know what this is all about. You do not like Ranulf spending so much time with me. In fact, you damn well hate it. Correct?”
“Maybe it does bother me.”
Ariel shook her head. “That would explain a lot, you watching us whenever we are together. You cannot take your gaze off us. How dare you? If you are going to tell me to stay away from Ranulf, you can just keep it to yourself. I enjoy being around him, and I will continue to do so, no matter what you say.”
Broc gritted his teeth. “That is exactly what I was going to say. Stay away from him.”
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