He had known the insidiousness of jealousy before, having envied everyone who was not a dwarf. But he had overcome that. Now, he was ashamed because he begrudged the love his dearest brother had found.
Adam laughed nervously. “Won’t you congratulate me, brother?”
It jolted Denis from his reverie. He was truly happy for Adam. It was the miracle he had prayed for. He pushed aside his melancholy, as he had many times. He winked. “You’re a sly devil.”
The brothers embraced, the Giant lifting the Dwarf as Denis’ arms strained to thump him on the back.
* * *
Paulina’s worst fear had come true. She had never seen a snake, only knew of them from her brothers, but now she held her breath, waiting for the lethal bite of the adder coiled around her heart.
She wished she had died in the fire.
She wished she had never been born.
She was happy for her sister, but the words stuck in her throat.
If only Denis would cradle her in his arms and assure her of his love.
Rosamunda’s warm hand grasped hers. Paulina looked at the face of the courageous person she loved most in the world who now knelt before her. It was a face full of hope and happiness. She inhaled deeply and threw her arms around her sister’s neck. “Your dream has come true. Your Montbryce hero has come for you.”
Topaz mewled her displeasure at being squashed between them as they hugged.
* * *
“I have told her,” Adam whispered in Denis’ ear as they broke apart and the Giant set him back on his feet. “She knows everything.”
Denis was reassured. He looked over at the Lallement women locked in a tearful embrace.
Only he could offer Paulina a way out of her loneliness and fear. Her wretched parents were dead. Rosamunda and Adam had pledged to each other. Vincent and Lucien would marry and have families of their own.
Denis should walk away, keep his heart safe.
But he had always stood for what was right, no matter the challenges.
He waited until the women broke apart.
Rosamunda came to her feet.
Adam put his arm around her.
Paulina wiped her tears with the sleeve of her bliaut, gasping in exasperation as Topaz crawled out of the satchel and scampered off.
Denis took her damp hand, and went down on one knee. “Shall we make it a double wedding, my lady?”
Indecision
Paulina’s captivity had denied her the necessity to make decisions. She might ponder how much water to add when steeping faded rose petals, or which of her three bliauts to wear, or whether to braid her hair or let in hang in the style Rosamunda loved. The first major decision of her life was the name chosen for a cat.
Marriage was something she had never considered. Even if she had been free, no man would want a wife half his height.
Before her knelt a man asking for her hand. He wasn’t attractive, but he was brave and honest and strong. He knew what it was to be ridiculed, but had triumphed over his deformity, and could help her do the same. She had no doubt he would protect her with his life if necessary.
He had asked out of pity, knowing how bereft she would be without her sister. He seemed to enjoy spending time with her, but it was because she was his height. He sought companionship, and probably didn’t feel the same stirrings in his heart she felt whenever she was near him.
Her mind went blank. If she said yes, she would never be lonely. She would have a champion, a friend, a bedmate. He would see her naked. She was too small. A man could never love a body such as hers.
If she said no, he would believe she had refused him because of his deformity, when she was in reality drawn to his strength, drawn to him.
He was such an honorable man that if she denied him, she trusted he would not abandon her. Perhaps, it would be better if they remained just friends.
* * *
Denis watched indecision plague Paulina. It was the longest minute of his life. He had never felt uglier or more inadequate. How grotesque he must appear, wobbling on bended knee, his hips aching like the devil.
He had to push her into a decision, or they might be there all day. Adam and Rosamunda stood nearby, clearly embarrassed, not knowing what to say. However, both had expectant looks on their faces. Rosamunda’s hopeful smile in particular emboldened him. If anyone knew Paulina well, it was her sister.
He had to hope the woman he believed was his destiny saw the sincerity in his eyes. “I beg you to say yes, Paulina.”
She drew in a long shuddering breath, her arms rigid at her sides, fists clenched. Tears trickled down her cheeks.
She shook her head. “Yes, I will wed with you.”
* * *
Adam feared Denis might not get off his knees. He need not have worried. His brother sprang up like a frog, raining kisses on Paulina’s hands, talking so quickly Adam deciphered only a few words. Champion—protector—safe.
Paulina swayed like a sapling in a gale, her face expressionless.
Tell her you love her.
It was brave advice, yet he had not said those words to his own betrothed.
Rosamunda turned her radiant face to him. “So happy!”
Adam was happy too. Denis had found the impossible. They both had. Hope had replaced hopelessness.
He suspected Denis would also want a quick wedding, but they would need the king’s permission to marry. It was fortuitous they were going to Arundel.
He twirled a lock of Rosamunda’s hair around his finger. “I am anxious for our marriage, but can I ask that we wait until we can go to Belisle after Hallowmas? Denis will want to wed there. Our parents—”
She stood on tiptoe to kiss his nose. “Of course.”
* * *
Normandie!
Not only was Rosamunda going to Normandie, she would be married there. She basked in warm contentment.
Her betrothed had trusted her with a confidence she would carry to her grave rather than betray him. She vowed to pray for a miracle, but she would love him despite his male difficulties.
Her sister had found her soul mate, though she seemed intent on denying it. Life would not be easy for Paulina and her dwarf, but Denis was strong, and she believed he loved Paulina.
Not long ago the prospects for the future seemed dire. Now life was full of promise.
A Difficult Ride
Adam and Rosamunda rode Nox and Lux as they made their way to Arundel Castle. Denis rode Brevis, Paulina on his lap.
Lucien and Vincent had ridden to East Preston and now journeyed with them.
Rosamunda had lost patience with her sister in the last few days before their departure. Arundel was not a great distance away, a mere two hour ride over flat terrain, but Paulina refused to ride a horse of her own, despite Denis bringing a docile mount he had found. Her brothers’ assurances counted for naught.
When Adam warned that King Henry hated cats, and insisted Topaz remain at home, she threw a tantrum, refusing to accompany them. No amount of coddling on Denis’ part or Rosamunda’s eye-rolling soothed her. Adam flung up his hands in frustrated capitulation, and so Topaz also rode Brevis, perched atop the wide pommel like a lion rampant.
Curiously, Nox had taken to the kitten, much to Adam’s annoyance. From time to time, the stallion sniffed the feline, snorting his approval when he seemed assured she was still atop her precarious perch. In return Topaz swatted his nose.
At least this amusing partnership brought the occasional smile to Paulina’s lips. If only her sister would admit her feelings for Denis and relax with him, enjoy his attentions, acknowledge he loved her.
Rosamunda resolved not dwell on it. She had her own life to lead with a man she sensed needed all her love. Impotency must be a heavy burden for a once virile man to bear, despite her reassurances she was happy to forgo the bearing of children. How isolated he must feel in his deafness. She had known isolation. It destroyed hope, led to self doubt.
It was ironic her reluctant sister’s joining
with Denis might result in children as deformed as he was. She tamped down a twinge of jealousy, wondering if Adam felt envious of his dwarf brother.
Her mind wandered as Lux kept up to the steady pace set by Nox. She glanced at Denis. Perhaps he too had difficulties with his male parts. He was not properly formed. Was that why he and Adam were good friends? Did Denis know about Adam’s impotency?
Her impression was they shared an unbreakable bond, but she would never ask him, for that would breach her oath to Adam.
* * *
Denis unsuccessfully willed his rock hard arousal to abate as Paulina’s sweet derrière pressed rhythmically on his shaft with the horse’s movements. Her attention seemed fixed on the benighted cat. It would not take much to swat it off its arrogant perch and send it flying like a pesky gnat.
She had to be aware of his arousal pressed against her. He must remember she was an innocent, though warmth welled up in his chest when he recalled their conversation about male and female parts. His heart was aglow and his body had been doing strange things ever since he’d set eyes on this miniature woman. Lust he had known before, and often, but now his emotions were in knots.
He was in full agreement with Adam that they must wait to wed in Belisle. Paulina had promised to marry him, but he dreaded she might yet change her mind. It was evident she had not wanted the marriage. Fear had pushed her into it, not love.
He told himself he did not care, squelching the ache in his heart at the prospect such a beautiful woman could never love a man like him.
* * *
Had she not been such a coward, Paulina would not now be trying desperately to ignore the wanton feelings surging through her when her derrière pressed against Denis’ male part. She had no doubt after their talk that’s what she felt. She closed her eyes, conjuring a vision of the surprisingly hard and substantial flesh beneath her.
She had shifted her position several times, but doing so seemed to increase his discomfort. Denis’ body betrayed his desire to join with her, the undesirable, unloved, unwanted Paulina.
Thank goodness she had brought Topaz. The kitten was at least a distraction from the heat emanating from Denis.
A leaden lump of dread lay in the pit of her belly as Arundel Castle loomed ahead. She had never imagined the existence of such a large edifice. A king and his court waited there; sophisticated men and women of the world who had probably never set eyes on one such as her, though Denis had said many dwarfs were entertainers in royal courts. Would she be expected to entertain?
What a spectacle she and Denis would make. Her heart raced. She had to get off the horse, escape, flee back to East Preston. If she appealed to Vincent and Lucien, surely they would take her home.
Denis’ arm tightened around her waist. He leaned forward to nibble her ear, his warm breath sending sparks of fire into her breasts. “I am here,” he whispered. “I will not allow anything to happen to you. Be brave.”
Her heart calmed. She found strength in his words and his embrace and the husky timbre of his voice.
He chuckled. “Besides, what a disappointment for Topaz not to meet the king who hates cats.”
Arundel
They halted a short distance from the castle, several groups ahead of them queuing to enter the gate. Rosamunda opened her arms high and wide, her eyes bulging.
Adam too was awed by the splendor of Arundel. “You are right. It is huge. I’ve heard about it, but it’s my first visit.”
Rosamunda frowned.
Adam shrugged. “The Montbryces and the Montgomerys were never friends. My uncle, the Earl of Ellesmere, considered the late Roger de Montgomery a cruel beast of a man. He treated him with the respect due a fellow earl, but avoided him whenever possible.”
He glanced at Paulina. Her rigid spine and clenched jaw betrayed her fear. Adam was apprehensive too. He had often seen smirks and taunts directed at Denis. There were no doubt people like Maudine Lallement and Letyce Revandel at Arundel. His gut clenched at the prospect of meeting the whore again.
Denis appeared relaxed as he helped Paulina stuff Topaz into her satchel under the watchful eye of Nox, but Adam had seen that icy calm before. His brother was preparing for the battle ahead.
Adam must prepare too. There was not only Rosamunda to protect. Some would mock his deafness. And if they ever discovered his other secret—
He dismissed the fear as unlikely. Only Rosamunda and Denis knew, apart from his family in Normandie. He was confident they would not betray him.
To calm everyone’s nervousness, he recited the history of the castle. “As you see, it commands the landscape. It was founded on Christmas Day in the year of our Lord One Thousand and Sixty-Seven.”
Paulina gasped. “Only a year to the day after the Conqueror was crowned at Westminster.”
Denis chuckled. “You know your history, ma petite.”
Lucien chimed in. “Paulina has always been rapt with attention whenever we have talked about the years of the conquest. Of course, it took years after the founding to complete the castle.”
Paulina blushed. It gladdened Adam’s heart. Denis was making progress with his reluctant bride to be.
He decided to continue. Henry might be impressed if his unusual guests knew something of the castle he loved. “Oui, the Conqueror granted Montgomery large tracts of land and the earldom, on condition he build a castle near the mouth of the River Arun, to protect coastal Sussex from attack. It’s also the closest to Normandie so reinforcements could be brought quickly in the event of a Saxon revolt, a distinct possibility in the early days of Norman rule.”
Denis took up the account. “With typical arrogance, Montgomery believed he should have all of Sussex. He was furious when Ram de Montbryce was granted eighty six manors there. Oncle Ram in turn deeded several of them to his brothers, Antoine and Hugh. That’s how my stepfather gained control of East Preston, Poling and the remainder. The Conqueror was careful not to give anyone too much power.”
Adam snorted. Mention of Montgomery invariably set a Montbryce on edge. “Besides, the man did not fight at Hastings, whereas my father and his brothers played an important role in the Norman victory. Roger stayed in Normandie to keep the peace for William, who was his cousin, by the way.”
Vincent joined the conversation. “Henry is expanding the castle. When we pass through the gate, you’ll see they are adding a vault for a portcullis.”
Adam winked at Rosamunda. “Montgomery is probably turning over in his tomb.”
She grinned, pointing to the Keep towering over the gatehouse, tracing its crenelated shape in the air with an outstretched hand.
It dawned on Adam neither of the women had seen a castle before. “It is high. Mottes are always raised so the Keep atop it has a commanding view, but Montgomery outdid himself here. As you can see this earthwork is at least a hundred feet high. It has two baileys, one to the north, and the other to the east. It’s impressive.”
Rosamunda touched his arm, shading her eyes with her free hand. “Normandie?”
Her bright anticipation elated him. “Oui, I am sure you can see Normandie from up there. We’ll find out.”
Rosamunda grinned, clenching her fists in glee, her shoulders hunched, bursting with excitement. Her thirst to experience sights and sounds she had been denied brought home to him how blasé he had become. He resolved to look at things in the future as if it was the first time he was seeing them. He could no longer depend on his ears. It was time he used his eyes to the fullest.
* * *
“My sister is full of life,” Paulina murmured wistfully.
Why can I not be like her?
She felt the strength in Denis’ arm. The tension that had rippled through him as they journeyed was gone. He had grown strangely calm. She stole a glance at his face. There was a glint in his eye, as if he relished the coming fray. Their eyes met. He smiled, sending winged creatures fluttering through her veins.
“Are you ready, my lady?”
Strangel
y, she was.
* * *
A rapid pulse in his throat made it hard for Denis to swallow. He had faced taunts and ridicule before and invariably walked away unscathed. Now he had more to protect—the honor and happiness of his betrothed. What happened to her in Arundel would affect their future forever. Her wistful remark betrayed her longing to be more like her sister, to be free of her fear. He worried he might kill anyone who looked at her the wrong way.
He had learned over the years that allowing his emotions to control him was the best way to lose a confrontation. Paulina had tied his heart in knots. He inhaled deeply, bracing for the test ahead as Adam signaled the party to move forward through the impressive vaulted stone gateway of Arundel Castle.
King Henry
Vincent and Lucien flanked the others as they made their way to the bailey. Most of the gawks and stares were directed at Denis, but few let their gaze linger in the face of stony glares from four knights.
Rosamunda glanced over to her sister. Some of the fear had left her face as they proceeded without being molested or challenged.
Adam dismounted, then helped her down from Lux. “Only a few paid any attention to Paulina,” he whispered. “They perhaps took her for a child.”
Rosamunda was relieved yet saddened. It was an unhappy truth that wherever Paulina went she would be stared at and mayhap taunted.
Indeed, once Paulina was on her feet, people turned to stare and nudge each other. Denis gallantly proffered his arm to his betrothed. “The secret, my lady, is to pretend they do not exist. Or, if you feel in need of amusement, imagine them naked.”
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