BindingPassion by Katherine Kingston Read Free Book Online Page A

lord. She was bombarded with questions about him, making her
realize how little she actually knew about Sir Philip as she tried to respond
to the curiosity. Through her own answers, she also realized how much doubt she
still harbored about him. On the issue of whether they could trust him to stay
around to lead and protect, she could say only that he’d said he would, and she
thought it was true. She hoped it was true.
    She occasionally caught sight of their new lord as he, too,
moved among the gathered crowds, introducing himself and engaging folks in
conversation. More than once she heard him laugh. The sound worked its way into
her heart.
    Mary had just gotten a cup of cider and was enjoying a quiet
moment to sip it when she spied him talking with two young women.
    Alspeth was married with two small children and another one
on the way. Yviane was unmarried but had already borne one child without
benefit of clergy and would likely bear more. She was reputed to be
well-acquainted with all the men in the area under the age of forty, and a few
of the more vigorous elders as well.
    From her vantage point, Mary could see only the young
woman’s back and a thin sliver of her side, but she could read the come-hither
wiggle of hips and shoulders with no difficulty. The sudden surge of fury
rising from her gut took her completely by surprise. She’d rejected Sir
Philip’s suit, though he’d refused to take it for that. What right had she to
object if he sought relief elsewhere?
    Nonetheless, her fingers tightened around the pottery cup
until they would have dug into any softer material. Mary drew a deep breath and
tried to calm herself, reminded herself she had no claim on Philip. It served
little purpose, however.
    She only began to calm again when Philip turned away to face
a group of men who’d come up to him. The two young women blushed and giggled as
they walked away, apparently sharing their approval of the new lord. Not that
they cared much about his character. They knew only that he was strong,
handsome, virile, and available. What more could a shallow, silly girl want?
    “Your expression tells more than you might wish, my lady.”
    Mary shook herself and turned to face Brianne. The woman was
older than herself and the healer, herbalist and midwife for the estate. She
was also Mary’s closest friend.
    “And what does it say?” Mary asked.
    Brianne’s eyebrows slid up as she followed Mary’s former
line of site unerringly toward Sir Philip. “Dare we trust him? A man so
well-favored, so strong and straight, so well-spoken and powerful. Can he be
true? Can he be what we need to lead us in rebuilding to become prosperous
again? Can he be what Lady Mary needs to heal the wounds of the past?”
    “You’ve seen all that in my expression?”
    Brianne shrugged. “I’ve known you from your earliest days,
my lady.”
    “And what say you to those questions?”
    Brianne’s expression grew more serious. “My lady, I believe
he might indeed be all he seems.”
    “Perhaps,” she agreed. “Time will prove it one way or
another.”
    “Aye.”
    “Is it true he made an offer and you declined?”
    Mary sighed. “He made an offer. I explained my…limitations
as a bride for him.”
    “And?”
    “He has great confidence in his persuasive abilities.”
    “Ah,” Brianne said, an expression that told Mary little.
    “Ah—what?”
    Brianne grinned. “I believe I could learn to like Sir Philip
a great deal.” She drew a long breath and her expression turned more serious.
“My lady, if you’ll listen to my advice…don’t fight him. You’ve little left to
lose and much to gain, and he’s no Sir Benwyck. Marriage is always a gamble and
a struggle, yet in Sir Philip, I think you have a better chance than you’d any
reason to expect.”
    “I tend to agree, but it’s not truly him I’m fighting. It’s
myself.”
    Brianne nodded. “Let him help you win the fight. Even if he
isn’t all we hope, he isn’t what we