The Redeeming by Tamara Leigh Read Free Book Online Page B

knew he was among the shadows. Now, as she rose from the altar where she had knelt the past quarter hour, he stepped into the light.
    “You will sit with me, Sir Matthew?”
    He almost winced at the name he had given her. Suppressing the urge to set her right, he nodded.
    She crossed to the bench, unclasped her mantle, and drew it from her shoulders. Despite the mass of hair that fell nearly to her hips, there was no concealing her figure in the simple gown cut of dark blue cloth. Though her shape was not much different from a boy’s—small breasts, a slight pinch to the waist, and hips that possessed little flare—it was not displeasing, for the lady was well-proportioned and did not slump in an attempt to appear nearer the ideal height for a woman. Indeed, as if to defy any who might counsel otherwise, she stood erect with shoulders square. Because, unlike most men, he stood taller than she?
    Struck by the realization there were few men in England who would match well with Lady Gaenor, he frowned. Was this the reason the eldest Wulfrith sister had thrice suffered a broken betrothal? That none of those to whom she was promised could bear to be looked down upon by a wife? Might his own betrothal to the lady, which he had embraced only for the peace and healing it would bring to his people, be the work of God?
    Christian saw that she watched him. Though her gaze had been level moments earlier, there was now wariness there. Lest his thoughtless scrutiny cause her to flee, he softened his mouth into a smile.
    It did not put her at ease, as evidenced by the white-knuckled hand with which she gripped the mantle.
    Christian gestured for her to sit and, when she hesitated, seated himself. When she finally joined him on the bench, she did not perch on the edge as she had done before but sat back and carefully arranged the mantle on her lap.
    “I thank you for coming, Sir Matthew.” She looked up, and he was relieved to see her wariness had cleared.
    “I thank you for asking, though I am curious as to your reason, especially after my unforgivable trespass on that first day.”
    “It is not unforgivable, Sir Matthew. Were it, I would not have requested that you attend me again.”
    “I am pleased.” He smiled again, this time larger.
    From the slight tuck of her lips, she was tempted to respond in kind.
    “Is there some way I may be of service, my lady?”
    “Simply by meeting with me again, you are of great service.” She smoothed a hand over the mantle. “As you surely know, I have been long within these walls and with little companionship excepting that which my brothers are able to spare away from their duties.”
    “But surely there are others at Wulfen who attend you and would be better company than I?”
    “There are a few to whom I have been entrusted, but they are duty bound. You, Sir Matthew, are not, and yet you attend me of your own accord. Why?”
    Now was the time to reveal himself, before his deception became further entrenched. But though he could not hope for a better opportunity, he remained loath to do so. “As told, I am moved by your plight.”
    Her lids narrowed. “The plight of someone you do not know? Why?”
    “Few noble marriages are made for other than material gain, my lady. Thus, you are not alone in having others set your course.”
    Interest brightened her eyes, and she turned to more fully face him. “You also suffer from the prospect of an arranged marriage?”
    Suffer…
    Carefully choosing words that would not further complicate his deception, he said, “Like you, I am betrothed.” Was it disappointment that flickered across her face? “And the choice of whom I wed is denied me, but I would not call it suffering.” Indeed, though his initial response to the king’s decree was resentment and defiance, after grueling reflection on the benefits of wedding into the Wulfrith family, he had accepted the decision.
    “Then you have met the lady you are to wed?”
    Yet another