The Saxon Bride (The Norman Conquest Series) by Ashley York Read Free Book Online Page B

believe what she said. To make such an accusation against William's man was outrageous. He watched as she stiffly crossed the hall to the stairs, the slight sway of her hips a reminder of how he hoped the meal would end. Instead she was angry with him again.
    John planned to win Rowena with his charming ways , but instead she'd earned his regard by showing herself to be a gently raised woman with compassion for even younglings. The look of disappoint that swept across the face of the young serving girl made him regret his unkind dismissal. But before he'd been able to remedy the situation, Rowena's enthusiasm had brought a smile back to the child's face. His urge to kiss his thoughtful wife had been more than a lustful show of ownership. He'd been overwhelmed by her consideration for those beneath her station. The bard was the same.
    When she dismissed the lusty kitchen servant, he liked that she was staking a claim on him. It gave him hope. Now this.
    Closing his eyes in frustration, he fought to control his own ardor at the mere thought of her. She required his patience. He could win her over. The knowledge that the king required consummation, and John now whole-heartedly agreed, made biding his time a tactic he'd prefer not to use.
    Across the dimly lit hall, he saw a man quickly follow up the stairs Rowena had just ascended. Her man-at-arms? Arthur? Unaware that he had risen from the table until Peter stood at his side, John's disbelief quickly turned into an even stronger emotion. Betrayal.
    "John, what is amiss?" Tracking his gaze, Peter reacted as any friend would. "That man is certainly always underfoot isn't he?"
    "Isn't he, though ?" John's tossed his cup down and stalked across the hall. Silence fell over the room but John could not think clearly. What was Arthur doing following his wife? Why would the king’s guard molest her? None of this made sense but if Arthur was who John was beginning to believe him to be, there would be bloodshed this very night.
    Peter stood at John's elbow before he reached the stairs. "Please, calm yourself before you go up there."
    His voice landed on John's ears as if through a fog. He would not wait. "Step aside. You do not understand."
    "Perhaps I do." Peter dragged at his arm, his voice quiet. "I have kept your secret about Rowena."
    John glanced up the stairs, but shook his head hoping to clear it. He reluctantly tried to make sense out of what his friend said. "What secret?"
    " Had William known you left Rowena intact, he would have been furious. He desires Norman-Saxon children to solidify his claim. You choosing not to do your duty could be considered treason."
    Peter spoke the truth. William was like a father to him but , as his leader, John obeyed his orders. William had all but commanded John to get his wife with child, yet he left her untouched.
    "Did you see how crazed she behaved that day? She would have cut my throat had I stayed here. I would not have gotten within an arm's length of her without a guard on either side. Or should I have sought their assistance in the bedding of my wife?"
    John defended his actions but now knew that his concerns had been unfounded. She would have accepted him as her husband, and he wouldn't now be panting at her heels. A flash of Rowena's writhing body sent a shiver of desire coursing through his body. Was Arthur now getting what she had refused him earlier?
    Peter dragged John deeper into the darkened stairs and looked to see that no one else could hear them. "You don't recognize Stephen, do you?" It sounded like an accusation, and John shook his head. "He is Adele's affianced."
    Adele was one of William's children, his only daughter. "Are you certain?"
    "William sent him to train with you so he could learn how to be a better man. William sees he leaves much to be desired as a son-in-law but Adele will not hear of marrying anyone else. She has her eyes set on Stephen. William's only hope is that he can learn from you."
    John knew that