The Warrior and the Dove - A Short Novel (Medieval Chronicles) by Julia Byrne Read Free Book Online Page B

go
limp against him, while she trembled in response to the intense sensations winging
through her body.
    When he finally
lifted his head, she thought she would feel the force of that kiss forever,
through her entire body, as if he had marked her as his.
    “I don’t think
either of us need worry about taking holy vows,” he said, his gaze holding
hers. “Except those we exchange before a priest.”
    He was
relentless. How could she make any decisions when she was still shaking with
desires and needs she had never felt before? And what of him? Would a man marry
a woman he knew nothing about merely because she was running from something?
Was it only gallantry on his part?
    “How can I
answer you?” she asked, trying to put her confusion into words. “All this is
beyond my knowledge. I don’t know why you would want to do this for me?”
    “I know you don’t
understand,” he murmured. “But you’ll know more of me after we’re married. You
just need to trust that I’ll never hurt you.”
    She did know
that, Annith thought. She did trust him not to hurt her physically, but he was
asking her to put her entire trust in him, and from some ancient well of
feminine wisdom came a nudge toward caution. She sensed there might be a
different risk involved here, something she couldn’t name.
    Before she could
try to explain, Hugh bent and kissed her lightly on the lips. “We had best
return to Martin and Herleve,” he said, releasing her and taking her hand.
“They’ll be wondering what’s happened to us.”
    How could he be
so calm after that kiss, Annith wondered, as she followed Hugh into the
kitchen. She still felt shaken, utterly overwhelmed. And yet…from the moment he
had taken her in his arms, she had also felt cherished.
    Herleve turned
from the large cooking pot simmering over the fire and smiled at them as they
entered. “Well?” she asked, as if everything should now be settled.
    Martin looked up
with an expectant air.
    What was she
supposed to say? ’Twas obvious they trusted Hugh without reservation.
And she didn’t know how to put her doubts into words.
    Her lips parted,
she almost spoke, almost said that she must stand firm against him. But then
she remembered the note in Hugh’s voice when he had swept her into his embrace.
He was risking something, too, she realized suddenly. As far as he knew she
could agree to marry him simply for protection, or to escape whatever terror
was snapping at her heels. He didn’t even know what he might have to confront
on her behalf.
    “What if I bring
danger to you?” she asked sharply, fear putting an edge on the words.
    He merely
quirked a brow. “Does this concern for my safety mean you’re going to marry
me?”
    “Nay!” She
almost stamped a foot in frustration at the black void in her mind. “How can I?
If only I could remember. I remember meeting those boys, and being in a
convent. Why can’t I recall what hap…what hap…” She broke off with a gasp, pressing
a hand to her stomach as nausea struck. Then, gritting her teeth, got out, “What
happened in between.”
    Hugh had an arm
around her in an instant, drawing her close. “Do you turn as white as a wraith
whenever you try to remember?” he demanded, his face grim.
    “That she does,”
Herleve said, moving quickly around the table to help him lower her onto a
stool.
    “But I didn’t
feel sick when I spoke of the battle,” Annith protested. “Or of walking through
the forest. So why now? Why ?”
     “Don’t try
to remember now,” he said gently, hunkering down before her and chafing some
warmth back into her hands. “You should rest. I have to return to the castle in
any case; another line of petitioners will be forming. But I’ll be back this
evening.”
    Suddenly she
felt so weary she could have put her head down on the table and slept right
there. But she summoned a smile and nodded.
    Hugh lifted her
fingers to his lips and kissed them. “Remember you’re no longer alone in