He nodded, though he still had every intention of stopping her.
“Tomorrow I am to be married.”
The surge of disappointment in his chest caught him by surprise. Although he was told the castle was crowded because of a wedding, it had not occurred to him that this achingly lovely girl could be the bride.
When he did not speak, she evidently concluded more explanation was required to convince him to let her go. “I do not expect this will be a happy marriage for me,” she said, lifting her chin. “My betrothed is a man I can neither like nor admire.”
“Then you must tell your father; perhaps he will change his mind.” Even as he said it, William knew that with the wedding set for tomorrow, it was far too late for this.
“I am the only heir to an important castle,” she said impatiently. “I could not expect my father or the king to take my wishes into account in deciding what man will have it.”
“What is your objection to the man?” William had no right to ask, but he wanted to know. He wondered if this young innocent was being married off to some lecher old enough to be her grandfather. It was common enough.
“He has meanness in him, I have seen it.” Her eyes were solemn and unblinking. “He is not a man to be trusted.”
Her response surprised him once again. Yet, he did not doubt she gave him the truth as she saw it.
“Tomorrow I will do what my father and my king require of me and wed this man. From that time forward, I will have to do as my husband bids and submit to him in all things.”
William, of course, thought of the man taking her to bed and wondered if she truly understood all that her words implied.
“Tonight you must let me have this last hour of freedom,” she said, her voice determined. “It is not so much to ask.”
William could have told her she should trust the judgment of her father and her king, that surely they would not give her to a man so undeserving. But he did not believe it himself.
“I will ride with you,” he said, “or you shall not go.”
She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him for a long moment. With the lamp at his back, the girl could not see him nearly as well as he could see her. A double advantage, since he did not want to frighten her. He was well aware that, despite his youth, there was something about his strong features and serious countenance that intimidated even experienced warriors.
“You must let me do that for you,” he said, holding out his hand for the bridle. He almost sighed aloud in relief when she finally nodded and dropped it in his hand.
As he saddled the horses, he tried to ignore the voice in the back of his head telling him this was madness. God’s beard, the king himself had a hand in arranging this marriage. If he was caught taking her out alone at night on the eve of her wedding, the king would have him flailed alive.
“Keep your head down,” he instructed as they rode across the outer bailey toward the gate. “Make certain your cloak covers your gown—and every strand of that fair hair.”
The guards remembered he arrived carrying messages from Northumberland, “the “King-maker.” They gave him no trouble.
William and the girl rode out into the cold, starlit night. Once they reached the path that ran along the river, she took the lead. She rode her horse hard, as if chased by the devil. When at last she reined her horse in, William pulled up beside her, his horse’s sides heaving.
“Thank you for this,” she said, giving him a smile that made his heart tighten in his chest.
His breath came quickly as he stared at her. She was stunning with her face aglow with happiness and her fair hair shining all about her in the moonlight. When she flung her arms out and threw her head back to laugh at the stars, he stopped breathing altogether.
Before he could gather his wits, she slipped off her horse and ran up the riverbank. He tied their horses and followed. Pushing aside thoughts of how dangerous it was for them to be here, he spread his cloak for her on the damp ground beneath the trees.
She sat beside him in silence, her gaze fixed on the swath of moonlight reflected on the moving surface of the dark river below. As she watched the river, he studied her profile and breathed in her scent. He thought she had long since forgotten his presence when she finally spoke.
“I will remember this night always,” she said, giving his hand a quick squeeze. “I will hold it to my heart as a happy memory when I have need of one.”
He took hold of her hand when she touched him and did not let it go.
She fell silent again, and he sensed that her thoughts, unlike his own, were far away again. Experienced as he was with women, he was surprised by his intense reaction to this girl. All of his senses were alive with the nearness of her—his skin almost vibrated with it. And yet, he felt a profound happiness just sitting here with her and gazing at the river on this chilly autumn night. He never wanted to leave.
When she shivered, he forced himself to break the spell. “You are cold, and we have been gone too long already. If someone notices you are missing…”
He did not finish. She knew as well as he the disaster that would follow if she were caught. Resigned, she let him help her to her feet.
They rode back at a slower pace, riding side by side this time, still saying little. William tried to fix it all in his memory: the moonlight, the dark river, the gentle snorting of their horses. The girl, he knew, he could not forget.