A Promise of Tomorrow (Medieval Runaway Wives Book 2) by Alexa Aston

Author:Alexa Aston [Aston, Alexa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, romance, Historical
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2020-09-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

“There. In the distance. That’s Stanbury.”

Marielle heard the pride in Ashby’s voice as she turned to view the Montayne estate. It was breathtaking. She couldn’t imagine living in so grand a castle.

Ashby spurred Lightning on. She sensed his eagerness at returning home. She envied him the feeling. She’d never had strong ties nor fond memories to anywhere she lived. The convent had no sense of family within its cold walls. By the time she returned to her parents’ home, she possessed few clear recollections of it. With all her brothers and sisters gone, it did not seem like a place she belonged.

And Monteville? The chateau had never been welcoming. She’d experienced nothing but isolation and loneliness there and she’d never seemed to fit in. She became a caged bird taken out on occasion for Jean-Paul’s pleasure. She had no friends within its walls and had certainly never been a true chatelaine of the castle in any real sense while living there.

What did her future hold? What lay in store for her at Stanbury? How would she be treated? Panicked, Marielle suddenly wondered what they knew of her.

“Ashby?”

“Yes?”

“Do Lord and Lady Montayne know I am coming? Do they know my circumstances? I cannot believe I just now thought to ask this, and here we are, practically upon their doorstep.”

He laughed, the rich sound that she’d grown to love. “I sent a messenger ahead, Marielle. I will let you choose what you wish to reveal to them. All my missive said is that I was bringing a visitor from Bordeaux and to prepare a bedchamber.”

Her belly knotted. Her idyllic time with Ashby was about to end. She’d enjoyed the evenings in London after he returned from business. They would dine on Maude’s heavenly meals and then talk far into the night. She dreamed of them as a couple, longing for his companionship.

And love.

Yet there’d been no walks in the moonlight. No stolen kisses in the shadows. He’d not acted in a loving manner toward her since they set foot in England. Kind, yes. Solicitous? Always. But he’d shown none of the fire of desire since they’d left France. It was as if he banked it, holding at bay the dizzying emotions from before. Must he seek Garrett and Madeleine’s approval first? She knew Ashby’s attachment toward them ran deep. As a knight in service to Lord Montayne, would he be obligated to seek their permission before pressing his suit regarding her? Is that how custom ran in England?

Or had she read more into his actions than she should have? She’d set out with two plans in mind. She knew she could always go to Sisters of Merciful Heart for sanctuary but instead she’d followed her heart—and the more dangerous course—by first reaching out to Ashby for help. Since he so willingly committed to aiding her, and because she was now widowed, she assumed he would take care of her. By wedding her.

Had she been wrong about him?

Now, she would be among strangers while he would be surrounded by those he cherished.

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