Battle-Torn Bride by Anne O'Brien

Author:Anne O'Brien [O’Brien, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-1-4089-3759-4
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2011-03-13T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Once more Beatrice stood on her battlement walk to watch him ride down the road across the Great Houghton estate.

I have spent my whole life watching Richard Stafford ride from me.

As on the previous occasion, he did not look back. So finally Beatrice would have left her vantage point, lifting her hands in a little gesture of despair, but then saw an approaching rider on the road. And knew it for her brother. As the two men drew abreast they stopped. Talked for a brief moment. She saw Richard look back, saw Ned raise his arm and gesture widely. Then with a clasp of hands they parted. Richard spurred his horse on and disappeared through the thick summer foliage of a small copse. Ned came on at a slower pace to the manor.

“I saw Richard Stafford on my way here.” Ned flung himself onto a bench in the Great Hall, stretched out his legs and fended off one of the hounds that came to sniff at his boots. “He greeted me with reserve—looked decidedly the worse for wear and chose to be noncommittal. Nor was he disposed to linger. He looked like a man with trouble on his mind.” Ned slid a keen glance her way. “His head wound appeared to be recent. More recent than the battle, I would say.”

“Yes.” Beatrice could not look at her brother. “There was a … an incident here. Lord Richard was injured. But is well enough now to ride.”

“Ah.” Ned now swung round and faced her directly as she brought him a cup of ale. He took it from her. “So what was he doing here? And what was the incident you so artfully concealed? The truth now, Beatrice.”

Beatrice put down the ale flagon. “I.” What could she say? “He came to offer his condolences … for William’s death. He. Lord Richard.” And then she could disguise the misery no longer. Covering her face with her hands she struggled for composure.

“Beatrice. What is it?” Shocked into action, Ned stood to fold his arms around her, even more concerned when she refused to rest there. “Tell me what happened.” But he thought that he knew.

She pushed herself to stand alone, allowing her hands to fall. Her eyes were wide and dark with distress. “I love him, Ned. I love him so much. And I know that he loves me—or he did before I made it impossible. But he killed William. And perhaps he did so because he wanted to remove the one barrier between us. Which would have been my dearest wish. And that would make me as guilty as Richard. William’s death would have been murder, committed by Richard and condoned by me! I will always love him but how can I be with him if that is so? Also, he said … he said …” She ran her tongue over dry lips. “He said that William was a traitor. And I told him it was a lie.”

So that was it, as he had feared.

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