Claire Delacroix by Enchanted

Author:Enchanted
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Annelise fell silent for a long moment.

Rolfe knew his guess made good sense, for he knew of one Quinn de Sayerne. That must be the older brother who had left home young, but Rolfe knew nothing of his being cruel.

Annelise cleared her throat to continue, and Rolfe abandoned his speculative thoughts.

“The lord, of course, was enraged. The overlord, though, had feared this response and, out of necessity of protecting the only heir to the estate whose whereabouts were known, had sent an armed guard to watch over the lady while she nursed the babe. The lord took out his vengeance upon his villeins, and the land soon abounded with his bastards.

“None were good enough, though, for none bore the stamp of legitimacy.”

Annelise flicked a glance at Rolfe, and he did not look away from the pain in her amber eyes. She turned aside first, frowning into the flames once more before she continued.

“The armed guard, of course, could not stay forever. When the child was weaned at two years of age, the soldiers left.” Her brows arched and her voice broke slightly, though she did not look up. Her fingers traced a pattern on the stone floor. “They left the lady and her child alone in that keep with a lord who was good at saving his anger.”

Annelise flicked a glance around the barren tower as. though seeing it for the first time. Rolfe saw tears gleam on her lashes, and she cleared her throat.

“They say a small child cannot recall events.” Her gaze locked with Rolfe’s as though she dared him to challenge her. “They are wrong,” she said bitterly. “I recall every moment of that night.”

Confession made, she continued with increasing speed. “I remember the fear on my mother’s face when he knocked on the door. I remember the sweet cajoling of his voice as he lied, to convince her to unlock the door. I recall every heartbeat of the eternal moment that it took her to lift the latch. Even then, I sensed the doubt in her mind.”

Annelise sighed. “But I suppose she did not feel she had the right to refuse her rightful husband entry to his own solar. And perhaps she believed he would not harm her in front of me.”

Annelise shook her head. “She erred.”

The fire crackled before them, and even without knowing the entire tale, Rolfe felt an echo of his wife’s pain. She had been but a child! “I can see him still as he leapt through that doorway, as drunken and disheveled as ever he was. She shrank back, while he bellowed that she had shirked her debt to grant him a son.

“And then he began to beat her. It was horrifying to watch, for he clearly derived great pleasure from making the pain last and last. My mother bled, she wept, she screamed, she cried, she begged, but nothing could turn him from his path. His eyes glowed, I swear to you he laughed, his curses falling unabated until my mother fell bonelessly to the floor.

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