My Heart Belongs to You (Medieval Romance Trilogy Book 3) by Bale Leigh

Author:Bale, Leigh [Bale, Leigh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: medieval romance, Scottish
Publisher: LAS Publishing
Published: 2014-09-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

The flickering light of the tallow candles sent shadows chasing about the room. When Ysabelle curled against Nicholas, he almost cheered. Victory!

And so the assault began. For the better part of an hour, he did nothing but kiss her until she no longer evaded him. Their breath mingled in sweet torture. Their lovemaking seemed surreal and exquisite.

Through the single window in the room, Nicholas saw that dawn had broken over the land. Streams of morning sunlight spread across the stone floor.

“Lord Marshal will attack soon,” Ysabelle observed quietly.

“Shh,” he quieted her with another kiss. “Don’t invite the English into our chamber just now. Think only of me, Ysabelle. Think only of what we share. You and me. Alone with no one else to interfere.”

She kissed him and his heart soared. Never before had he known such feelings. Nothing had ever felt so wonderful, so complete.

A pounding filled the room and he drew back, shaking his head.

“Lord Nicholas! The English approach. They wish to converse with you.” A loud voice cried against the solid panel of the door.

Again the knocking resumed, blending with the hammering of Nicholas’s blood against his temples.

In a single bound, he was off the bed. Sword in hand, he threw open the solid oak. Standing naked as the day he was born, he shielded Ysabelle from view and glowered at the intruder. Ysabelle dove underneath the covers and clutched the soft bedding around her.

“What is it?” Nicholas barked, his expression tight and angry as he faced one of his men.

“Your pardon, my lord. But the English await you outside the keep. They ride beneath a white flag and wish to speak with you. I believe they seek a truce.”

Nodding his head, Nicholas cast a quick glance toward Ysabelle. She had curled against the pillows, watching him with wide eyes.

“I will be there shortly,” Nicholas bit out the words before closing the door.

He moved about the room, gathering his clothes and jerking them on. Ysabelle sat up, chewing her bottom lip nervously. “Do you think Lord Marshal might agree to leave us in peace?”

The note of hope in her voice was unmistakable.

“I doubt it. More than likely, he will demand my surrender before they attack the castle.”

Such was the way of war. There would be no disgrace to surrender now, before the siege. Ysabelle and her people would be spared any brutality. If Nicholas surrendered after the siege began, the English could kill many of Sutcliffe’s people, depending on how merciful they felt and what their own losses had been.

Regardless of the outcome, Nicholas knew Ysabelle would not be harmed, though she could end up living the rest of her life in a nunnery after all.

“Will you swear an oath of allegiance to King William?” she asked.

He didn’t look at her as he donned his hauberk and sheathed his sword at his side. “I was raised a Scotsman, though my real father was English.”

“Perhaps King William will agree to a truce if you swear allegiance to him,” she suggested.

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