Free Desire by Jayne A. Krentz Page A

Desire," Clare said swiftly.
    "I'm sure that one can be found in Seabern. We shall make our vows in front of witnesses, and that is that."
    "But there is so much more to the matter," Clare protested. "A suitable celebration must be arranged.
    My marshal already has his hands full organizing the household to accommodate all of your men. He will need weeks to arrange a wedding banquet and a proper feast for the villagers."
    "I am certain all can be arranged very quickly once you have made your selection. A day or two at most," Gareth conceded.
    "You speak as one who has never had to organize such an event," she informed him with lofty disdain. "Great quantities of bread must be baked. Fish must be caught. Chickens plucked. Sauces prepared. Casks of wine and ale will have to be purchased. It will be necessary to send someone to Seabern to obtain some of the supplies."
    Gareth came to a halt and confronted her. "Lady, I have organized entire battles with less notice. But I am willing to be patient."
    "How patient?"
    "Now we are to bargain on that point? I begin to comprehend that I am to marry a woman with a head for business. Very well, my terms are simple. I shall allow you a day to make your decision and to prepare."
    "One day?"
    "Aye. An entire day. All of tomorrow, in fact. I am feeling in an indulgent mood."
    "You call that indulgent?"
    "I do. We shall be married the day after tomorrow even if we are obliged to serve naught but bad ale and stale bread at the banquet. Do you comprehend me?"
    "Sir, I am not one of your knights to be ordered about in such an overbearing manner."
    "And I am not one of your household servants or a fawning young minstrel devoted to serving your every whim," Gareth said calmly. "Unless you have decided that you wish to wed Nicholas of Seabern?"
    "I most certainly will not marry that obnoxious oaf."
    "Then I will soon be your lord and the lord of this manor. Tis best that you remember that when you think to gainsay me."
    "What I choose to remember is that I am the lady of Desire and I will expect to be treated with the respect that is my due."
    Gareth took a single step forward. He was pleased when Clare stood her ground, but he was careful not to show his satisfaction. He was, after all, well skilled in the arts of combat. He knew better than most that it was extremely unwise to show weakness of any kind.
    "Be assured that you have my respect, madam. But you cannot avoid the facts. Lord Thurston has commanded you to wed as soon as possible."
    Clare tapped Thurston's letter against her palm and regarded Gareth with narrowed eyes. "Are you quite certain that you did not overtake my other suitors on the road, do something dreadful to them, and then write this letter yourself?"
    "That is Thurston of Landry's seal. Surely you recognize it."
    "Seals may be stolen or duplicated and used for fraudulent purposes."
    Clare brightened. "Aye. I should have thought of that immediately. 'Tis quite likely that this seal is false. I shall have to write to Lord Thurston to ascertain if he actually wrote this particular letter."
    Gareth regarded her with dawning amazement. Clare certainly did not surrender easily, not even to the inevitable. "Madam?"
    "Twill no doubt take several days, mayhap weeks, to receive an answer from your father. 'Tis unfortunate, of course, but we shall have to postpone the selection of a husband until he sends a message to me verifying that this letter is genuine."
    "Hell's teeth."
    Her eyes shone with a mock innocence that did not completely veil the underlying shrewdness. "Only think of the complications that would ensue if I were to act in haste."
    Gareth caught her chin on the edge of his hand and leaned very close to brush his mouth lightly across hers.
    "Give it up, lady," he said softly. "The letter is genuine. Your lord, my father, wants you safely wed as soon as possible. There is no way out of this snare. Go and see to the preparations for our marriage banquet because, unless you