Free Hellion by Bertrice Small Page A

me aside without cause, and I have no recourse. English law and Church law are both on your side. My father was not unkind to me, but he was never good to my mother. I should rather remain unwed than live that kind of life. Oh, you may promise me not to be that way. Perhaps you might even mean it as you said the words, but in the end it would be the same for me as it was for my mother,” Belle concluded.
    “My mother died shortly after my birth, and my father at Hastings, as you know,” he began. “I was raised by my grandparents. Never in all my life did Cedric Merlin-sone raise his hand to his wife, the lady Emma. My grandmother has a fierceNorman temper even as you do, ma Belle, but even her outbursts could not make grandfather angry enough to beat her. Many men would have, I know that, but not my grandfather.
    “My grandparents have lived their lives together as equal partners, even as King William and good Queen Matilda did, may God assoil their souls. That is the kind of marriage I offer you, Isabelle of Langston. You will not be my servant. You will be my companion. You will be the mother of my children. If I must go to war in the king’s name, you will be my regent here at Langston. I do not know how else to reassure you than to tell you these things. Neither of us has a choice in the matter. The king has said we must marry. I have pledged my loyalty to Henry Beauclerc, and will obey his commands. I know you are an honorable woman. Can you do any less?”
    “Will you put your words in writing?” Belle demanded.
    “Would you sue me then, ma douce ?” He was amused. “Besides, you cannot read, and would not know if the words were true.”
    “I trust you to make them true, my lord,” she answered.
    He was amazed. “You would trust me, Belle? Why?”
    “Because you are not like my father, or my brothers,” she said simply.
    It was the most astounding avowal of faith that had ever been given to him. To refuse her confidence would be unchivalrous. “I will have Father Bernard write whatever words you dictate, ma Belle, and I will sign it in your presence. In return you must do something forme. I want you to learn how to read, and to write. You will be a much better chatelaine for it. Will you promise me that?” He turned her about so that she was facing him.
    “Who will teach me, my lord?” she wondered.
    “Father Bernard will teach you,” he told her. “Will you learn?”
    “Aye, my lord, I will learn, and gladly, but will he also teach me numbers, too?” She looked eagerly up at him. “If you andRolf de Briard go away and leave me in charge, I must be certain the books are properly kept; that we are not cheated.”
    He nodded, thinking as he did that she had the most beautiful eyes. Not the soft blue of her mother’s, but a mysterious green-gold, like a sun-dappled pond in the deep forest. Unable to help himself, he brushed her lips with his.
    She drew back, her eyes darkening, half angry, half puzzled. “Why did you do that, my lord?” she demanded.
    “I but sealed our bargain with a kiss, ma Belle,” he said seriously.
    “Is such a thing always done?”
    “Have you never been kissed before?” he answered her question with a question, knowing the answer before she spoke it.
    “Who is there to kiss me, sir, and why would they want to?” Isabelle said irritably. “I am not some giggling serf girl, eager for a tumble in the woods. I saw my father kiss my mother only once, when he went off upon his crusade with Duke Robert.”
    “Kissing is a fine, old sport,” Hugh told her with a quick smile. “My grandfather loved catching my grandmother unawares and giving her a loving kiss. We shall learn to know one another better if we practice kissing on a regular basis, ma Belle.”
    “You are making fun of me,” she said. “I do not like to be mocked, my lord. There is absolutely no practical use for mashing one’s lips together that I can see.”
    Hugh chuckled. “You are young, and you