Free Courtly Love by Lynn M. Bartlett Page A

with his plea to be allowed to stay, and groaning inwardly, Gyles agreed. His self-control was most sorely tried by Serena's appearance and he could foresee nothing but frustration for the remainder of the day. Nevertheless, he dismounted and seated himself on the blanket Serena had brought and watched as Alan's instruction continued. As the sound of their laughter rang clearly over the water and onto the bank, Gyles felt suddenly excluded from their fun—and this exclusion brought an unfamiliar pang to his heart. Serena had momentarily halted Alan's lesson, and the two of them capered in the pond, splashing each other with water, while Alan tried futilely to catch hold of Serena's leg to drag her beneath the water. Laughing, Serena eluded Alan and swam farther out into the pond where Alan knew he could not follow.
    "Not fair, Serena, not fair!" Alan wailed. He turned to Gyles in mute appeal.
    Unhappy with his role of spectator, Gyles sprang to his feet and stripped to his loincloth. Serena stopped swimming and trod the water as she watched Gyles bend down and whisper to Alan. The boy nodded in vigorous agreement and then Gyles began to swim toward Serena. As Serena realized Gyles's intent, she gave a small shriek and she heard Alan laugh. Watching Gyles, Serena knew she could not hope to reach the opposite bank, for he was by far the faster swimmer, but there was the chance she could avoid him. Taking a deep breath, Serena sank beneath the surface and struck out at an angle that would carry her off to Gyles's right. She swam until she was sure her lungs would burst before she surfaced. Serena sucked in several deep breaths of air before her ankle was seized in a vise-like grip and she felt herself being pulled downward. Frantically her arms flailed about her and her hand made contact with Gyles's head. Serena's fingers tangled themselves in his hair and she gave a vicious tug. Gyles's hold loosened for an instant, and Serena kicked her foot free and struck out with her other foot, which made contact with Gyles's chest. She shot upward. When Gyles surfaced beside her, Serena was angry enough to give him a thorough dunking, but seeing the carefree grin on his face, she could do nothing but laugh back at him.
    For his part, Gyles felt more light-hearted and younger than he could remember. His anger with Serena for her imagined betrayal of him dissolved, as her blue eyes sparkled at him. How could any man—least of all himself—resist her teasing look? Gyles made as if to push Serena back into the depths of the pond, but out of sheer self-preservation, Serena wrapped her arms around Gyles's neck, so that if she went under, so did he. Gyles relented and instead playfully splashed a light spray of water against her cheek.
    "You nearly drowned me." Serena laughed.
    "I? Who was it that nearly sent me to the bottom of the pool? Nay, Serena, I think 'tis I who was nearly drowned." He felt Serena's arms slip from his neck and resisted the overpowering urge to pull her back against him. His world seemed lighter somehow—it was comfortable here with his wife and son, with none of the usual bitter undertones that were common at the castle. Gyles watched Serena floating beside him, her gold-streaked hair fanned out in the water around her. Gyles recalled his earlier mental accusations against his wife and wondered at them. Did he really believe that Serena sought to betray him? No, that was not possible. Although Gyles knew little enough about Serena, he did know that honor and faith were highly important to her. Serena would not break the sacred vows she had taken, for she would not shame herself in that manner. For all the harsh treatment and insults she had endured at Camden, Serena had not reviled him; had not, in fact, even spoken to him about the injuries done her—especially by Beda.
    That thought brought a frown to Gyles's face. Serena had been horrified and sickened when she learned about them—and Gyles had to admit he could