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

brother. You’re finally home.”
    Home!
    A thick knot of emotion clogged Nicholas’s throat. Stillness settled over him, like a summer morning when the air smelled of freshly cut hay and baking bread. This was what he had always wanted. A place of belonging and people who needed him. With God’s grace, he’d now have a wife and children of his own.
    Always before, the emptiness had haunted him. Until now. Now, he had found his place and would never leave.
    Except in death.
     
    *
     
    Ysabelle raced through the main hall and up the spiral stairs to her bedchamber. She didn’t pause even to take a breath until safely inside, the solid door closed against intrusion. Breathless and shaking, she leaned her head against the stone wall, ignoring the abrasive texture against her skin. She wrapped her arms about her as a hoarse croak shuddered from her throat.
    A prisoner in her own home! Now the Scots Ram was inside Sutcliffe, he would be almost impossible to dislodge. It was her own fault for allowing him entrance. Maybe she’d made an error. But what choice did she have?
    She could only guess how much time she had before he forced her to the altar. He’d made it clear they would wed this evening. And if she refused, she wondered what new threats he might use against her. How could she stand against him if her people welcomed him? Once King William’s army arrived, Ysabelle doubted they would support the Ram’s cause, unless she married him. If her people refused to fight for his cause, Nicholas would be taken and killed.
    The thought brought a sinking of despair to her heart. She didn’t want anyone’s death.
    Pushing away from the wall, she decided not to wait for Ada to attend her. Though her body thrummed with exhaustion and she longed for a bath, she tossed a simple gown of black linen across the bed. Tearing the cloak and ruined nightdress from her body, she dipped her hands into a bowl of tepid water and washed vigorously. After drying herself, she pulled the gown over her head. The dark color suited her mood.
    Kneeling down, she started a fire in the brazier and set a small cauldron of water over the flames to heat for tea. Sprinkling chamomile leaves into the boiling water, she left it to steep and sat before the looking glass. She undid the scraggly braid and brushed her hair, trying to soothe her disheveled nerves. Her reflection looked no different. Yet, inside, she seethed with turmoil. Sir Malcolm had all but stolen her innocence. If she let him, Nicholas Ramsay would complete the conquering.
    Ada rapped on the door and peeked inside. Ysabelle almost sent her away but knew the woman was concerned about her. Instead, she waved for the woman to attend her.
    Wringing her hands, Ada grimaced. “Why did you let them inside the castle, child? What were you thinking?”
    Ysabelle had no answer. She’d asked herself the same thing numerous times in the past few minutes.
    “The Ram will destroy you, just as your mother was destroyed,” Ada said.
    Ysabelle crinkled her brow with confusion and hurt. “My mother died giving me birth. It was I that destroyed her.”
    Blinking tears from her eyes, Ada’s face turned white as flax. “No, dear one. You know she was attacked by rogue knights on her journey here to wed your father. I was with her when it happened.”
    “Yes, and my father rescued her. It was quite romantic.” Ysabelle had heard her father speak of it often as he told of his love for Lady Alys and their joy when Ysabelle was born.
    Ada shook her head. “Alys never recovered from the ordeal. She was too delicate, too fragile. Just like you.”
    “Perhaps she would have lived if not for me. Many women die in childbirth.” Ysabelle shivered, regretting that her birth had cost her mother’s life.
    Ada shook her head, her gaze glancing off the door in agitation. “I don’t want you hurt, my dear. I am distraught to have these Scotsmen occupying Sutcliffe. Nicholas Ramsay will use you for his own