CHAPTER 48

CHAPTER 48

"As you did Lysander," I snapped.

"I would've handled Duke Stephano differently," Prince Escalus assured me.

I accused him. "You were rougher with Lysander because he's a younger son of a distant family."

Prince Escalus lowered his gaze, and when he lifted it, the glint in his dark eyes might have been described as implacable. "Quite the contrary. Duke Stephano dared to try and take what was mine, to harm what was mine, believing my intent to maintain Verona's peace made me a coward. I'd have taught him his mistake. He'd have begged for exile."

I wanted to take issue with Prince Escalus's claiming of me as his, but among all the issues here, that was the lesser. Moreover, I'd realized I was wrong about the glint in his eyes. That wasn't implacability. That was danger.

"Your betrothal to Duke Stephano was nothing more than a technical difficulty and as with his death, unimportant. Man and wife are one," Prince Escalus said, "and since Titania killed him, one might say he's now dead by his own hand."

Sadly, I touched the scar on my chest, realized I had imitated my mother, and hastily lowered my hand.

"The real loss came when you met Lysander and fell in love. I could fight Duke Stephano and end your engagement, but I can't untangle an emotional attachment."

"You're pretty smart . . . for a man."

From his expression, my words were unintelligible. Then he made that grimace that might be taken as a half grin, and I realized he got it. Probably he thought I was trying to be funny, though.

"Your attachment to Lysander was an obstacle which took concentrated thought on my part. I'd met him before and of course I was aware he was in the city. It's my business to know. My observations and reports of Lysander were that he was an intelligent, honorable man out to prove himself. When the two of you fell in love, I had to consider whether to step aside and to see if love at first sight would blossom." That grimace was definitely a half grin. "Because nothing bad ever comes of love at first sight, right?"

I startled. That sounded so much like something I'd said in the past....

"I thought I could give you up. I thought I'd have to. Then that night, you trusted me to save you from the charges of Duke Stephano's stabbing. I offered to help you, give you a chance to join with Lysander, to become betrothed and wed. You refused."

"At that moment, I thought him shallow. I quickly learned better."

"And . . ." Prince Escalus looked down at his feet.

"And . . . ?"

He looked up into my eyes. "You teased me."

"I teased you?" Baffled, I asked, "About what?"

"About Porcia's obnoxious reminders of your virginity." He pulled something out of a hidden pocket close to his heart and showed it to me.

It was a coin. "What . . . oh!" The florin he'd won from me— by cheating, not that I was holding a grudge. "Does no one ever tease you?"

"No."

"Never?"

"No. Not since my father was murdered, not since my mother died, not since I was tortured and mutilated, not since I won back Verona and banished the Acquasassos. No one has dared."

I really wanted to suggest that if he wasn't always such a grim, humorless stick he might make a few friends, but while I was angry, somehow that seemed like too low a blow. "That's why you decided to marry me? Because I teased you?"

"That, and the fact you trusted me to save you from the accusation of murder. Those were the deciding factors." He slipped the coin back into his pocket. "But mostly the teasing."

I remembered distinctly that I was merely trying to make him less grim.

No good deed goes unpunished.

"I was annoyed when I realized you were eyeing me the way you eyed your other fiancés, as if you were measuring me for the cloth of marriage—and you weren't reaching with the correct conclusion."

"The correct conclusion being what?"

He raised his eyebrows as if I was being obtuse.

"Oh, me and you." I shook my head. "No, it would have taken me a long time to pair us."

"I'd learned my lesson. No more waiting for the elderly spinster Lady Rosaline to be un-betrothed." He held his hand palm up and slowly closed it into a fist. "If I wanted her, I'd have to claim her any way I could."

"You spied on me and overheard the plan with Lysander."

"I came to climb the walnut tree and woo you as seems a tradition in your family."

For the first time in the whole conversation, I grinned. "That would have been something to see!"

My amusement seemed to annoy him. "What I overheard caused my plan to change."

I realized that as we'd been speaking, the prince had been stealthily approaching me, gliding forward like a hunter intent on capturing a unicorn. The sneaky bastard.

He took the final step and knelt beside me.

I allowed him to take my hand.

In case you're wondering why, it had recently been borne in on me that Prince Escalus would do whatever it took to get his way, including wrestle with me. He might even want to wrestle with me, but that contest I was destined to lose.

Also, I'd had enough physical action with the prince tonight. Enough physical action for a lifetime, although at this point that seemed wistful thinking.

Prince Escalus lifted my hand to his lips and spoke. "You believe I shouldn't have used such a dishonorable ruse to secure you." He put his lips on my fingernails. "To secure this hand." His lips moved against my skin, then gradually he turned my wrist until my palm was up. "When I stood in that tomb where you had defended yourself against a long sword using only three daggers. You said . . ."

"What did I say?"

"You don't remember?"

"I don't remember anything after I . . . stabbed Titania."

"When your nurse revived you, you said, ‘I had to kill Titania. She was going to hurt my family. She was going to hurt my friends. She would never stop. I had to stop her.' Then you slipped back out of consciousness." He closed his eyes and lightly put his lips to my palm. I felt his lips move as he said, "I knew I had never been in the presence of such bravery, such loyalty, such character." He pressed a kiss into my palm, folded my fingers over it and, lifting his head, he stared into my eyes. "I want you for who you are, and I'll do anything to have you and keep you safe." Rising from his knees, he guided my fist to my chest, over my heart. "Parting is such sweet sorrow, so hold my kiss close tonight, and release it not 'til it be morrow."

I watched Prince Escalus, my new lord and master, stride across the atrium toward the front entrance.

Shit. Poetry. He quoted poetry. To me. As if I was a woman who would swoon over the rhyming phrases, the tender sentiments. He doesn't understand that I've never liked poetry. Poetry reminds me too much of my parents, their wild impetuous youthful love and all the drama that has unfolded from it. Drama and life, children and laughter, family and closeness.

Neither the prince nor I were wild and impetuous, and certainly not youthful, so why was he quoting poetry as if we were?

From behind me, Nurse cautiously whispered, "Lady Rosaline, will you come away to bed?"

I nodded and rose, walked to the stairway and climbed it, let her help me out of the layers of clothing and into bed. There I stared at the ceiling and thought I had evaded marriage before, surely I could do so again . . . although never had I encountered so worthy an opponent as Prince Escalus . . .

Nurse asked, "What did he give you, my lady?"

"What?" I stared blankly.

"In your hand." She indicated my clenched fist. "What did he give you?"

I realized I still held that kiss pressed to my chest over my heart. "Something to think about."