Page 14 of Knight of Havoc
“No one,” he answered in a firm tone as he, too, came to his feet.
“Well, she is obviously someone since you thought of her whilst kissing me.” She shook her head in a ridiculous attempt to clear it so she could regain her sanity. What a fool she had been! To think that mayhap something could blossom between this man and her.
“Elysande, let me explain,” Reynard said stepping forward.
She stepped back and held out her hand to halt his progress forward. “Nay. ’Twas a foolish notion to begin with. I should have never initiated a kiss between us. I promise you I will notpush myself on you again. You can go live your life with your fair Johanna.”
“Elysande, please…” he began but she wanted nothing further to do with Sir Reynard Norwood.
She whirled around to find her way out of the garden only to have her arm grabbed when Reynard took hold of her trembling limb. “Release me!” she ordered, and he immediately let go of her.
“I am sorry,” Reynard said with what appeared as honest regret. “I should have never kissed you, let alone taken things as far as I did. I cannot offer you the life you deserve,” he replied in what sounded like a sincere heart… not that it mattered. What did she care if he whispered another woman’s name whilst his lips were upon her own?
“Did I ask you for a life together?” she declared sharply. “’Twas only a simple kiss.”
One dark brow above his eyes lifted. “To some women, there is nothing simple about a kiss between two people.”
A sarcastic sound escaped her as she made every attempt to once more guard her heart. “Then you should be thankful that I amnotone of those women.”
“You are not?” he asked as though he did not believe her words.
He was correct not to believe her for if anything, the kiss between her and this man had left her completely rattled and defenseless. “Nay, I am not,” she lied. She lifted her chin defiantly as though doing so would prove her words held a ring of truth.
Reynard peered at her in the moonlight. “Then this was nothing more than a flirtatious gesture on your part, much like you gathered the attention of the knights around you whilst you supped?” He folded his arms across his chest waiting for heranswer. She could see for herself how agitated he was if his clenched jaw was any indication of his current mood.
“What more could it be?” The words rushed from her lips even as she saw the frown appear on his brow.
“I did not take you for one of those women who are so driven with their frivolous nature that they seek only to gain the attention of men around her.”
She snapped her mouth shut whilst she pondered her reply. Frivolous? She was far from such a judge of her character considering this attempt at giving a man any form of her affection had been her first try. She had been the first one to moan in pleasure at their kiss. He, on the other hand, had then whispered another’s name. If his own affections lay elsewhere, with this Johanna, then was he not the frivolous one for kissing her with such intensity?
“You barely know me, Reynard, so how could you know what or who I am?” she replied although once her words left her lips, she regretted them. But the deed was done and now this knight would only think the worst of her.
A sound of discontent seemingly rumbled inside his chest before he looked down at her. “And to think Hawke thought you would not fit in well at court,” he sneered before he once more composed himself. “You will, indeed, fit in very well with all their intrigues and affairs that will hold no commitment to those involved.”
“I look forward to the experience and to attending our empress,” she answered as she continued to hold his gaze.
“I will see you to your bedchamber,” Reynard stated, holding out his arm.
A snort left her. “You do not have to bother, Sir Reynard. I leave you to your own devices and to dream of being reunited with your fair Johanna.”
She abruptly left him whilst his cursing echoed in the air behind her. She quickened her pace when his footsteps hastened to follow her. She began to run as fast as her feet would carry her. Once she gained entrance to her chamber, she slid the bolt home even as tears of loneliness slid down her cheeks. Whatever brief thoughts she had of exploring any kind of intimacy with Reynard was at an end. His heart belonged to someone else.
Chapter Eleven
November 2, 1141
Reynard kept hisgaze focused on the road ahead of him as he rode his horse in the direction of Winchester. They had close to one hundred miles to travel and had begun their journey the day before. He refused to give the woman he had dreamed about last eve the least bit of his attention. She could flirt her way through the entire court for all he cared. After all, she had already started by gaining the attention of his friends. Her laughter rang out in the afternoon air as they reached the outskirts of Winchester, causing Reynard to grind his teeth together in frustration.
He knew his duties to his empress needed to be at the forefront of his mind. The exchange of King Stephen for the empress’s half-brother Earl Robert was of the utmost of importance. This was all he needed to concentrate on. This was his main concern. The exchange of the prisoners had been previously organized and the condition for each man’s release was simple. Both men did not have to swear to anything and were free to resume their positions and defend the party they had pledged themselves to prior to being taken.
But the actual arrangements for the exchange were far more complex considering neither party trusted one another. ’Twas arranged that when King Stephen left Bristol Castle, his queen, Matilda, one of his sons, and also two magnates of high rank would be left at the castle under close guard. Upon the exchangein Winchester, Earl Robert would then leave behind his eldest son and heir William. Once Robert returned to Bristol, Queen Matilda and the rest would be released. They would then return to Winchester where Robert’s son would also gain his freedom. What could possibly go wrong?
Everythingcould go wrong between the two locations, including losing whatever sanity Reynard had left inside him. Whispering Johanna’s name whilst kissing Elysande had been a huge mistake on his part. He should have made the lady listen to his explanation that Johanna had passed away but when Elysande admitted that kissing him meant nothing to her, Reynard felt like the biggest fool in all of Christendom! Aye, he had let a pretty face and those blue eyes take him under her spell and mayhap that had been his first mistake. He swore he was never going to do so again.
An amused chuckle rumbled in the chest of the man who rode next to him. “You have fallen out with the fair lady, it appears,” Richard teased, casting a glance at Reynard. “You will not pursue her?”
“There is nothing between Lady Elysande and myself,” Reynard grumbled. “I have more important matters to pay attention to than some female who flirts with anyone within her reach.”
