Page 78 of The Unwilling Bride
Lord Osgoode laughed again, and the tension drifted away. “Ah, you newly wedded husbands! How quick you are to believe the best of your wives.”
Constance clasped her hands tight in her cuffs. “Myhusband is a shrewd and generous man, my lord, who appreciates that to make a wise decision, one should hear many opinions, even those of a woman. It makes no sense that women who are capable of managing a large household should be considered unable to comprehend the conflicts and problems that arise in running a kingdom.”
Lord Osgoode regarded her with a mixture of awe and surprise. Then he smiled again, as an indulgent parent would to a child who’s said something unexpectedly clever. “A kingdom is somewhat larger than a castle, my lady, and servants are hardly comparable to lords and knights.”
“If the king is allowed to ignore Magna Carta, there would be little difference.”
Lord Osgoode sucked in his breath and turned amazed eyes to Merrick.
“My wife enjoys a spirited debate,” he said evenly, “and sometimes seeks to arouse dissent in order to ensure a lively discussion. I assure you she does not necessarily speak for me, or that her opinion will be the same tomorrow.”
She was about to refute his lie when a glance from him silenced her. And from the expression on Lord Osgoode’s face, she decided she would do well not to boggle his mind further with her political observations.
The nobleman reached into the pouch attached to his belt. “The earl summons you, my lord, to his seat at Tintagel. Will you go?”
Merrick accepted the sheepskin scroll and answered without breaking the seal. “Of course.”
Then he opened the letter and, after reading it, passed it to Constance without comment.
As she perused the missive that was both congratulatory and an order to attend the earl in Tintagel without delay, Merrick addressed Lord Osgoode. “I see you’re surprised that my wife can read, my lord. As it happens, my father came to depend on Lady Constance a great deal in his final days, so it was a good thing that she learned.”
Although these were the first complimentary words he’d spoken since their quarrel, she kept her eyes on the parchment before her.
“I’d heard something of that,” Lord Osgoode said, and there was an implication in his tone that was all too clear. She could easily guess the sort of rumors that had traveled to the earl of Cornwall’s household about Wicked William and his ward.
“My father was a terrible and despicable lecher,” Merrick said, his voice stern, his expression even more so. “That is no secret to anyone. But if anyone claims he had improper relations with my wife, I’ll gladly meet him on a field of combat.”
He was so quick to defend her honor, yet he couldn’t bring himself to speak to her, and when he made love to her, it was as if his mind had left his body, leaving only his passionate desire to spur him to do his duty.
Lord Osgoode clearly wasn’t sure what to make ofMerrick’s brusque defense. She feared he’d made a mistake upsetting the earl’s envoy, until his shock turned into an indulgent smile.
Whether this signaled a true change of heart or was merely diplomatic tact, however, she wouldn’t care to wager.
“Forgive me if I’ve offended you, my lord,” Lord Osgoode said with an apologetic nod of his head, his deep voice soothing. “Youth sees slights where none were intended. I assure you, my lord, no one suggests your wife is anything but beautiful and virtuous.”
Constance finished reading the earl’s letter and handed it back to her husband. For a brief moment their fingers touched—hers trembling, his cool—and she had to fight the desire even that slight contact elicited.
“The earl commands us to be there in a fortnight,” she noted. “Are all his loyal vassals summoned, too?”
“Yes, my lady,” Lord Osgoode replied.
“That will be quite a large number, then. I wonder where the earl intends to house us all and who will be responsible, as he has no wife…yet.”
Lord Osgoode’s brows rose.
Constance smiled sweetly. “A great lord like the earl cannot go without a wife for long. I thought he might be promised to another by now.”
“No, he’s not,” the nobleman replied, “although there are many noblewomen being offered to him. I believe there may even be those attempting to bribe the king to order him to marry their sisters or daughters.”
“The king’s brother would be a great prize, especially as he has the king’s ear,” Constance agreed. “I can only hope the wife he chooses will be good for him, and thus good for England.”
Lord Osgoode’s narrow eyes narrowed even more. “I’m not sure I take your meaning.”
Merrick shifted in his chair. Obviously he wasn’t pleased with her comments, or perhaps he was concerned that she was saying the wrong things to this man.
She realized he might be right. What, after all, did she know about Lord Osgoode, other than that he represented Richard? Perhaps Merrick had met him before and was trying to warn her.
Perhaps her pride had led her to say too much already.
