Page 222 of Historical Hotties
She could hear him sigh heavily. “Lady, your threats bore me,” he said. “If you had not lied to me, you would not have been removed by force. You chose a path to violence.”
She had lied to him, but she certainly hadn’t chosen this path. This was all his doing. Using his shoulder to brace herself, she tried to ram her knee into his face. He swatted her again and, suddenly, two knights had hold of her. One had her legs and her abductor had her torso. When Caledonia realized that she was effectively corralled, she fought for another minute before finally surrendering.
“Aye, I lied to you,” she said. “What was I supposed to do? Five knights break into Gomorrah and tear the place apart and I’m supposed to give you my name? Of course I’m not going to tell you. I had to protect myself, didn’t I?”
A big knight was walking beside her as two of them carried her.
“You have every right to protect yourself, my lady,” he said. “My name is Daniel de Lohr. I am the Earl of Canterbury. Do you know my name?”
Caledonia turned to look at the man, whom she couldn’t see through his lowered faceplate. “I know your name, my lord,” she said. “I know who you are. I am shocked that you are part of this… this raid.”
Daniel held up a hand and everyone came to a halt. They were on a small street, a residential area, and there were very few people around. He quietly instructed the men carrying her to put her on her feet, and they immediately did. Offended and shaken, Caledonia straightened out her expensive silk surcoat and smoothed her hair, glaring at the men around her before finally coming to rest on Daniel.
She had a particular glare for him.
“Now,” she said. “Let us come to an understanding, once and for all. I am Caledonia de Tosni and I fully resent being treated like a common criminal. I’ve done nothing wrong in the least.”
Daniel unlatched his helm, removing it to reveal a handsome older man with blond hair, graying at the temples. “Nay, you’ve done nothing wrong,” he said. “But we have been sent from Henry and we are under orders to return you to him immediately. By force, if necessary. And you made it necessary.”
Caledonia’s eyes narrowed. “You never gave me a choice,” she said. “One moment I was standing there, and in the next your hired beast carried me out. That was not fair.”
“Mayhap not,” Daniel said. “But it would have gone much smoother had you not lied to us. Henry wants you, Lady de Tosni, enough to send us to Gomorrah on a pretext, so you may as well accept that we are returning to Westminster.”
Caledonia didn’t like that at all. “God,” she grumbled, shaking her head in disgust. “Do you know why he wants to see me? Do you have any idea?”
“Doyou?”
Her arched eyebrows shot up. “Of course I do!” she said. “From the missives to the messengers to the courtiers who have come to beat down my door, of course I know what he wants. He was as persistent as a gnat when I was at Stafford Castle, so I fled to London so he could not find me, but he did. He knows I am at Stafford House and has ordered my servants to tell him where I go, which is how he knew I was at Gomorrah. He will not leave me alone!”
She was both angry and frustrated, her cheeks turning shades of red as she spoke. But it was also clear that she was drunk because her movements, and emotions, were exaggerated. She was bloody well furious and didn’t care who knew it, not even the very powerful Earl of Canterbury. Truth betold, it frightened her to realize that the king had sent such an important man after her.
That told her that the man meant business.
“Let me counter your statement by asking you a question,” Daniel said evenly. “May I?”
Caledonia lifted her hand and let it fall back and slap her thigh dramatically. “Ask,” she said dryly. “I cannot stop you, so ask.”
She couldn’t have possibly known how much he felt like grinning but wisely kept a straight face. “You are the Countess of Tamworth and Stafford, are you not?” he asked.
Caledonia nodded as if everyone knew that. “Of course I am,” she said. “Is that your question?”
“Nay,” Daniel said. “Tamworth is an old and prestigious earldom, not to mention the added responsibility of Stafford. Since you no longer have a husband, the king has taken it upon himself to ensure your health and safety. He would be a poor king indeed if he did not.”
She looked at him as if he’d just said something outrageous. “Is that what you think?” she said. “That he is seeing to my health and safety?”
“Isn’t he?”
“He is not,” she said flatly. “Do you know what Henry wants, my lord? He wants to marry me to some fool of his choosing so that Tamworth will be managed for the glory of the Crown. Stafford belongs to my eldest daughter when she marries, but Tamworth is mine. I am the heiress. Me and all of my glorious money and property will go to some idiot that the king has chosen and I will have to marry him. Henry has told me that he has already selected someone. Did you know that? Some man I know nothing about will become my husband and manage the earldom. Well, I donotwant a husband. I donotneed a husband. I am doing quite well on my own.”
Daniel had to put a hand over his mouth so she wouldn’t see him smile. “My lady, it seems to me that you are quite capable of managing the property,” he said, sounding oddly strained because he was trying not to burst out laughing. “But what about the army? Tamworth has an enormous army, not to mention the army that Stafford has. Do you truly wish to manage two armies on your own?”
She frowned. “I have knights for that,” she said. “My husband has three knights who see to Stafford, and my father’s knight has managed Tamworth quite well since his death.”
“I see,” Daniel said. “But what about you? Do you wish to be alone forever?”
She shrugged flippantly. “It would suit me just fine.”
“And Tamworth?” Daniel persisted. “What if you die without a son to carry on the Tamworth earldom?”
