Page 242 of Historical Hotties
She had to think on that. “You told me I had a lyrical name,” she said. “You said it was beautiful.”
“Like you.”
Both hands came away from her eyes and she propped herself up on her elbows, glaring at him as much as her red-rimmed eyes would allow.
“If you think sweet words will convince me to marry you, then you are sadly mistaken,” she said. “I do not want to hear them.”
He lifted a dark eyebrow. “I would not use sweet words to coerce you,” he said. “I am not manipulative by nature. Moreover, I do not need to coerce you. You lost our bargain and that means we shall be married today.”
Caledonia almost argued with him, vehemently, but she remembered the part of the conversation where she had agreed to a wager. She thought she could out-drink him, but he, in fact, had held his own. More than that, he had bested her. Given that she had told him she was a woman of honor, it would do no good to continue the fight. Looking around, she could see that she was in a very big bed.
She thought she knew why.
“I see,” she muttered. “And you brought me back here to consummate a marriage that will take place today. Is that it?”
Thor shook his head. “I did not touch you,” he said. “You snored like a drunkard all night. I do not take advantage of women who are not agreeable to something as serious as that.”
Somehow, she believed him. He’d never given her a reason not to believe that he was a man of honor, and, as she’d told him, honor meant something to her. It was practically the only thing she had that preserved her dignity. After a moment, she smiled ironically.
“So you have your bride,” she muttered, tossing back the covers to see that she was still in the clothing she’d been in the night before, down to her shoes. “I lost and you won.”
“That is the gist of it.”
“And you expect me to go quietly?”
“I expect you to honor your word.”
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, but she was moving slowly because of her aching head. “I fully intend tohonor it,” she said. “But I also told you that I would give you the title and the wealth and we could go our separate ways. I do not expect you to treat me as if my position matters. You are free to do as you please.”
Thor watched her a moment before lowering his bulk into the nearest chair. His gaze remained fixed on her.
“Déchet,” he said. “You expect me to treat you like your husband did?”
She looked at him sharply. “Where did you hear that?”
“You told me all about it last night.”
She blinked, realizing she probably had in her drunken state. She didn’t get drunk often but knew that when she did, she talked. Somewhat embarrassed, she averted her gaze.
“So you know,” she mumbled. “Robert called me rubbish and useless. I assume you will do the same.”
“Then you assume wrongly.”
She glanced at him. “Is that so?” she said. “That would be… different.”
“Given that is all you know, I am sure it will be.”
She tried to stand up but was hardly able to get to her feet. “You needn’t pretend that I will not be a wife in name only,” she said. “And do not think that it bothers me—as long as you provide me coinage to do as I please, I will not trouble you. Edingale shall be yours along with the armies of both Tamworth and Stafford, but not Tamworth Castle. It belongs to the de Marmion family because an ancestor of mine made a bargain with the Duke of Normandy to keep his lands except for Tamworth Castle and some surrounding land, which the Norman family de Marmion control. The rest belongs to me.”
He watched her as she gave up trying to stand and simply sat there. “I am going to ask you a question, my lady, and you will be perfectly truthful with me,” he said. “Will you do that?”
She shrugged. “I have nothing to hide.”
“Do you like living the way you do?”
It took her a moment to register what he had asked her. Brow furrowed, she looked at him again. “Having my freedom?” she said. “What else is there for me? I seek entertainment every night. I eat in fine taverns. Do I like it? It is my life. It is what I do.”
“Does it make you happy?”
