Page 250 of Historical Hotties
“Of course, your grace.” Thor hesitated a moment before continuing. “I intend to take my men with me. I have a feeling I will need their assistance in whatever I am facing.”
Henry nodded, noting de Reyne’s knights at the table just to the left of the dais. Clayne, Truett, and Darius were a powerful trio, one Henry liked to have at his disposal, but he supposed it wouldn’t be too much trouble to allow them to go with Thor. The new earl had earned the right to have men sworn to him by his side. Besides… Henry had pushed hard enough for this marriage, so it made him look foolish to resist Thor’s requests now that he had what he wanted.
“Take them,” he said. “And I will send you with five hundred royal troops to infiltrate your armies. That way, they cannot revolt against you if they are diluted with men loyal to me.”
Thor scratched his head, knowing that was a possibility. “Let us hope they will swear their allegiance to the new earl and that will be the end of it, your grace,” he said. “But I thank you for the additional troops. It is much appreciated.”
Henry gestured to the knights off to his left. “Those three will help you settle your earldom,” he said. “They are quite formidable. But I want them back, too.”
Thor looked over at his men, who lifted their cups in his direction. “The four of us have been together for a long time,” he said. “As I said, I will need them. And we will all come back.”
“Can I not at least keep de Winter with me?”
“I am nothing without Darius commanding my armies.”
Henry made a face and looked away. “Then take him,” he said. “Leave me without anything at all, Thor. You are taking the best men with you, including yourself.”
“But only for a short time, your grace,” Thor said, fighting off a smile at the incensed old man. “I promise we will return. We will always be sworn to you.”
Henry shrugged and turned to complain about the situation to Gage, who had no sympathy for him, and Thor was finally able to breathe a little and speak to his new wife. But he knew Caledonia hadn’t been lonely. She and Nicola had been chatting like magpies the entire time, and Thor watched his new wife as she giggled with his sister, a side of her he’d not seen before. She was… lighthearted. Her expression was very nearly joyful. Was that the same woman he’d drunk with the night before? The woman who traveled in the shadows and did as she pleased? The change was truly astonishing. Caledonia was whispering something to Nicola, and he heard his sister gasp.
“And he wasnude?” Nicola was saying. “Dancing in front of you, he was nude?”
“Who was nude?” Thor wanted to know. “What are you talking about?”
When Caledonia and Nicola realized he was listening, they tried to stifle the giggles but couldn’t quite manage it.
“I was telling your sister about Gomorrah,” Caledonia said. “I was telling her about the time I—”
Thor put a hand up. “Stop right there,” he said. “You will not tell my maiden sister about that den of debauchery. My father will be quite unhappy if he finds out Nicola knows something of Gomorrah.”
Nicola was quite titillated with stories of the most notorious guild in all of London. “Did you know that you can pay for anything at Gomorrah?” she said, clearly enraptured by the veryidea. “Anything?Men will dance for you and women will feed you. Callie says that—”
“I told you to stop,” Thor warned. “Another word and I will tell Papa, and he will have something to say about it.”
Nicola turned her nose up at him. “Don’t you dare tell him anything,” she said. “There are plenty of things I could tell him about you, but I never have. Are you willing to betray that trust?”
Thor wasn’t. He and Nicola had a special bond and he loved her dearly. But she was also annoying and petulant at times, and his palm fairly ached to spank her.
He pointed a finger at her.
“Fine,” he said impatiently. “But no more stories about Gomorrah.”
“I promise.”
She was lying. He knew she was lying.Sheknew thatheknew that she was lying. But Thor let it go, giving her a final glare before turning to his wine as Caledonia watched the interaction between brother and sister.
It reminded her of her relationship with her own brother.
“Do not trouble yourself, Blue,” she said. “I will not tell her anything more, I promise.”
He looked at her, puzzled. “Blue?” he repeated. “Why did you call me that?”
Her dark eyes were glittering at him. “Because you have the bluest eyes I have ever seen,” she said. “All I can think to call you is Blue Eyes.”
“My name is Thor.”
“As you wish, Blue.”
