Page 54 of Historical Hotties
Rhori yawned. “Dare to know.”
Poor Bose was forced to drink most of his cup of wine by cruel friends after that. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much better for him the second, third, and fourth time around and in a short amount of time, he was quite drunk. Angry, he stood up and went to the other side of the table to sit with Darian and his knight, men who weren’t ridiculing him and punishing him with wine consumption.
As Bose wandered away, the game continued.
“It occurs to me that you have not been given any Latin phrases yourself,” Dacia said. “You’ve been the one dealing them out. It’s my turn now.”
A smile played on Cassius’ lips. “Go right ahead, my lady,” he said. “Do your worst.”
She was smiling as well, gazing into the eyes of a man who grew more handsome with each passing moment. Certainly, he was gorgeous in appearance, but it was his manners, his kindness, that were endearing him to her even deeper than he already was. That, coupled with his sense of humor, made him positively glorious.
“Very well,” she said, eyeing both him and Rhori. “Audentes fortuna iuvat.”
Cassius’ smile grew, a sure sign he knew the answer, as Rhori drank his wine, seemingly bored. Dacia focused on Cassius.
“Well?” she said. “What is it?”
He crooked his finger, beckoning her close. When she leaned into him, he put his lips against her ear.
“Fortune favors the bold,” he murmured. “May I be bold, my lady?”
She pulled back, her cheeks flushing pink, a smirk on her face that carved big dimples through her cheek. She managed to give him such a coy look that he started laughing. For a woman who hadn’t any experience in the subtle dance of flirtation betweenmen and women, she was doing an admirable job. Across the table, Rhori slammed back what was left in his wine cup and stood up.
“You two finish this game,” he said. “I have a feeling you do not need an audience.”
With that, he headed over to Bose and Darian, both of them arguing about something Cassius couldn’t quite hear. Dacia watched the man go.
“Did I offend him somehow?” she asked.
Cassius shook his head. “Of course not,” he said. “He senses that he is not wanted.”
“But I never said that.”
He looked at her, an impish look in his eyes. “You did not have to,” he said. “But I was screaming it from every bone in my body. Thank God he finally got the message.”
Dacia was feeling as giddy as she had ever felt in her life. In fact, it was overwhelming her. So much of her was feeling unrestrained and free, something she’d never felt. But there was a part of her that was feeling some doubt in letting the situation go too far. Cassius de Wolfe was not a permanent resident of Edenthorpe, nor would he ever be. She didn’t want to fall for the man only to have him leave.
But it was certainly difficult not to fall for him.
“You are quite charming when you want to be, Cassius,” she said, an appraising twinkle in her eyes. “I suspect you have had much practice at it.”
He sat back in his chair, wine cup in hand. “Ut ameris, amabilis esto.”
Dacia chuckled softly. “If you want to be loved, be lovable.”
He lifted his cup to congratulate her. “Indeed,” he said. “I am coming to think there is nothing you do not know.”
She shrugged. “I am sure there is a great deal I do not know,” she said. “For example… I do not know the motives of handsomeknights who come to Edenthorpe and ply me with flattery. Can you tell me if I should be suspicious?”
The smile never left his lips. “I would not blame you if you were,” he said. “But I have a family reputation to uphold and that does not include taking advantage of women with rash compliments and empty promises. Were I to do that, my grandmother would find me wherever I happened to be and take a switch to me. She is particularly fond of willow branches and I do not wish to incur her wrath. But more than that, I do not wish to shame myself.”
It was a good answer. “Your honor means a great deal to you, then.”
“It means everything.”
There was a lull in the conversation, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Dacia began to realize that they hadn’t even touched the food that had been brought, so engrossed they were in the games they’d played. Reaching out, she picked a piece of boiled beef from her trencher and put it in her mouth.
“If you are the king’s Lord Protector, then you must have great honor, indeed,” she said. “I did not mean to question it. But… but I will admit that I have never had anyone be quite so friendly to me before.”
