to say bulge of his muscles, so that shows just where your thoughts are centered!”
“Do you know my legs are trembling? Oh, Isobel, I hope he chooses me, but if he chooses you I will try to bear it,” Ela said with her usual generosity.
“He has no great rank, you know. Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer an earl?” asked Isobel, trying to be practical and objective, though failing utterly.
Ela’s nose wrinkled. “Remember the last earl who visited father? He ate like a rhinoceros with sore gums.”
“How could I forget? But in all seriousness, Ela, we do have a large field to choose from and most of the eligible men father approves can be led by their pricks. Life would be easier wed to another. This one I think is dangerous and would be master in his own castle. He is not in awe of Father.”
“I would give my salvation if he were masterful with me!” Ela sighed.
Isobel sighed also. “He looks fierce even when he smiles. Ela, my love, I give you fair warning—I want him. Lord, I could eat him whole!”
“I don’t believe we’ll trap him with the artful tricks of our sex, for women must positively hurl themselves at him. My guess is he wouldn’t even consider taking a wife except for practical reasons,” Ela warned.
Isobel, who considered herself slightly more clever than Ela, was often surprised by her sister’s astuteness. “But we are equally competent as chatelaines, therefore it will be the one he most responds to physically who will win the prize.”
Falcon and William sat late into the night drinking cup for cup and matching tale for tale. Half drunk, William became sentimental. “You need a wife, my friend, to bear you fine strong sons. ’T is what all men want above all things. However, in my case it is perhaps a blessing in disguise that I never had any; My father Henry bred a pack of wolves who tried to bring him down like a hunted stag. I’m the only sensible one he bred, but perhaps if I’d had sons they would have been consumed by greed and ambition. I blame Eleanor of Aquitaine for urging the sons to destroy the father, but sometimes I wonder if they needed much urging.”
Falcon steered the conversation away from the crown and back to the subject of wives when suddenly William put the blunt question to him. “Would you have me for father-in-law?”
Falcon clapped him on the shoulder. Though he had not the slightest notion which daughter he would choose, he was very sure of one thing. “I tell you true, William. I will have none other for father-in-law!”
When they returned from a successful morning’s hunt, Falcon was relieved to see his squire Gervase had arrived at Salisbury. On a pretext of showing him around the forge and armory, de Burgh questioned him closely about Mountain Ash and was satisfied with Gervase’s detailed report.
“You surely didn’t expect trouble from the castellan you appointed?” asked Gervase.
“Not before the head of the last castellan rots and drops from its spike,” de Burgh said with a grimace.
Gervase cleared his throat in hesitation then said, “Morganna gave me no trouble, milord.”
“Who?” de Burgh asked blankly.
“The female hostage you gave into my care,” prompted Gervase.
“Oh, that one. God’s spine, I don’t know why I put you to all that trouble.”
Gervase began to laugh.
“I amuse you?” asked de Burgh.
“You hardly remember her, yet she has set herself up as your mistress and has the servants running to obey her commands.”
De Burgh flashed his wolf’s grin. “She’ll be in for a nasty shock if I bring a wife home.”
“I can tell you have made good use of your time, milord.”
“Both of William’s daughters could run my three castles with their hands tied behind their backs. They have both been well and rigidly trained. Wait until you see them. I can’t choose; I’ll need your help in that direction.”
Gervase’s happy grin faded from his face and he hoped fervently that de Burgh was
“Do you know my legs are trembling? Oh, Isobel, I hope he chooses me, but if he chooses you I will try to bear it,” Ela said with her usual generosity.
“He has no great rank, you know. Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer an earl?” asked Isobel, trying to be practical and objective, though failing utterly.
Ela’s nose wrinkled. “Remember the last earl who visited father? He ate like a rhinoceros with sore gums.”
“How could I forget? But in all seriousness, Ela, we do have a large field to choose from and most of the eligible men father approves can be led by their pricks. Life would be easier wed to another. This one I think is dangerous and would be master in his own castle. He is not in awe of Father.”
“I would give my salvation if he were masterful with me!” Ela sighed.
Isobel sighed also. “He looks fierce even when he smiles. Ela, my love, I give you fair warning—I want him. Lord, I could eat him whole!”
“I don’t believe we’ll trap him with the artful tricks of our sex, for women must positively hurl themselves at him. My guess is he wouldn’t even consider taking a wife except for practical reasons,” Ela warned.
Isobel, who considered herself slightly more clever than Ela, was often surprised by her sister’s astuteness. “But we are equally competent as chatelaines, therefore it will be the one he most responds to physically who will win the prize.”
Falcon and William sat late into the night drinking cup for cup and matching tale for tale. Half drunk, William became sentimental. “You need a wife, my friend, to bear you fine strong sons. ’T is what all men want above all things. However, in my case it is perhaps a blessing in disguise that I never had any; My father Henry bred a pack of wolves who tried to bring him down like a hunted stag. I’m the only sensible one he bred, but perhaps if I’d had sons they would have been consumed by greed and ambition. I blame Eleanor of Aquitaine for urging the sons to destroy the father, but sometimes I wonder if they needed much urging.”
Falcon steered the conversation away from the crown and back to the subject of wives when suddenly William put the blunt question to him. “Would you have me for father-in-law?”
Falcon clapped him on the shoulder. Though he had not the slightest notion which daughter he would choose, he was very sure of one thing. “I tell you true, William. I will have none other for father-in-law!”
When they returned from a successful morning’s hunt, Falcon was relieved to see his squire Gervase had arrived at Salisbury. On a pretext of showing him around the forge and armory, de Burgh questioned him closely about Mountain Ash and was satisfied with Gervase’s detailed report.
“You surely didn’t expect trouble from the castellan you appointed?” asked Gervase.
“Not before the head of the last castellan rots and drops from its spike,” de Burgh said with a grimace.
Gervase cleared his throat in hesitation then said, “Morganna gave me no trouble, milord.”
“Who?” de Burgh asked blankly.
“The female hostage you gave into my care,” prompted Gervase.
“Oh, that one. God’s spine, I don’t know why I put you to all that trouble.”
Gervase began to laugh.
“I amuse you?” asked de Burgh.
“You hardly remember her, yet she has set herself up as your mistress and has the servants running to obey her commands.”
De Burgh flashed his wolf’s grin. “She’ll be in for a nasty shock if I bring a wife home.”
“I can tell you have made good use of your time, milord.”
“Both of William’s daughters could run my three castles with their hands tied behind their backs. They have both been well and rigidly trained. Wait until you see them. I can’t choose; I’ll need your help in that direction.”
Gervase’s happy grin faded from his face and he hoped fervently that de Burgh was
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