“Your husband, my dear, is an ass.”
She stiffened, her hackles rising instinctively in Robert’s defense, and tried to pull her hand away, but he held it fast. “I will not stand here and listen to you denigrate him. I am aware that the two of you do not see eye to eye.”
“That, my dear, is putting it mildly.” He raised his other hand to her face. “How your dolt of a husband could fail to appreciate what a warm, vital, loving creature you are, with such a soft heart and caring nature, I cannot fathom. He doesn’t deserve you, and so I told him.”
Warm, vital, loving creature...She recalled Robert repeating those words. He didn’t claim them himself, but that someone else had said them.
“It was you!” she whispered. “Those are your words?”
His stormy blue eyes connected with hers. “Yes, why?”
“I cannot tell you that, my lord.” Her heart raced. This man loved her, she could see it in his eyes. She closed her own. “I am a married woman. For the last time, please leave.”
“Lannister! Unhand my wife!” Robert’s bellow caused them to spring apart guiltily. The earl moved in front of her as if to protect her from Robert’s obvious wrath.God in heaven, if he hit Emrys just for hugging me, what will do to the earl?
Robert covered the ground between them at a rapid pace. He must have only just arrived home and come in search of her immediately. Her heart thudded painfully.What did he know? Had Jardin told him of Madeleine’s visit?
*
Robert reached them,his heart fairly jumping out of his chest, his breathing so accelerated he was almost panting. He made a grab for Lannister’s lapel, his vision red and narrowing.
“You cur!”
“Robert, don’t!” Sarah’s obvious alarm only fueled his anger.
“Sarah, you should go back to the house! This doesn’t concern you!”
“I won’t, and it does!” she said defiantly. “Let him go! He’s done nothing wrong!”
“That is where you are mistaken, Sarah.” He transferred his attention back to Lannister, who had made no attempt to remove himself from Robert’s grip. In fact, he was standing remarkably passively, his hand at his sides, though they were clenching into fists. “He has done a great deal that is wrong!” With an effort, Robert let go of Lannister’s lapel and stepped back. “But he may not be aware of it.”
Robert scanned Lannister’s face. The man’s expression was closed, but there was fury in his eyes. He would like to hit Robert as much as Robert wanted to hit him. He could see it was Sarah’s presence that restrained Lannister, and Robert had no intention of letting fly in front of her ever again. Already he was regaining control over his initial fury at the sight of the man.
“I saw Madeleine in London,” he said steadily, aware of Sarah’s shocked, indrawn breath. “I’m aware that she was here, Sarah, and what she told you. It was all lies.”
“What?” Sarah’s voice came out a hoarse whisper.
“She is not with child?” asked Lannister quickly.
“She is, but the child is not mine,” Robert watched Lannister’s face as his eyes widened and his color leached away.
Robert nodded. “Yes, it’s yours. I absolve you of trying to foist your child off onto me. I believed her when she said she’d deceived you, too. You needn’t concern yourself with her welfare. I’ll make sure she doesn’t suffer.” The dripping contempt in Robert’s voice made Lannister’s eyes flash.
“Damn you to hell, Layne! What kind of a worm do you think I am? Don’t answer that, it’s obvious.” Lannister seemed to gather himself. “If the child is mine, of course I’ll take responsibility for it!”
The duke raised an eyebrow. “See that you do. I’ll be checking. Sarah, please stay here a moment.” He grabbed Lannister’s arm and tugged him a distance off out of Sarah’sdirect hearing, although she could still see them. Fortunately, she didn’t follow them.
“Do you recall what I said I would do to you if you went near my wife again?” he said, keeping his voice low.
“Attempt to put a bullet through me, I believe? To which I responded that you were welcome to try.” Lannister had the audacity to grin, seeming to recover his sangfroid with remarkable rapidity. He eyed Robert’s fist and said, “Are you proposing to give me a blackened eye like you gave Ashford? You’ll be getting a reputation.”
“If Sarah weren’t here, I would.” Robert swallowed, trying to rein in his emotions. “What are youdoinghere?”
“Seeing if your wife was all right,” said Lannister roughly.
“What damned business is it of yours?”
“None, yet I was concerned when I heard that you’d knocked Ashford’s daylights out over Sarah. And then when I met Madeleine on the road, I was doubly concerned.”
