He need not have worried. With a jerk, Marion threw off Dunstan’s hold, proving to Geoffrey that it could not have been as fierce as it looked. Then she pointed a tiny finger at the Wolf’s massive chest. “Do not speak to me in that fashion, Dunstan de Burgh! I will not tolerate it!” she snapped, her face flushed.
“I needed to gather a stock of plants for cooking and healing, since you have none, and your brothers were kind enough to come with me.” She poked her digit more firmly into his tunic. “If I am to be a prisoner here, as I was at Baddersly, you will have to tell me. My uncle, you see, made his rules very plain.” Her voice broke then, but with a dignity that awed Geoffrey, she stalked past the Wolf without a backward glance.
“Nicholas, assist me, please,” she called over her shoulder. For a moment, all three de Burghs stood gaping after her, then Nicholas took off, racing to catch up with her.
Uneasy with the volatile situation, Geoffrey was glad that Marion had taken Nicholas with her, but none too pleased to be stuck there himself—alone with a ferocious Wolf. Geoffrey was no coward, however, and he stood where he was, watching Dunstan’s reaction. It was not pretty. Rage contorted the Wolf’s face, drawing his mouth into a dreadful grimace, but it was soon followed by something else, something far more painful to see.
Was it regret or despair? Geoffrey eyed his brother in stunned surprise at the depth of the emotion passing across those familiar features. Marion must truly have changed him, for Geoffrey had never seen Dunstan so affected by anything or anyone. If he had not witnessed it himself, Geoffrey never would have believed that the Wolf had backed down from an argument. And not only that, he had acceded to a woman—and looked positively wretched over the entire dispute.
As if suddenly aware of his brother’s presence, Dunstan turned, his face quickly becoming guarded once more. He glanced at the ground, seeming reluctant to look at Geoffrey, and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I was so worried about her,” he admitted ruefully. “When I could not find her, and someone said she had gone outside the walls, I just… Jesu, Geoff, if you only knew how many times she has been in danger, how many times I thought I had lost her…”
At the sound of Dunstan’s mournful words, Geoffrey felt a rush of sympathy for this great, fearless sibling, who had never bowed to anyone, but was now brought low by his affection for his wife. The Wolf loved Marion, that was obvious, but he had a poor way of showing it.
“You did not handle it well,” Geoffrey commented.
“No. I…” Dunstan whirled away to look out over his lands. “It is difficult. I am consumed by her, Geoffrey,” he said, laughing weakly in an effort to make light of his admission. “It is a strange feeling. It makes me vulnerable. I am not sure that I like it.”
Geoffrey said nothing, his own opinion of the joys of married life plummeting swiftly.
“I want her to be happy, but she wants…” Dunstan shook his head. “She wants me to love her. And, Geoff, I do not think I have it in me. I do not think I can.”
“Nonsense,” Geoff said. “It is obvious that you love her.”
Dunstan snorted and turned back around, his face a study in skepticism. “I have never even believed in that sort of thing.”
“I know,” Geoff said. “But whether you will it or not, youarein love, and you must tell her so.”
Dunstan looked doubtful, but there was a hint of determination in his eyes.
“And, if I were you, I would go after her and apologize for growling at her in front of her brothers. Profusely. You may have to grovel, even,” Geoffrey said with a smile.
Dunstan’s lips curved at that, and they both chuckled at the thought of the great knight prostrate before his tiny wife. From the Wolf’s smug smile, Geoffrey got the impression that whatever apology Dunstan planned would be tendered with his prick. Geoffrey shook his head, but said nothing. Sometime soon the Wolf would have to come to terms with his feelings—the ones that came from his heart and not farther down.
They walked back toward the castle walls in companionable silence, stopping only when a sentry from the battlements shouted for attention. Putting his hand over his eyes, Geoffrey looked off into the distance to see a large group of riders approaching, sporting colors he did not recognize.
“Who is it?” he asked, slanting a glance at his brother. Dunstan’s face was once again taut with fury, his jaw clenched so tightly that when he ground out his answer, Geoffrey could barely understand it.
“‘Tis Peasely, come to collect his niece,” he snapped. And then the Wolf whirled toward the gate to prepare for the arrivals.
* * *
After making sure Marion was safely tucked away with Geoffrey to guard her, Dunstan called for Stephen. After a brief search, he found his brother in the buttery, trying determinedly to get under the skirts of a comely kitchen maid.
“Stephen!” Dunstan roared, scaring the girl so that she jumped visibly and fled the room. Obviously displeased at the interruption, Stephen leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms across his chest in a recalcitrant pose.
Dunstan tried again. “Stephen,” he said more evenly. “I need you.” The words made them both pause, probably because Dunstan had never uttered them before in his life.
Stephen paled and pushed off the wall. “Me?”
With a swift glance, Dunstan assessed his black-sheep brother. At least Stephen was sober, and he had proved that when called upon he could do a job and do it well. Perhaps he was not called upon often enough. “Yes, you. I need you to man the castle defenses while I go out and meet with Peasely.”
“Me?” Stephen repeated, frankly appalled. “What of Geoffrey?”
“Geoffrey is guarding Marion,” Dunstan said. Neither of them needed to go over Dunstan’s reasons for not giving Stephenthatjob, although, to his credit, Stephen appeared chagrined. “Reynold can help you, of course,” Dunstan said, not giving his brother a chance to refuse. “But you shall be in charge.”
Turning his back, Dunstan strode halfway across the hall before Stephen finally caught up, his reluctance obvious. “But what if something should happen to you?”
