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“I am sorry,” I repeated. Branford ran his hand over my cheek and shook his head at me again.
“You have no need to apologize, Alexandra,” he said. “I should apologize for giving you that impression. Come now. The hour is quite late.”
He stood and took both of my hands in his as he pulled me to my feet and led me to the bed. We quickly changed into our nightclothes, and Branford pulled back the quilt and crawled underneath, patting the bed beside him. He lay back against the pillows, and I moved over closer to him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and hugged me to his chest.
“I did not realize you would fight with him,” I said quietly. “It was not my intent to have you in danger.”
“I am not in danger,” Branford said with a snort. I dropped my head to his shoulder and felt his hand run up my back. His tone softened somewhat. “Truly, my wife. I shall be fine.”
“But this is not the same as other tournament games, is it?”
“Not exactly,” Branford said. “There will be no judges.”
“Which means what?”
“There will be no one there to determine if the rules have been met.”
His simple answer was enough to set me further on edge. Obviously he meant there would be no rules followed, and I knew the level of danger would be greater for him. I did not expect Sir Leland to follow rules if the possibility of ignoring them were an option.
“You did not have to agree to such a thing,” I whispered into the darkness. “I did not mean to ask for you to jeopardize yourself in helping Janet.”
“You did not ask for that,” Branford corrected me. “You asked me if there was any way I could help, and I agreed to try to find a way. The way I chose to help was my decision, not yours.”
“You could be hurt,” I whispered again. I felt Branford’s hand on my cheek and looked up at him.
“I will be fine,” he said, insisting. “I have fought with Sir Leland before and been victorious.”
“But the joust…”
“The joust was a lucky happenstance for him.” Branford growled. “It is not the same as the sword at all.”
This I did realize, for the likelihood of Branford being injured in a sword fight seemed much greater to me. Again, words intended to reassure me had the opposite effect. I wrapped my arm around his middle and pulled myself closer to him.
“Sleep now, Alexandra.” Branford kissed the top of my head. “We must rise early tomorrow, and I need to locate someone to be with you during the contest.”
“I will not be with you?”
“I know how you feel about it. There is no reason for you to have to watch and be uncomfortable.”
I sat up slightly and looked down at him.
“I want to be there,” I said. “If I were not, I would only be worrying about you.”
“You are not required,” Branford repeated. “I do not wish you to be frightened.”
I shook my head emphatically as a new panic arose within me. Seeing him fighting would be horrible, but being elsewhere while he fought because of my own request was simply unthinkable.
“I asked for this,” I finally said. “I will be there with you to see it to its end.”
Branford’s gaze stayed locked with mine until I felt myself begin to squirm under his intense stare. I was sure he was not going to permit me to be there, and I was not planning on backing down from my stance. His eventual answer surprised me.
“If that is your wish,” Branford said as he acquiesced. “You shall be there to witness as well.”
“Who else will watch?” I asked.
“Parnell and Michael will be there.” His voice darkened when he mentioned the young page. “You are not to speak to him. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Branford.” He was being ridiculous, but I was not about to argue with him over it.
