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“Would be well received. However, your chastity is in doubt.” He leaned over and picked up a letter. “This was sent only this morning from Sir William Pole. In it he asks that you submit to an examination at St. Winifred’s convent, and only if the Abbess finds you intact will he allow Geoffrey to marry you. Your foolishness has done you great harm.”
“But... I didn’t... he never put...” The heat rose into her cheeks faster than the words could form.
“Then you’ll have no issue with the examination, will you?”
She sank into her seat in horror. The idea of being prodded by an elderly nun, her crooked fingers poking inside... And then the truth would be known to all. “Lord Baliol does not care if I am chaste or not?”
“He is willing to find out for himself. And, therefore, will save us the embarrassment of sending you to St. Winifred’s and having them make a mockery of your person. Naturally, your chastity will be confirmed by his lordship, and you will then have the opportunity to become better acquainted with Lord Baliol. He is keen to have you betrothed and the formality will assure you protection from gossip.”
“Gossip.” She stared at the embers in the fireplace.
“Sara will chaperone you. But as Lord Baliol’s bride to be, you can stay with him without shame. He’s prepared to teach you,” her father coughed nervously, “what a good wife should be.”
She thought of the young knight lying in bed, his handsome head resting on a stack of pillows. “But, Geoffrey,” she pleaded. “I could nurse him.”
Her father laughed. “You, a nurse? You’ll hate it. It will drive you to distraction with chamber pots and wiping his brow.”
“Lord Baliol, what possible reason could he want me? We’ve only spoken twice, and both times were awkward.”
“It seems you have affected him greatly, Matilda. He is a cold man, I agree, but perhaps you might warm his heart. He is also very rich.”
Her father knew the bait needed, and how to twist her into making the wrong decision. It was he who had persuaded her to attend a convent for educational purposes and now she was paying for the mistake.
“No, Father. Money is not the reason to marry. I bring my own dowry. I shall stay here until Geoffrey is better.”
“This is not our home. It is the earl’s and his people are caring for Geoffrey. And I shall be going home tomorrow. You can’t stay here.”
She leapt to her feet and threw the handkerchief onto the rushes. “I shan’t go. With Baliol. He’s... not worthy of me.”
“Lord Baliol has served many kings and is greatly respected. You are perhaps not worthy of him. Have you no respect for my wishes? This is a good match, and the more I think upon it, the better it will be for your soul to have a strong husband, and not a young knight with no experience of battle or hard living. Now, this evening, in the chapel, you will attend your betrothal ceremony, on your knees by Lord Baliol’s side, and tomorrow you will leave with him.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then, your betrothal will go unblessed. The legal documents can be signed without you. It is a pre-matrimonial agreement, Matilda, you’re not bound to him forever, only until you marry, and if you refuse to wed, I shall accept he has not won your heart. For now, you are his.”
She ran out of the room, along the narrow stone corridors, and stormed into Gervais’s chamber, which he shared with another visiting nobleman. Gervais was polishing his sword with a cloth. He placed the jewelled blade onto a nearby table and stared angrily at her. His companion, a redheaded knight with speckled cheeks, smirked.
“Sir Cedric, forgive Lady Matilda’s intrusion. I shall prevail upon you to say not a word if I were to speak to her in private,” Gervais said.
Cedric bowed and left the room, still smirking.
“Fortunately, for you, for all his grinning, Cedric is an honourable knight and will not speak of your unescorted visit to a private chamber.” Before, they had met in open spaces, where any might stumble upon them. No more would he take risks now that he had made his intentions known.
She opened and shut her mouth. Whatever she did was wrong, it seemed. She could not speak alone to Gervais today, but after tonight, he could do with her as he pleased. It was unfair. “I am not happy, sir.”
“So I can see.” He smiled faintly. “Your father has informed you that I wish to marry you.” He leaned his legs against the table, crossed his arms, and surveyed her with a glint in his eyes.
Matilda’s lips wobbled. Why did he have to look so magnificent? He had long limbs, broad shoulders, and a muscular neck. Dressed loosely in tunic and hose, he managed to hold onto elegance. He was comfortable in his body, and not some gangly youth who fell off his horse in the midst of a hunt.
“Well?” he asked. “Am I to have your company this evening in the chapel?”
Her knees quaked. “If I choose not to come, what will you think of me?”
“I would be disappointed. It would be easier to have you ride by my side tomorrow, proudly. If necessary, I shall tie you to a horse and we will leave in the cloak of early morning so none may see your shame. It is your choice.”
“You would abduct me, force me—”
“I would honour the agreement I signed with your father.”
