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Jordan was livid at his arrogant, unforgiving attitude. This was the captain she had grown to despise, the unmovable man she had seen on unwelcome occasions. She frowned mightily at him, apparently at a dead-end.

Well, they could not have Aloria. They had no right to send her back when the queen herself had selected her. She was not going to let her new lady go without a fight.

Whirling on her heel, she charged past Aloria, reaching out to grab the woman’s hand. “Come with me,” she snapped.

Shocked beyond making a rational decision to refuse, Aloria did as she was ordered. Jordan yanked the woman along with her to the door, coming to a grinding halt as she but reached the latch. Her glowering gaze settled on her husband.

“Ye canna have her!” she spat at the roomful of men. “If ye want her, then ye’ll have to fight me for her.” With that, she jerked open the door and pulled Aloria along after her.

Once outside the door, as if she suddenly realized what she had done, she passed Aloria a panicked glance. She’d never been remotely disobedient in her life and was shocked at herself. Her fury dissipated, overrun with fear of the coming wrath.

“Run!” she instructed hastily.

William and the others sat a moment in stunned silence. Kieran and Deinwald stared at each other, and then at William, wondering what he was going to do to his lovely new bride for her insolence.

“Your wife is a woman of deep feeling,” the earl commented, while on the verge of giggles.

A muscle in William’s jaw ticked as he thought on her behavior. “The only thing she is going to be feeling is my hand on her backside when I catch up with her.”

De Longley released a pent-up giggle. “Do not be too harsh with her, lad. She’s had a rough time of it today.”

William stood up abruptly. “Aye, but it does not excuse her rudeness to you or me. I apologize for her, my lord.”

“No need,” the earl waved him off. “However, the most pressing issue at hand is the wedding ceremony. I knew Henry spoke Latin and I was a fool not to imagine that he would pay attention to what was being said. I had hopes that he would doze through the service but it appears to be a foolish trust. So it remains; what language do we perform the mass in?”

William crossed his arms. “Jordan speaks and writes Gaelic. Why not that? Aloria said Henry had no working knowledge of the language.”

De Longley nodded in agreement. “That makes the most sense. I will send for Father Sutton immediately and your wife can write the mass for him. We’ll tell Henry that Jordan wished the service to be in her native language for purely female sentimental reasons, or some other story along those lines, and pray that he is not offended.”

William nodded, moving for the door.

“And William,” the earl said with a twinkle in his eye. “Be easy on her. ’Twould not do for a bride to show up at her wedding bruised from head to toe.”

William realized how harsh he must appear outwardly and forced himself to relax. “No need to worry, my lord. I’d sooner cut my own arm off than lay a hand on my wife in anger. However, she will receive an earful, and mark my words, the court lady returns with Eleanor.”

He left the room, leaving the earl with Kieran and Deinwald. The two knights glanced at the earl where the man sat with his chin in his hand behind his desk. His eyes were distant and amused.

“Mark my words, lad,” he muttered with a chuckle. “That remains to be seen.”

*

William burst into his wife’s rooms without a knock. Jemma, who moments earlier had been advised of Jordan’s stupidity, yelped at the sight of him and fled to her room, slamming the door. William frowned at Jemma’s reaction, wondering if he would get the same response from his wife.

“Jordan!” he roared.

Jemma screamed again from behind her door and he glared irritably at the closed panel as if his wife’s cousin could see his distaste at her behavior. Not waiting for an answer, he barged into Jordan’s bedchamber to find her standing calmly at the foot of her bed, her green eyes wide at him.

She met his gaze with an up thrust chin, an action suggestive of Jemma of which he highly disapproved. It only served to fuel his outrage.

“Where is she?” he demanded.

Jordan was grinding her teeth. “Packing her things, thanks to ye. Seems I am the only one willing to fight for her to remain here. She willna stay where she’s not wanted.”

His eyes narrowed. “What possessed you that you would be deliberately rude to the earl and to me? What is the matter with you?”

“Ye treat me like a brainless nymph, William,” she shot back. “Ye treat me as if I am only good as a pretty little piece of chattel on yer arm or good in bed. Ye already run my daily life as it is. Am I not even allowed to choose my companions now?”

He was slightly taken aback with the passion of her statement. “Is that what this is about? You are trying to assert a certain amount of control with me?”