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‘Bolt the gates and load the trebuchets?’
‘It’s not siege warfare and this is serious.’
‘So you’ve said. Repeatedly.’
‘Constance...’
‘I know.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Deny knowing anything about the charter. Claim to be outraged and say I always thought there was something sinister about you.’
‘Exactly. If you need help, send word to Alan or your uncle.’
‘Don’t worry, I’ve no intention of throwing myself on your father’s mercy.’
‘Stay as far away from my father as you can.’ He drew his brows together. ‘He has spies everywhere. It won’t be long before he finds out that I’ve gone and where to. If he summons you to Wintercott, find reasons not to go.’
‘Why?’ She looked at him dubiously. ‘What do you think he might do?’
‘I’m not sure. Probably nothing, but it’s best to be careful.’
He rammed a spare tunic into his saddlebag. What did he think his father might do? He couldn’t put his finger on what was worrying him exactly, only the vengeful glint in his eye when they’d left Wintercott made him distinctly uneasy. On reflection, perhaps strangling him hadn’t been the best tactical move.
‘I’ve been thinking.’ Constance’s tone shifted. ‘If things go wrong, we could escape to Aquitaine.’
‘You’re already planning our escape?’
‘We ought to have a plan. Aquitaine seems like the logical choice. You said you’ve already been and I have family there. I’m sure my mother’s relatives would take us in.’
‘If things go wrong, I need to stand with my friends.’
‘What about me? What about us?’ Her eyes flashed with a burst of temper. ‘You know, just for once you could at least pretend to care what I think!’
‘Constance...’
‘Don’t Constance me! Ever since we got married, you’ve made all the decisions. You sent me to live at my uncle’s. You decided when to come back and collect me and you decided that we should go to Wintercott first! You even decided that we should stay longer for your brother. You made it sound like a question, but it wasn’t, not really. Everything we’ve done since the day we first met has been your decision! You’re as big a tyrant as the King or your father!’
He froze at the accusation. Was that how she really thought of him, as a tyrant? It was true that he’d made a lot of decisions, too many perhaps, but not all...
‘I still offered you an annulment.’
‘Without being honest with me. You could have hinted or something! If I’d known about any of this...’ She stopped without finishing the sentence and he felt his heart plummet.
‘What are you saying? That if you’d known then what you know now, you would have given a different answer?’
‘I don’t know.’ She dropped her gaze evasively. ‘All I know is that I’m sick of feeling so powerless. It’s exactly the way I felt five years ago.’
Powerless. He frowned at the word. It was the way he’d felt back then, too. ‘I’m sorry, Constance, but believe it or not, I do understand how you feel. My father made me feel the same way. Which is why I have to do this. I have to stop him from abusing his power, too.’
‘So I might lose my home just so you can get your revenge?’
‘I already told you it’s not that. There’s a difference between revenge and justice.’
‘I still don’t want you to go to London. It’s too big a risk.’
‘Trust me, I’ve no wish to be condemned as a traitor either, but it’s a matter of honour.’
‘You’d abandon me for honour?’
‘Yes.’ He held her gaze, willing her to understand. ‘Without that, I really am no better than my father or John. Please understand, the charter is important. More than me or us or Lacelby. It’s for the future. Our children’s future, too.’
