AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A Difficult Choice
Roland was uncomfortable with the silence hanging in the air. It was clear from the joy on Terric’s face that William had imparted the news. He wasn’t sure what to make of Adelina’s quivering chin, but he was certain she’d seen the panic in his eyes. There was no point concealing the fact he knew. “I congratulate you, cousin,” he declared, offering his hand to Terric. “William has saved the day.”
“Yes,” Terric replied, his voice choked with emotion as he pumped Roland’s hand.
Inhaling deeply, Roland put his hands on Adelina’s shoulders and kissed one cheek then the other. “I’m happy for you,” he rasped. “I know how much Melton means to you.”
The urge to kiss away the tear that trickled down her cheek and beg her to make a new life with him was powerful, but she had to make the decision.
She could leave behind everything and everybody she knew and loved, or marry him and, God willing, bear his children. If she chose Melton—which he accepted was her duty—he would never wed another. Adelina was his soul mate, the only woman he would ever love.
His heart and loins rejoiced when she cupped his face in her hands and murmured, “I choose you.”
* * *
Terric struggled with conflicting emotions. His sister had found a great love. Roland was a courageous and noble man he admired and to whom he owed his life. Adelina would face challenges in Normandie, but she’d be happy as Roland’s wife and the mother of his children.
Why then did he feel resentful? Was it selfish to expect her to accompany him to Melton Manor? Surely she realized he needed her by his side to tackle the reopening of their ancestral home amid the challenges besetting John’s reign? Life at Melton simply wouldn’t be the same without Adelina.
Or was it jealousy churning in his gut as he watched Roland and his sister cling together, celebrating their joy with a lusty kiss?
It was time to stiffen his spine and act like the nobleman he was. One day, he would find a woman to share his life and his responsibilities. He couldn’t imagine Adelina being happy as his spinster sister, for he knew she would never marry another if he insisted she return to Melton.
He loved her too much to deny her happiness.
“William,” he declared. “Might I suggest a formal ceremony here at Ellesmere to betroth these two lovebirds before their ardor sets your solar alight?”
* * *
By the time they’d eaten the evening meal in the privacy of the solar, Ellesmere’s priest had answered William’s summons. A scrivener arrived a few minutes later.
Adelina loved her brother for the sacrifice he’d made. During the meal, he’d joined in the toasts and the teasing about wedded bliss, but she recognized the desolation in his eyes. She prayed he’d soon find a loving partner.
Roland took her hand as they stood before the priest and prepared to pledge themselves to each other.
Adrien stood beside his brother.
Terric took his place beside Adelina.
On tiptoe, she whispered close to his ear. “Thank you, brother. You will always be in my heart wherever I go.”
He bent to bestow a kiss on her cheek. “And I with you.”
She was glad to see the darkness lift from his gaze.
Father Gerard cleared his throat after consulting with William and the scrivener. “Roland de Montbryce, are you willing and able to commit to marriage with Adelina de Quincey?”
“I am willing and able,” he replied, his eyes locked with hers.
“Who vouches for this man’s bachelor state?”
“As his brother, I do,” Adrien said.
“Adelina de Quincey, are you willing and able to commit to marriage with Roland de Montbryce?”
“I am willing and able,” she replied, looking into Roland’s blue eyes.
“Who vouches that this woman is a spinster?”
Terric nodded. “I vouch for my dear sister.”
“May God bless this union and render it fruitful,” the priest declared, making the sign of the Savior in the air.
“Amen to that,” Roland whispered with a wink that caused the heat to rise in her face.
William shook Roland’s hand. “The scrivener has prepared a document.”
Once they had appended their marks to the parchment, Roland raised her hand to his lips and bestowed a chivalrous kiss on her knuckles. “As far as I am concerned,” he said softly, piercing her with his smoldering, blue gaze, “you are already my wife.”
The promise of intimacy in his deep voice echoed to her very core.
