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Gratitude
Three weeks after their return to Normandie, Adelina walked to the chapel on Comte Barr de Montbryce’s arm. The bailey was crowded with smiling well-wishers, but she wished with all her heart Terric was there to give her away to Roland. Her escort was probably wishing Adrien was safe at home.
Her heart leaped when she espied her beloved waiting outside the chapel, Becket beside him. There was no doubt all the Montbryce men were impressive creatures with their broad shoulders and well-muscled bodies. However, it was Roland who caused desire to spiral out of control whenever she set eyes on him.
No one looking at him now would imagine he’d courted death not so very long ago. Clad entirely in black velvet, he stood proudly with shoulders squared, a broad smile lighting his handsome face when he saw her approach across the bailey.
Showing no signs of impairment, he offered his hand when the comte gave her over to him.
She looked into his laughing blue eyes and knew she’d been blessed to find her soul mate.
She struggled to rid her thoughts of carnal matters when Père Lacharité cleared his throat and began the ceremony, but the twirl of Roland’s thumb in her palm rendered it impossible.
* * *
A loud cheer rose from the crowd when the priest declared he and Adelina were wed and invited them into the chapel to celebrate mass. Roland raised his arm to acknowledge the good wishes of the castle folks with a wave, determined to ignore the spasm of pain that lanced across his chest.
Adelina’s frown proved he hadn’t fooled her for a second.
“Just a passing thing,” he assured her as they processed into the chapel.
“No swordplay until you’re fully healed,” she reminded him. “You promised.”
“I’ll be much too busy keeping my new wife happy to be spending time practicing in the training fields,” he whispered close to her ear.
“Promises, promises,” she teased.
“You’ll see,” he warned as he assisted her to kneel on the prie-dieu in front of the altar rail.
As he knelt on his own prie-dieu next to hers, he sobered under the withering glare of the priest.
The teasing would have to wait until later. The prospect turned his already greedy cock to granite.
* * *
Although Roland’s presence beside her was a distraction, Adelina accepted the eucharist with a grateful heart. She said a silent prayer for the soul of Harcourt Mandeville. He had saved her life at Waterthwaite and paid a terrible price.
The road to this intimate chapel in Normandie had been long and difficult, but she and Roland had seen each other safely home.
She thanked the Lord for returning Terric to their ancestral home. She prayed for her brother, for Adrien and for William, Earl of Ellesmere. King John was a vindictive monarch who would severely punish any hint of dissension.
Another blessing had been the news from Ellesmere that William’s galley had made it safely to Bristol.
She acknowledged that life in Normandie wouldn’t be without its challenges. As Frenchmen, Normans were now subjects of the unpredictable King Philip. However, the French monarch apparently recognized he’d have a rebellion on his hands if he challenged the powerful Montbryce clan. Roland had explained the many well-fortified castles the family controlled throughout Normandie.
She resolved to be a good wife to Roland, a loving mother to his children and a woman his family would be proud to acknowledge as one of their own.
* * *
Roland absently rubbed his sore shoulder as he watched his beautiful wife move from table to table of jovial guests in the Great Hall of the home he loved. He’d imagined it so many times, he could scarcely believe his dream to marry Adelina had come true.
He attributed the ache in his chest muscles to hundreds of congratulatory handshakes.
It was an irritation, nothing more. He was simply impatient to be completely healed. He should be grateful Adelina’s nursing had him back on his feet in a relatively short time, considering the severity of his wound.
Had the bolt pierced his heart, he’d have died on the galley. He’d faced death before, but life was more precious now he had Adelina to protect and take care of.
He’d be the first to acknowledge a misspent youth, but those days were over. He was husband to a woman he adored and, God willing, they’d bring healthy children into the world—one he intended to do his utmost to keep safe for the family he loved.
