Page 22 of A Dark and Stormy Knight (A Knight’s Tale #3)
“D earest, my mother woke to find you gone, and alerted the household, and Lady Marshall was found missing as well. Why were you out here?”
How on earth was she supposed to answer a question when her heart was thundering in her chest simply because he’d lifted her in his arms, held her against him, and spoken so sweetly.
Thud, went her heart.
She needed to stay calm, cool, and collected.
How on earth was she ever supposed to leave him?
Seeing Gillian so happy with her husband left Cara yearning for the same.
“It’s not my fault, so there’s no sense in blaming me. Gillian woke me early and hauled me out here to talk to the priest.”
His eyes widened. “To post the banns?”
“I don’t know what that means,” she said.
His arms tightened on her, pulling her up and against him for a long moment, before he relaxed enough to let her drop back against him into her earlier place. “’Tis an announcement of our marriage. I will admit I have already spoken to Father Hazleton, but I’ve no issue with posting here as well.”
Startled, she sucked in a breath and let it out as laughter. The man had proposed to her, and immediately gone to see a priest. Now she’d gone to see a priest, so he thought …
“I can tell you this, if I go to see the priest about a man I want to marry, I’m taking him along, and not a girlfriend.”
Wallace immediately stopped, and gazed down at her. “Have you decided you will have me, then?”
She swallowed. That turned serious fast. She’d decided to stick around and help Wallace if she was able, and she admitted that she was falling for the man, but marriage?
It wouldn’t be as easy to leave a husband behind, would it?
She could see a slight hurt in his face, and his voice was rough when he said, “If we post the banns today, we could be wed within three weeks.”
She swallowed. “Three weeks?”
“Aye, lass.”
If she got the chance to argue his case before the king, it would lend a little more clout if she was his fiancée.
Because that was the reason she was thinking about saying yes. Ha! Her reasoning left a lot to be desired.
Still, if it didn’t work out, and she still wanted to go back, three weeks would be enough time to come to a decision, wouldn’t it?
Engaged wasn’t married. Engaged couples broke up every day.
And suddenly she really wanted to say yes. Not just to make him happy, but herself, as well.
He watched her closely, the dawn light turning his bronze skin a golden color that only seemed to heighten his attractiveness.
Dang it, why did she have such a hard time resisting him?
Was it the hope in his expression? She could feel him holding his breath, awaiting her answer, and could not help teasing him.
“I can’t marry you. We’ve never even had a fight yet,” she said, matter-of-factly.
“A fight?” Wallace’s mouth parted. “I would never harm you, besides which, you’ve not the strength to win against me.”
She made a scoffing noise. “I don’t mean a physical fight, I mean yelling at each other, stuff like that. I don’t know if you fight fair, or if you’ll end up airing all my dirty laundry every time you get mad.”
“Your laundry?” Wallace looked more confused than ever.
“Yes, you know, some guys reveal stuff when they get angry.”
“We must fight,” he said slowly, “So you can take my measure?”
“Exactly. And we haven’t known each other long enough for that to happen.”
After a calculating look, Wallace cleared his throat. “I must needs admit you have angered me greatly.” He glanced around, seeming at a loss. “When you went missing, I was forced to seek you out!” He put a little heat and anger in the last few words. “I am enraged!”
Cara bit the inside of her lip and blinked up at him. “I can see that.”
He waited a moment, then said, “As you will note, your soiled clothing is safe, and will no doubt be cleansed soon enough.”
At that, she started to laugh, and his confused expression only made her laugh all the harder.
“Cara?” he looked so lost that it touched something off inside her and she threw herself at him, suddenly hysterical with laughter as she hung on him.
He chuckled and patted her back. “In my upset, I’ll no doubt be forced to kill you.”
She shrieked with glee! She pressed her face against him, weak, unable to control herself.
“Mayhap I’ll snap your neck, or throw you down the stairs, or even from the tower.”
She clutched at him, unable to catch her breath, patting his chest to get him to stop.
He chuckled, and hugged her close. “You are not to worry, I’ll be quick about it, and it shall be painless.”
When her amusement finally faded to snickers, with only a few hiccups here and there, he said, “Come, make peace with me now, and agree to be mine.”
Before she knew she’d meant to, and certainly against her common sense, she said weakly, “Yes, Wallace, yes. I will marry you.”
So much for any of her reasons, as caught up in the moment, she meant every word.
With a whoop, he threw her in the air, caught her as she screamed, then headed back to see the priest.