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“She has a penchant for self-destruction and dramatics,” William said plainly.

“And now you have saddled my son with this woman? My wife thinks you did it simply to be rid of her, but I would like to think your motive was not so self-serving. I want to know why you never told me any of this, Edmund. Why did you not tell me that your daughter was mad?”

Edmund took a step back, hissing as he did so. “You will not insult my child,” he growled. “You have no right to judge her so. She has a lineage you could only dream of having, de Wolfe. She descends from the Duke of Normandy.”

“And my ancestor was a premier general for the Duke of Normandy,” William fired back.

“Did you know that? My ancestor, Gaetan de Wolfe, was the leader of the anges de guerre , an elite group of knights who helped the duke conquer this country. My lineage goes back as far as yours does and is far more prestigious.”

“How can you say that?”

“At least my fortune is not based on being the bastard of a prince.”

Edmund was stunned. Stunned and furious. “You dare to say such things to me?”

William sighed sharply. “And I shall say more than even that,” he said.

“You lied to me when you brokered this contract. Your daughter is in no way suitable for my son and if you refuse to dissolve the betrothal, I shall take this contract to the king and leave it to his good judgement. But know this; I shall produce multiple witnesses who can attest to your daughter’s behavior.

I will present the picture of a completely unstable young woman, one you lied about in order to gain a betrothal with my son.

When I am finished presenting my case, no man in the civilized world will want to marry her. Do you understand my meaning?”

Edmund was so angry that he was quivering. “Is that why you invited me to Wark?” he demanded. “To insult and threaten me?”

“I do not like being lied to.”

“I did not lie to you.”

William rolled his eye. “You are doing it now,” he said. “Agree to dissolve the betrothal, Edmund. That is your only choice.”

Edmund eyed him, his jaw flexing and his fists opening and closing. William could see the man’s fists, wondering if he would be stupid enough to throw a punch. But Edmund backed away, clearly pondering the ultimatum he’d just been given. The man wasn’t used to being challenged.

“I did not lie to you,” he repeated. “I thought that with a strong hand, my daughter could be tamed. With a strong man, she could become the kind of woman he wanted her to be. Are you telling me that your son is not strong enough to handle her?”

William smiled, but it was without humor.

“My son is more of a man than you could ever hope to be,” he said.

“But you have allowed your daughter to run amok all her life and now you expect another man to undo the damage you have done. It is too late, Edmund. Your daughter is beyond help. My son does not deserve this mess you have created, and no fortune in the world is worth the trouble you have caused.”

Now, William was directly insulting Edmund, and with good reason. But Edmund only saw it one way– instead of William cowering, the man was meeting his argument face to face. He was making demands that Edmund had no intention of meeting.

His grip on the situation was slipping.

Taking a step back, Edmund forced himself to calm, knowing that he could not match William’s anger. Deep down, he knew the man was right; everything he said had been right. There was no question. But Edmund would not accept responsibility.

And he could not lose this battle.

“I may be a liar, but if you go back on your word, every man in England will know that William de Wolfe cannot be trusted,” he said. “You gave me your word, de Wolfe.”

“I do not give my word to liars.”

Edmund threatened to flare but he fought it. He had a better idea, attacking William where he knew it would do the most damage– his family.

“Then know this,” he said. “If you break this betrothal, then I shall send my army out and systematically destroy each and every one of your properties. Berwick shall fall, followed by Wark and Monteviot, Wolfe’s Lair and Kale Water Castle.

The last to go shall be Castle Questing, and you shall watch it burn to the ground.

I will command a scorched earth campaign that will destroy half of Northumberland, all of it to punish you for going back on your word.

If you are prepared to fight for your life, for the rest of your life, then by all means, break the betrothal. ”

William had a smile on his face. “You may have a big army, Edmund, but mine is bigger,” he said. “I have more allies than you do. Come for me and I shall crush you.”

Edmund couldn’t believe that William wasn’t surrendering. A military threat hadn’t worked. But he knew what would. Edmund was, if nothing else, sharp. He could think quickly on his feet and, at the moment, he had to.

He had to salvage this.

“It is a binding agreement,” he said simply. “If I do not agree to dissolve it, then you cannot dissolve it on your own. I shall take it to the Archbishop of York. What my army cannot enforce, the church will. And you cannot deny or dispute the church, de Wolfe. Not even you are that powerful.”

William knew that. Unfortunately, more than all the armies in England, the church could do some serious damage to him.

If they upheld the contract and William refused to allow Thomas to marry Adelaide, then it would jeopardize any marriage Thomas did have in the future, not to mention any interaction the House of de Wolfe had with the church.

It was the one threat that meant something and they both knew it. But William would not surrender.

It wasn’t in his nature where his children were concerned.

“I advise you to think about that,” he said. “Whatever mischief you can make for me, I can make it even worse for you. Agreeably end the betrothal and I shall forget the threats you have leveled against me. Refuse to end it and there will be consequences.”

Edmund was shaken and furious. He backed away from William, turning for the hall. “The marriage will happen as planned,” he said. “And I am returning home today. Do not summon me again unless it is for the wedding.”

With that, he turned away and rushed into the great hall, leaving William standing out in the early dawn.

William was as frustrated and furious as Edmund was, only he was better at controlling it.

He could see by the man’s cagey response that Edmund was fully aware of his daughter’s behavior and that everything Jordan had said about it was true– Edmund had knowingly tricked William into a betrothal.

And now Thomas was stuck.

It was all William’s doing.

Maybe he should have let Thomas escape those months ago.

With a heavy heart, William turned for the keep, wondering what he was going to tell his wife and his son. They were bound to a contract that they’d been unfairly tricked into and, at the moment, there was nothing William could do about it.

But this wasn’t the end of it.

Not even close.