~oOo~
James awoke, still feeling exhausted and sore. He lifted his head, saw Isabel nowhere in sight, then collapsed back on the cushion wearing what was undoubtedly a silly grin. He felt incredible.
A few minutes later, he heard the door open. Again he managed to open his eyes. His wife stood over him, dressed all in black, a sword belted at her hip, her arms crossed over her chest. She surveyed him casually and he was aroused in an instant.
“Coming back to bed?” he asked.
“Soon. I have something to read to you first.”
He saw a piece of parchment in one of her hands. She unrolled the letter and held it to the light. Very slowly, she began to read it aloud, and James was astonished by how fast she had learned the skill.
Then he began to listen to the words, and his stomach clenched with dread. When she was done, she lowered the parchment, put her hand on her sword hilt, and just looked at him.
“James, does this letter from the king mean that he has taken my family title away?”
Looking into her wide eyes, he saw the ruination of everything he’d finally achieved—Isabel’s love. He watched her face, waiting for her to scream, throw the letter into the fire, anything but look at him so calmly. That disturbed him more than any woman’s tantrums.
“Yes, Angel, King Henry has decided to give the earldom—but not your lands or property—to a knight who has served him well.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He couldn’t let her be hurt again, as she’d been hurt her whole life. “Put away your sword. I will write to the king. I’ll travel to London and protest. He cannot do this to you. I’ll?—”
“You would support me?” she interrupted, as the parchment rolled to the floor. “Risk your lands, your wealth, in a court battle against the king?”
“Of course I would. I wrote him when we married, asking for permission for your family title to be inherited by our child. And this is obviously his answer. I’ll?—”
“Stop!” she said, taking his shoulders and giving him a little shake. “I need to know something.”
“Anything.”
“Could you ever love me for what I am, not some ideal woman you’ve had pictured your whole life?”
“I thought I proved that last night.” James wanted to touch her, but he held back. “I love you,” he whispered, and felt the words deeply.
She briefly closed her eyes. He tried to hold her, but she put a hand on his chest. “I need to know that this is more than just…mating.”
He smiled, cupping her cheek with his hand. “I love you.”
“Why?”
“Precisely because you are like no other woman I’ve ever met. You’re strong in your own right. And you don’t care about my title—or my hand. You are the first woman who’s ever seen anything else in me besides what’s on the surface.”
She gazed deeply into his eyes, before allowing a small smile to show.
“Did I pass your test of honor, wife? Can I go to London on your behalf?”
“No.”
“No? You’re not going. The king would?—”
“Don’t you understand? It isn’t important anymore.”
He stared at her in amazement. “But Isabel?—”
She smiled. “We can’t win against the king. All that matters, all that touches me deeply, is your offer to risk all that is important to you, your security, your title, just for me.”
“Isabel, You are the most important thing to me now.”
“Then that’s all I need,” she said, leaning into his embrace. “My life is more than I ever imagined it could be, and I have that title—and an old feud—to thank for it.” She lifted her head up, then glanced down his body. “You’re not wearing anything.”
He grinned and nodded toward the bed.
