Dark Deceptions: A Regency and Medieval Collection of Dark Romances(164)

Keller, trying to shake off his shame from his outburst with Chrystobel, gladly allowed himself to be swept away with memories from The Levant. He also allowed William to pour him more cider. The combination of embarrassment, old memories, and the cider was too much for him to overcome.

The next thing he realized, he was lifting his head off the feasting table when someone opened the door to the great hall and let the weak morning light filter in. There was drool all over his right cheek and a big puddle on the table beneath him. The moment he tried to move, the pounding anvil in his head started.

It was not going to be a pleasant day.





Chapter Thirteen





She was stupid. Truly, deeply, and terribly stupid. As Chrystobel moved about in what used to be her father’s chamber, she was feeling like the biggest fool in the world.

Keller had sworn to return to her last night but he hadn’t. The sun was rising and she hadn’t seen him since he’d left her chamber the night before. As Chrystobel pulled items out of her father’s wardrobe in preparation for storing them in a trunk, she was feeling so terribly embarrassed about everything she’d said the night before. She should have been smarter about it. She should have known that Keller was full of ale and cider, and that all of those things he had said were foolish words to gain her sympathy. He’d even apologized for them, and she had forgiven him. But the truth was in the actions – after telling her of a failed love, after swearing he would return to her later, he had failed to come back at all.

She didn’t know where the man was and she didn’t care. She’d felt sorry for him as he’d told her of his lost love, but gaining her sympathy had probably been part of his ploy. He’d made her think that he was a poor, lonely soul, but the truth was that he was a liar. He wasn’t a man of his word, as he’d broken his promise to return to her, so she could only assume everything else he’d told her had been a lie.

Damn him! She tossed one of her father’s tunics into a pile on the ground. Keller had made her believe that he was sympathetic to both her and Izlyn. Finally, a man who would show them both the kindness they’d so lacked in their young lives. But he hadn’t meant any of what he’d said. He’d been drunk and running off at the mouth. Hurt, angry, she continued to clean out her father’s chamber.

Her back was to the door when she heard boot falls and a soft knock on the panel. Turning around, she caught sight of Keller standing in the doorway in full armor. She looked at him, caught off guard by his sudden appearance, and couldn’t help but notice that he looked pale and bleary-eyed. But the moment their eyes met, she thought of him last night as he looked her in the eye and swore he would return to her, and she quickly returned to her project.

“Good morn to you, husband,” she said, her voice clipped.

Keller heard her tone. It was cold and angry, just as he knew it would be. He’d put off coming to see her for a solid hour because he was so afraid that she might be angry with him and he’d been correct. She was furious. From her stiff back to her curt words, she was bloody well furious.

“Good morn to you, Lady de Poyer,” he said timidly. “My lady… Chrystobel… I am truly sorry I did not return last night. I am sure you are….”

She cut him off, throwing more of her father’s items into a pile on the floor. “It does not matter in the least,” she said, pulling at a pair of ripped breeches. “I slept in my chamber with my sister and we were quite comfortable. In fact, I am cleaning out this chamber for you so that you may have it. It ‘tis a big chamber, and comfortable, and it should be very pleasant for you. I plan to have the servants pull the bed apart and re-stuff the mattress.”

Keller could see that she wasn’t going to forgive him easily. Why should she? He’d said many things last night, things he was still embarrassed over, and she’d had time to reflect on all he’d said. Perhaps she’d come to realize what an idiot she’d married. Perhaps it really didn’t matter to her that he’d not returned – more than likely, she was glad that he hadn’t. His heart sank as the nervous knuckle-cracking started.

“I thought this was going to be our chamber?” he asked softly, popping his joints.

Chrystobel laughed, but it wasn’t a humorous laugh. It was an angry cackle. “Nay, my lord,” she said, gathering all of the things she had thrown on the floor and lifting them up onto the bed. “This will be the master’s chamber and you, after all, are the master. I will happily sleep across the hall with my sister so that you can summon me at will. No need for us to share a space.”

Keller was feeling worse and worse. “Chrystobel,” he said softly, firmly. “I am sorry I did not return last night. I went to see to my friends and ended up drinking more of that devil cider, and after that… I do not remember anything until I woke up this morning. I did not stay away intentionally.”

Chrystobel was a woman with no trust in men. She’d been lied to and abused her entire life, so forgiving an innocent like Keller, who truly meant what he said, was nearly impossible for her to comprehend. It was easier not to believe him than to forgive him. He’d already lied to her. In her mind, he’d destroyed her trust.

“You do not need to explain your whereabouts or your reasons,” she said, pausing in her task to look him in the eye. “This is a contract marriage and there are no expectations. You are lord and master of Nether and I will respect you as such. I will be at your call as you wish, but do not expect more than that. Do not tell me stories to garner my sympathy because I do not care. I do not care about anything!”