Forbidden: Claude (Second in Command #2)(12)

“Then, mayhap, you’d let Harry return the same affection by ruffling your hair as well. Unless that would bother you.”

“Why would it bother me?” asked Claude. “As I said, it is all done in fun. Go ahead, Harry. Ruffle my hair.” Claude leaned over. Evelina urged the little boy to do the same to Claude as he had done to Harry.

With tears in his eyes, Harry slapped his hand atop Claude’s head. However, the egg was in his hand and it broke on Claude’s head. Slimy egg white and yolk slid down Claude’s hair and face.

Evelina giggled while Claude clenched his jaw, not saying a word.

“Oh, Harry, what did you do?” Rose rushed over with Toft, eying up the antics of her little brother. Isobel hurried over with Claude’s mother as well.

“Claude, you have egg on your face,” said Celestine.

Suddenly, all the children were crowding around, and everyone, including Rose, laughed at Claude. Claude wiped the egg out of his eyes and licked his lips.

“I’ll have a tub of water sent up to your solar for you, Claude,” said Rose. “I’m sorry that Harry did that.”

“Harry was only ruffling Claude’s hair as Claude did to him,” stated Evelina. As everyone continued to laugh, Claude’s gaze met with Evelina’s. The anguish and despair in his eyes told her that this situation had hurt him deeply.

“Excuse me, my lady,” Claude said, bowing to Rose with egg still dripping down his face. “I think I will retire for the evening.”

Claude hurried through the great hall with his squire at his heels. No one but Evelina seemed to notice the turmoil on Claude’s face. Her heart went out to him. It was her fault since she’d told Harry to ruffle his hair. Now, she regretted her action. It wasn’t anger she viewed in Claude’s eyes as he hurried away. It was pain. A more profound pain than she’d ever seen in anyone’s eyes before. She wanted to run after him and tell him she was sorry, but couldn’t. She was only a servant, she reminded herself. She couldn’t step out of line again or her secret might be revealed.

Every part of her wanted to comfort Claude and make him smile. Why did she feel this way when everything the man had done so far had been nothing but belittling to her? Then again, his actions were typical for a nobleman and the way they treated servants. Her actions were not normal for a servant, just like Claude had told his squire. Pretending she was someone that she was not was becoming more difficult all the time.





Chapter 4





Claude dipped his head under the water of the tub and broke the surface with a sigh. The hot bath felt inviting but was doing nothing to make him feel better. The nursemaid had made him look like a fool in front of everyone, especially Rose. It brought back too many hurtful memories of the past.

He was a knight now and wanted to leave the past buried of the days he was a frightened, angry, skinny boy with long hair in his eyes. He wanted his father to be proud of him. Hell, he wanted to look good in Rose’s eyes now that he could measure up to someone like her husband. But Rose laughed at him, and that only made him want to try harder to make her like him more.

Was he really unlikable? He scooped up some soft soap from a small dish hanging from the edge of the tub and scrubbed his body hard. He wanted people to like him. Too much of his life was spent feeling lonely, and he didn’t ever want to feel that way again.

A knock sounded at the door. He figured it was either his squire coming back with more wine or a servant bringing the towel they had forgotten to leave.

“Enter,” he called out, scrubbing the soap into his scalp and closing his eyes, dipping back under the water to rinse it.



Evelina clutched the towel in her hand, glancing down the corridor, hoping no one was watching. She had intercepted the servant and told the young boy she’d take the towel to Lord Claude. She wanted to talk to him alone and try to find out if he had any suspicion of whom she really was. This was the only way to do it.

Hearing Claude call out to enter, she nervously reached out for the door handle, hesitating a second, and pulling her hand back. He might already be in the tub. If so, she would be in the room with a naked man. Then again, perhaps he was fully dressed and waiting for the towel and hadn’t even entered the tub yet.

She heard voices down the corridor and quickly reached out and turned the handle, slipping into the darkened room so she wouldn’t be discovered. Silently closing the door, she took a minute for her eyes to get accustomed to the dark. There was a fire on the hearth and one small candle burning on a table near the bed.

Evelina scanned the room, seeing the tub of water, but not seeing Claude anywhere. She thought that mayhap she had imagined him telling her to enter and perhaps he wasn’t here at all. She turned around to leave and heard the sound of water splashing over the edge of the tub onto the floor.

“Bring me the towel quickly, servant. I have soap in my eyes.”

She spun around to see Claude standing up in the tub, rubbing his closed eyes. His naked, toned body glistened in the firelight as rivulets of water trailed down his sturdy chest, disappearing into the thatch of dark, curly hair at his groin. She lifted her hand to block her eyes from looking any further. She shouldn’t have entered the room after all.

“Hurry, give me the drying cloth,” said Claude, holding out one hand.

With her eyes turned downward, she slowly walked toward the tub, stretching to give it to him.