Forbidden: Claude (Second in Command #2)(19)

“My lord,” interrupted his squire, suddenly standing at their side. With the squire’s presence, the moment was gone. “Lady Rose said to hurry before the ants figure out we have food.”

“Aye,” said Claude, clearing his throat and taking a step backward. “Tend to the horse, Felix. And if you want any food you’d better not tarry. After all, I’ve worked up quite an appetite and might eat it all myself.” He hustled across the grass, making a beeline toward Rose.

“Aye, my lord,” answered Felix, talking to Claude’s back as he hurried away.

Evelina stood frozen for a moment, trying to decipher what just happened. Had she imagined that they’d shared an intimate moment? And why had she enjoyed it so much? She didn’t even like Claude. He was an arrogant, pig-headed, ridiculous boy trapped in a man’s body refusing to live in anything but the past.

She straightened her gown, brushed back her hair and pinched her cheeks for color. It never hurt to look good, even around wretched curs like Claude.



Claude tended to Rose’s every need as they ate their food sitting on a blanket on the ground. Felix and Evelina sat on the edge of the cart, chatting as they had their meal. Claude poured some wine into a cup, bringing it to his mouth as his eyes focused on Evelina. With her long, oaken hair loose and flowing in the breeze, she reminded him of a fae.

He hadn’t wanted to help her from the wagon, but when he touched her body, something odd happened that he couldn’t explain. That damned rosewater drifted from her body again, filling his head with thoughts of sensual pleasures like kissing her neck or possibly her lips. He had almost kissed her last night. When he stood so close to her and gazed into her beautiful eyes, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and feeling her silken hair as well as her skin. Thank goodness, she believed he was only brushing the hair from her eyes.

“Claude? Claude?” Rose leaned forward and pushed her face up to his.

“My lady?” It took him a moment to realize he had poured the wine for Rose and was drinking it instead of giving it to her. “Oh, the wine. I’m sorry.” He handed her the cup. She took a sip, smiling all the while.

“Why are you smiling so much?” he asked. He heard Evelina giggle and his eyes darted back to the cart. He wondered what Felix had said to her to make her laugh.

“She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

“Pretty?” His eyes shot back to Rose. “Who?”

“Well, I’m not talking about Felix.” Rose laughed this time, putting down the cup and reaching for her feet. “Claude, I want to walk in the water barefooted.”

“Aye,” he answered. He picked up the cup and drank the rest of the wine, sneaking a peek at Evelina again.

“I am having a problem reaching my feet.”

“My lady?” He looked back at Rose, realizing she needed his help in removing her shoes. “Oh, I’m sorry, Rose. Let me help you.” He reached out and slipped the shoes from Rose’s feet.

“I’m glad you came to England because you are my good friend and I really missed you.”

“Aye. I’ve missed you, too.”

“I’m worried about you, Claude. Why aren’t you married by now?”

“Me?” He looked up, holding her shoe in his hand. “I’ll get married. Someday. When I find the right woman to be my wife.”

“I had the feeling you left England because you were in love with me while I was in love with Toft.”

He cradled the shoe in his hand, examining the stitches in the leather rather than looking at her when he lied.

“Nay, that’s not why. My grandfather left me his castle and estate when he died. I had to go back to France.”

“When you first returned, I thought, perhaps, you were hoping we could be together. But now I see that I was wrong.”

“Rose, I have no idea what you mean.”

“I think you do.” She held out her arms. “Help me up, Claude. I feel like a whale.”

He helped her to stand.

“Rose, I am here because you asked me to be. I want to help you any way I can.”

“I saw the way you’ve been watching Evelina.” Rose smiled a wide smile. “Perhaps, she is the one.”

“The one? For what? The girl is a common servant with a brash disposition. I was only watching her because I thought someone should reprimand her before she gets out of control.”

“Sure you were. Don’t forget, now that the hair no longer hides your eyes, I can tell when you’re lying.”

“You and Toft asked me to stay and watch over you until his return.”

“Aye. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We are good friends, and that is the way I always want it to be.”

“What are you trying to say, Rose?”

“I’m saying that I’m in love with Toft and have always been. He is my husband, and we will soon have a baby together. I hope to have many more babies with him.”

“Why are you telling me this? I don’t understand.”

There was an awkward silence between them and then she shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose I am rambling on because I miss Toft and wish he were here with me when I give birth. But you are here, and that is the next best thing. Now, carry me down to the water because I should have waited to remove my shoes until after we were on the shore. I don’t want to step on a stick or rock and stumble along the way.”