June Francis - Rebel Lady, Convenient Wife

Inside the stable, Anna was pleased to find that her broken girth strap had been replaced and she saddled up her horse.

‘So what is it you want from me?’ asked Davy, impatiently.

She gazed at him. ‘I do not want you to mention what I am going to say to Owain or Kate. The Comte d’Azay! What do you know of him?’

‘Who told you about him?’ asked a startled Davy.

‘Hal said that he was my father. Did you ever meet him? What kind of man was he? What did he look like? Where did he come from in France?’

Davy’s expression was dour. ‘You’d be wiser putting the past behind you, Anna.’

Her eyes flashed with anger. ‘That’s a bit difficult when I’ve only just discovered this part of the past that relates to me. I cannot possibly forget that my father is not the man I believed him to be. I need to know more about this Comte. I cannot ask Owain or Kate. I cannot bear to distress them further.’

Davy hesitated. ‘The Comte was a handsome man with foxy red hair. It was the colour of his hair that convinced me that Gwendolyn had played Father false. Also, it was obvious that she was besotted with him.’

‘Did you believe she was also a witch?’

‘No. Hal did. He was for ever saying that Gwendolyn had bewitched Father into marrying her. Your mother was a lovely creature with hair as black as a raven’s wing. She was reared in our household and treated like the daughter of the house. Father was wrong to marry her and deserved what happened to him. But there was naught supernatural about it.’

Anna felt a lot better. ‘Do you know how she met the Comte?’

‘Through her uncle, but he’s dead. Owain knew both men better than any of us. He met them at Domfront in Normandy, where our eldest brother, Martin, is buried. Does that satisfy your thirst for knowledge?’

She nodded. ‘My thanks to you.’

Davy’s face softened. ‘You were brought up an ap Rowan and that’s what you are at heart, Anna.’ He left her standing by her horse.

Anna’s emotions were in turmoil. What Megan and Davy had told her about her parents was enlightening and it was also a relief. They had given her an impression of them that was altogether different to that of Hal’s. She now believed that the Comte and Gwendolyn had fallen in love and herself conceived in a moment of passion. She definitely had to find out if her father was still alive. He might have left for France before her birth. Something to do with the unrest between their countries, perhaps. But how was she to get to France? Her first step was out of this stable. She attached her belongings to her horse and led the beast outside.

Davy and Jack were still in the yard. At the sound of the clatter of her horse’s hooves, both men lifted their heads and stared at her. Then Jack came striding across the yard towards her. ‘I’ll help you mount,’ he said tersely.

She glanced at the mounting block. ‘It really isn’t necessary. I can manage on my own.’

‘I’m sure you can. But allow me to help you this one last time.’

His words startled her. ‘Will we not meet again, Jack? No doubt you will be glad to see the back of me. I cannot deny that our encounters must have proved troublesome to you.’

‘Have I complained? Who knows, Anna, what lies in the future? Travel is a risky business.’

‘Yet you survived.’

‘Aye. But it was not easy.’ He bent and formed a cradle with his hands. For a moment she did not move, but gazed down at his bare head. She was aware of an urge to stretch out her hand and smooth his untidy dark hair. Her thoughts even travelled as far as imagining being held close to him. She sensed that if he made love to her, then her fear and loneliness might vanish. How ridiculous a thought was that in the light of what they knew of each other? He glanced up at her and their eyes met. She felt a dart of sensation in her breast and a rippling in her stomach.

‘What are you waiting for? I’m in a hurry,’ he rasped.

‘You offered your assistance, I did not ask for it,’ snapped Anna, placing a hand on his shoulder. She was instantly aware of the strength in the muscles there and placed her foot in his laced hands. She felt his fingers brush her ankle above the short boot and experienced a frisson of pleasure. Then her breath caught in her throat as he raised her into the air as if she weighed no more than a dandelion clock. The moment was spoilt when he threw her into the saddle as if he could not wait to be rid of her.

She scrabbled for the reins with one hand, whilst attempting to arrange her skirts decorously with the other. She was about to thank him for his assistance, but he had turned away and was crossing the yard to his own horse. She watched him haul himself into the saddle and gather up the reins. She turned her head away for a thought had suddenly occurred to her—one so shocking that she questioned her sanity.

Jack caught Davy’s gaze on him. ‘What?’ he demanded.

The older man smiled faintly. ‘Did I speak, lad? So, what are we going to do about her? We can hardly allow her to ride off alone.’

Jack’s face was grim. ‘You heard her. She has the ordering of her own life and answers to no man but the king. I deem she would not even take orders from Edward, the mood she is in. Although he is in France, so we cannot put that to the test. She’s your sister. You deal with her.’

Davy half-opened his mouth and then clamped it shut. He watched Anna ride out of the yard and thought that, on horseback, she truly was an ap Rowan.

Jack’s eyes smouldered as he gazed after her. He wondered what had been on her mind when he had caught her watching him a moment ago. If he were superstitious like Hal, he might have believed she was attempting to enslave him with the power of her lovely eyes. He shook his head as if to rid himself of the thought, telling himself that he must not blame Anna for the lust she roused in him. She had an excellent seat. Remembering her fall from her horse yesterday, he was filled with admiration. Surely she must be suffering some after-effects after all that had happened to her. Yet she made no complaint. If only life were different. But he must put her out of his mind.

Anna was seized by doubt. She must be mad to be considering travelling to France. It was true what Jack had said. Travel was a risky business. Shewondered who had been responsible for selling Jack into slavery. Could it have been a business rival? Giles had told her that there was a lot of money to be made from trade. The best woollen cloth, parchments, tapestries, gold and silver and other luxury goods could fetch a goodly price. Yet how could an English man such as Jack outdo the merchants on the Continent, whose transport costs would slice his profits? It didn’t make sense for a foreign rival to get rid of him. Unless it had been a fellow countryman?

She nibbled on her lip. What was the point of puzzling over the matter? She would be eternally grateful to Jack for coming to her assistance, but she could expect no more help from him. Soon, their ways would part. Once they reached the highway, she would go in the direction of Chester on the pretence that she intended seeking sanctuary at the convent and he and Davy would turn in the other direction towards the Wirral and Birkenhead Priory, where one could take a ferry across the Mersey to Liverpool. Even at this early hour, the road would be busy with monks and clerics bound for St Werburgh’s Abbey, as well as peasants, merchants and others going to market, so there was no need for them to worry about her.

If it had not been for their earlier exchange in the yard, Anna might have been tempted to ask Jack outright to give her passage on his ship to France, but she doubted he would agree. If only she could smuggle herself aboard and not be discovered until they were out at sea. But that plan was out of the question if his ship was anchored in the Dee estuary.