Chapter 31: Chapter Thirty-One

ADALENE FELT tears filled her eyes and rapidly spilled over. This was the reason why she wanted to be alone. She knew she was about to cry. She did not expect it would hurt this much. She had only known the Baron for a few days, and yet he had become so important.

She shouldn’t have fallen in love with him. How stupid could she be? But when he said he would give her groom a lesson on how to treat a man’s woman right, he also taught it to her.

And now she would never, ever forget him. She would always be grateful for the little glimpse of heaven afforded her the short time they were together. But it was too short a time! This was breaking her heart to what felt like tiny little pieces. She did not want to go.

But Adalene knew that Lady Veronique would never allow Fabian to keep her, while she didn’t know she could survive not being the only woman in his life, knowing there would be nights he would be in his wife’s bed—or bear the trouble Lady Veronique’s vengeance would bring her family.

No, no. She could not be selfish, nor could she endanger her family. And she would rather die than live in bitterness and in jealousy.

Adalene decided, even that it broke her heart, that she would have to leave the Baron as soon as they get back home.

She sat on the bench she found a secluded place in between a few trees and cried as softly as she could. Olivie was not there anymore, but she was too miserable and just took it for granted that the woman could just be giving her privacy. Fabian’s men would be at a shouting distance, as always.

So she cried and tried to cope with her feelings as fast as she could. She wanted to be calm when she faced the Baron again.

“Oh now…what do we have here?”

She looked up in surprise.

There was a tall man standing there, older than Fabian, and bearded. She knew she had seen him in the castle’s great hall. He was a knight, by his garb. And she realized he was one of the men that accompanied Lady Veronique and her ladies-in-waiting.

She stood up in deference, glad that it was a little dark there and her tears could not be seen easily. She wanted to leave right away.

“Sir. I—”

“The young and lovely Madame Duvre. I’ve wanted to approach you regarding a proposition, but you’ve been notoriously guarded ever since you came with the Baron. A lucky man, I think, is he.”

He suddenly lunged for her.

Adalene tried to turn away, but her gown made it difficult for her to run and he caught her. She struggled as hard as she could, and landed a blow to his face in the process that staggered him for a moment. She slipped away from his grasp and would have gotten away had she not tripped. She felt her head hit the side of a statue and she felt winded, the pain stinging her. She felt warm blood escape the wound, but it was the least of her concerns right then. She managed to sit up and crawl towards the back of the bench before he could reach her again, ready to scream if he stepped just one more step towards her.

Olivie should be near enough to see them. She would ask help, Adalene knew this. It helped push away the stark terror that she felt as soon as this knight’s intentions became evident.

He reeked of alcohol. But his drunkenness made him awkward and that was another thing to be grateful about. He clearly had partaken of the roasted meat quite joyously since its oil and bits lavished his beard. Adalene shook in revulsion.

“W-What proposition did you mean?” she asked to distract him. A scream could cause a scandal. She was hoping the knights would check on her soon so she could avoid this new trouble for the Baron.

The man was nursing his jaw, stunned instead of angry. “Oh, you pack a good blow, you. But since I want to be the first in line to acquire your…services, I will let that go for now. Other men are lining up. They said the Baron got you a virgin, so it means you are still quite fresh and tight.”

She gulped, trying so hard to hide how scared she was. She was hiding from him a rock in her hand, planning to hit him with it if he got near enough. “Services meaning not cooking for you or serving you meals, you mean?”

He crowed. “Unwrapping your thighs so wide open that I can partake of your sumptuous cunt, it means. The Baron will be occupied with my cousin, the Lady Veronique, as soon as the arrangement for their marriage is announced tonight in the Duke’s great hall. They are readying the bed as we speak. Veronique wants it done right away so he could not escape, and I never knew her to share her possessions willingly.”

“I don’t offer ‘services’,” she said angrily.

“Oh. You are telling me you’re not letting the Baron nibble on the luscious offerings you have hidden underneath that rather expensive gown? I do not believe you.”

Adalene though she shouldn’t feel dismay, or surprise. She was already waiting for someone to show her how lowly she was or how a fool to believe her association with the Baron would save her from ridicule. Her wedding morning and Louis Didier should have readied her somewhat for this. But it still hurt.

“I am not a whore, Sir!” Adalene insisted.

“Did you mean the Baron did not pay to get to your bed?” he mocked.

“He paid. He paid for my dowry and my bride token. Legally, that does not make me a whore, but his bride.” Well, she knew this to be true, though she knew what the real truth was—that the Baron did it out of kindness and not because he considered her a bride.

But the crass knight did not know this.

The man was taken aback. “You jest.”

“I don’t. You can ask around. I…he paid to save me from a despicable creature of a man. He has been nothing to me but kind.”

The man laughed. Bits of his saliva showered in the air as he let go of a malicious laugh from what seemed to be a sandy throat. “I’m sorry, but I really cannot believe you. No man will do that without asking anything in return.” His eyes feasted on her as if she was already naked. “And one look at you is enough to know what the Baron wanted. Well, I can pay up well…but only for the services of a whore, my lady. You are not a virgin anymore, or a bride o her first night,” he said sarcastically. “So let’s just stop this jesting and name your price. We can do it here, if you don’t want others to see you go inside my bedchambers.”

“No…” she began to protest, getting her hand with the rock ready because he was coming for her again. Where were the knights? Where was Olivie?

“The lady does not jest,” said another voice.