The Heiress Bride. Susan Paul
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Название: The Heiress Bride
Автор: Susan Paul
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Историческая литература
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“You kidnapped your sister-in-law?” Rosaleen asked in disbelief.
“Well, she wasn’t our sister-in-law at the time,” Hugo explained somewhat shamefully. “She was the daughter of Gyer’s enemy, Jaward of Wellewyn. Truthfully, however, we didn’t know who she was when we first kidnapped her. We were playing highway thieves, you see, and were out to get any wayside traveler we could. If we hadn’t ended up capturing the daughter of our brother’s enemy, Alex probably would have strangled us.”
“Your brother is Alexander of Gyer, then?” she asked quietly, keeping her eyes on Hugh, who wouldn’t look at her.
Hugo gave her a strange look. “Of course he is. Did Hugh not tell you?”
Both Rosaleen and Hugh were silent.
“Ah,” Hugo said with understanding. “He didn’t tell you. Well, yes, Alex is our brother, just as Lillis is our sister. Did he tell you that?”
“Hugo!” Hugh growled.
“No, Father Baldwin, Hugh Caldwell has been very secretive regarding his true identity,” she replied tartly.
“I’ve been more forthcoming than you, Rosaleen no-name,” Hugh returned.
“Hardly,” Rosaleen scoffed. “I may not have given you my full name, Hugh Baldwin-Caldwell-whoever, but at least I didn’t lie to you.”
“I did not lie to you,” Hugh insisted. “My name is Hugh Caldwell and has been for the past ten years.”
“That’s impossible!” Rosaleen argued just as angrily. “If your brother is Alexander Baldwin and your twin brother is Hugo Baldwin, then I can only assume that your true name is Hugh Baldwin, isn’t that so, Father?” She looked to Hugo for aid but found that he had turned away.
Hugh, however, was looking at her so coldly that Rosaleen almost thought he might freeze her. “What I choose to call myself is my concern, my lady, just as your last name is yours. It makes no difference to you anyway, so leave the matter be.”
“Oh!” Rosaleen huffed furiously, throwing her linen napkin on the table. “It does matter to me, Hugh Caldwell! You led me to believe that your brother was a pig farmer, not the richest baron in all of England!”
Both brothers gazed at her with shock, and silence reigned in the little room for several seconds. Then Hugo began to laugh.
“You did what!” he asked Hugh.
“What foolishness is this, Rosaleen?” Hugh demanded. “I never told you that my brother was a pig farmer!”
Rosaleen, realizing what she had said in her anger, flushed a bright, mortified red. Hugo was laughing so hard it was difficult for her to speak over him.
“Well…I just assumed…I mean…your manners Hugh, are so…so…and I just assumed that you were…well…”
Her fumbling words sent Hugo off again, and he laughed so hard that he nearly fell off his chair.
“Dammit, Hugo,” Hugh said. “This isn’t funny!”
“Your m-manners m-made her th-think that Alex is a p-p-pig farmer!” Hugo howled with delight, slapping a hand on the table. “That’s th-the f-funniest thing I’ve ever h-heard! W-wait until I t-tell Alex!”
“You’ll tell Alex no such thing! I’ll not have it!” Hugh stated angrily. “And you, my lady—” he fixed Rosaleen with a heated glare “—should stop assuming that everyone else is like your uncle. Or does he even aspire to be a pig farmer? Mayhap I should think you were flattering me.”
Rosaleen returned his glare with one of her own, and it was on the tip of her tongue to reveal her true identity to him. He would certainly be no less surprised to discover that she was the daughter of an earl than she had been at finding her ungallant companion to be a member of the highest nobility. Unfortunately, now knowing the truth about Hugh, she could trust him even less than she did before. If anyone in the Baldwin family should discover that she was Rosaleen Sarant, the heiress of Siere, they would certainly do what they felt was their duty and give her over to her uncle. Rosaleen had never been formally introduced to the Lord of Gyer, but they had been at court at the same time during several important royal occasions in the past. She would recognize him, she knew, but would he recognize her? She could only hope and pray that he wouldn’t.
Both brothers waited for her to make a reply, and the longer she tried to think of what she must say, the more curious their expressions grew.
“Mayhap you should,” she finally answered, then, reaching for a piece of bread, she quickly changed the subject. “Please tell me how it is that you came to be a monk, Father Hugo. You are very different from Hugh that way, are you not, even though you are twins?”
“Oh, my tale is tame and dull compared to most,” Hugo replied with a grin. “I’d much rather hear more about you, Lady Rosaleen, and about why such a beautiful young lady must keep her identity a secret.”
“As would I,” Hugh agreed but, since he didn’t at all like the manner in which his brother was looking at Rosaleen, regardless that Hugo had taken a vow of chastity, he added, “but I would also be interested to know why you’ve gone into holy orders. If anyone had ever told me when we were boys that either one of us would end up in the Church, I would have laughed until I was ill. I was just about done in, as it was, when I had news of you from friends.” He popped a grape into his mouth and leaned back in his chair. “I couldn’t believe it! When I think of all the things we did together, I wonder at how you ever got ordained. Why, if the Church only knew about all the women you and I used to—”
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