Lord Gawain's Forbidden Mistress. Carol Townend

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СКАЧАТЬ try to put things right. He will come back when he has done so.’

      Gawain clenched his teeth. He hated the way she had addressed him as mon seigneur. ‘You expect me to leave it at that? Elise, the lute-player—’

      ‘His name is André.’

      ‘André appears to have dealings with people suspected of trading counterfeit arms. Fraudsters. Criminals. He must be questioned.’ Gawain huffed out a breath. ‘You do yourself no service by preventing that from happening.’

      ‘What do you mean?’

      ‘I had hoped to discover that you were not involved. But you have just admitted that you warned the man away.’ He frowned. ‘Elise, what am I to think but that you too are involved?’

      ‘Do you really think that?’

      ‘I would be failing in my duty if I did not consider it.’ Tightening his hold, he brought her close. ‘Elise, what have you done?’

      ‘Nothing, I’ve done nothing! All I want is for you to leave us alone.’

      He shook his head. ‘I wish I could, but I can’t. Elise, what happened between us last year—’

      ‘Was a mistake.’

      Gawain felt a muscle flicker in his jaw. ‘I hadn’t thought so. What I was going to say was that it had consequences. Pearl. Her very existence binds me to you.’

      At her sides, Elise’s fists clenched. ‘I don’t see why, I’m not asking for help. You can forget all about us.’ She gave him a strange look. ‘Gawain, you can marry Lady Rowena with a clear conscience. If you are concerned that one day Pearl and I shall turn up at your gate begging for alms, don’t be. I wouldn’t embarrass you like that.’

      A cold fist formed in Gawain’s belly. She dismissed their loving as though it had been of no account. It hadn’t been of no account, not to him. And she dismissed him as a father too, which was worse. However, he had to be honest, with his forthcoming marriage he wasn’t in a position to offer her much. He felt his frown deepen. She was distracting him, making him forget what he was trying to say.

      ‘Elise, this is no longer personal, it’s no longer just about Pearl. The discovery of that sword has turned it into something else entirely. It’s about the trafficking in counterfeit regalia. It’s about trickery and deceit. It’s about honest people being gulled into buying dross.’

      ‘Gawain—’

      ‘Elise, when I saw you by the market I thought simply to return you to your pavilion. You must see that has changed. I find myself embroiled in—in what, exactly? Are you and your little troupe part of a larger ring of counterfeiters? Is this how you really make your living? I need you to answer me honestly. What is the exact nature of your involvement with the counterfeiters?’

      Her jaw fell open. ‘None. I have no involvement with counterfeiters whatsoever. How can you think it?’

      He leaned in, caught the scent of ambergris and straightened quickly. ‘I don’t know you. I thought I did, but I don’t. You might be involved in anything.’

      ‘Well, I’m not.’

      ‘So I believed, so I hoped. But you must see that letting André get away does not put you in a good light.’

      ‘He’s gone to make amends! I told you.’

      ‘You believe that?’

      She nodded vigorously. ‘André has a good heart. I’ve known him for years and he has a sweet, loving nature. I think that learning he was to be a father pushed him off course for a while, but I believe him when he says he will sort things out. He will. You’ll see.’

      ‘Mon Dieu, I almost wish I’d not seen you at the market,’ Gawain muttered. He didn’t mean it. Despite all that had happened—Pearl; the finding of the sword—it had been a relief to see Elise looking so well. As to her involvement with the fakers—he didn’t know what to think. She had always struck him as fundamentally honest.

      Yet he knew she was capable of evasion. When he’d met her last year, she’d not mentioned her sister, Morwenna—he’d only learned of the connection between Elise and the late Countess d’Aveyron after Elise had fled Champagne. Elise had kept him in the dark about her need to gain entry to Ravenshold, just as she had kept Lady Isobel in the dark. It was hard to look into her eyes, now turned so earnestly to his, and think her capable of serious deceit. Would she lie for her friend André? It was possible.

      ‘If I could, I would wash my hands of you,’ he said. ‘But I don’t think you would like it if I did.’

      ‘How so?’

      ‘When I approached Sir Raphael about the sword, he made it clear that because we are old friends he is staying his hand. You wouldn’t like it if I withdrew. You and Vivienne are likely to end up in the castle lock-up while your lute-player does whatever he deems necessary to make amends. And as you yourself say, the castle prison is no place for babies.’

      Elise felt the fight drain out of her. Gawain was right, Sir Raphael would want to make sure of them. As Captain of the Guardian Knights he would be bound to hold Vivienne as a surety of André’s return. And in the meantime, Bruno and Pearl would be incarcerated alongside her. And since Elise would not desert them, so would she.

      Quick footsteps heralded Aubin’s return. He ducked into the tent. ‘I found nothing, my lord. I went as far as the Madeleine Gate and asked everyone I saw. No one will admit to seeing anything unusual.’

      ‘My thanks, Aubin. If you wouldn’t mind waiting by the fire?’

      ‘Mon seigneur.’ Bowing, Aubin went back outside.

      Gawain looked down at her, blond hair shining in the lamplight. ‘I shall give you the benefit of the doubt,’ he said. ‘For the moment, I think it best if you remain my responsibility, don’t you agree?’

      ‘Thank you, my lord.’

      Gawain gave her a tight smile and took her hand. He hooked her arm around his. It was a familiar gesture, a possessive gesture. Elise was irritated to discover that it was also a comforting gesture.

      ‘I shall escort you back to La Rue du Cloître,’ he said. His smile twisted. ‘It’s a pleasant evening for a walk.’

      ‘Walking, my lord, again? Where’s The Beast?’

      ‘Back at the barracks. Elise, I give you fair warning, my men will be watching the house at all times. I’d hoped to spare you that, but after tonight you must see that I cannot shirk my responsibilities.’ He sighed. ‘It has to be better than the castle dungeon.’

      Elise stared at him and saw in her mind the bars on those windows. It would seem they were to be prisoners after all. Still, she had to agree it was better to be hemmed in by Gawain in La Rue du Cloître than to be tossed in the castle dungeon. ‘I understand, my lord,’ she heard herself say. Even though, in her heart, she wished it was otherwise.

      * * *

      The shutter was open. It had been an airless, tiresome night. Elise had hoped a breath of wind would СКАЧАТЬ