Forbidden_Claude Read online

  “I am an honorable knight and not you or anyone else can say differently.”

  “Really?” It was her turn to raise a brow. “Suppose I go to Lady Rose right now and tell her that I came to apologize to you and you tried to kiss me, seduce me, and take me to your bed?”

  “You wouldn’t!”

  “You wouldn’t like that, would you? Because if so, you would never get Lady Rose to love you the way she loves her husband, Toft.”

  “Bid the devil, I will whip you if you say one more word.” He stood up so quickly that his towel slipped from his hips, falling to the floor and leaving him standing in front of her, naked.

  At the same moment, the door opened behind her, and his squire entered the room.

  “My lord I have brought wine and – oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in the midst of bedding a woman.”

  Evelina turned on her heel and ran from the room.

  Claude picked up the towel and wrapped it back around his waist. He sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. What had just happened? And what had the nursemaid meant about him wanting Rose to love him the way she loved her husband? She didn’t know what she was talking about. Or did she?

  “Come in and close the door, Squire,” he spoke into his hands. Ever since he’d arrived in England, things hadn’t been going well at all. Why did every day have to be harder than the one before?

  “What was Evelina doing in here?” asked Felix, closing the door.

  “That’s what I want to know,” he replied. “She said she came to apologize, but all she did was say horrible things about me instead.”

  “Oh,” said Felix, pouring a cup of wine and handing it to Claude. Claude took it and chugged it down, trying to use the alcohol to numb his mental turmoil. “Did she call you unlikable again, my lord?”

  Claude didn’t know how to answer. Evelina was right in saying he couldn’t go to Lady Rose and tell her about this. After all, his squire had seen him standing there naked with the girl in the room. Who the hell knew who else saw it as they passed by in the corridor. It wouldn’t paint him in a good light at all.

  “Do you think I’m unlikable, Felix?” He held out his cup for more wine.

  “Well, on occasion you do come across as, shall I say, grumpy?” Felix filled up the cup with wine and put the decanter on the bedside table.

  “I’m not unlikable, and neither am I grumpy.” He felt the frown on his face as he said it. “God’s eyes, who am I fooling? The girl was right. I am unlikable. But she was wrong when she said I wasn’t an honorable knight.”

  “She said that about you, my lord?”

  “She did.”

  “Are you going to tell Lady Rose her servant is speaking out of line?”

  “I’m not.”

  “You’re not?” Felix scratched his head.

  “Nay. Instead, I am going to prove to her, as well as to everyone else, that I am an honorable knight, and I am not a wretched cur nor am I a pig.”

  “Cur? Pig? Did Evelina say that about you, too?” Felix’s eyes opened wide.

  “It doesn’t matter what she said because it is not true. She is only a servant and knows nothing at all.”

  “What are you going to do to prove it to her, my lord?”

  “I am going to show her that I know how to treat a lady.”

  “Oh. Are you going to kiss her?”

  “I am talking about a lady, Squire. Evelina is not a lady. She is naught but a servant who needs a good scolding if naught else. But I won’t be the one to give it to her. I am here for Lady Rose at her request. From now on, I am going to be the most likable person in the castle. Lady Rose won’t laugh at me ever again. When she has her baby, I will be at her side. I will be there to walk her to chapel every day and to escort her to the dais for every meal. I will treat her with kindness and respect, and show her the ways of courtly love, like the knights practice in France.”

  “Lady Rose? I’m confused. I thought we were talking about the nursemaid, Evelina.”

  “Evelina? Why would I care what she thinks? I told you, she is only a servant.”

  “But I thought you said you didn’t think she was who she pretends to be. Perhaps, she is not a servant at all.”

  “I changed my mind. She might not be a nursemaid, but I assure you if she is anything else it is naught but a peasant or a ragpicker, disguising herself so that she can take up residence at the castle.”

  “So, I’m confused, my lord. Is it Lady Rose or Evelina you are trying to impress?”

  “Impress? I am not trying to impress anyone,” he said, holding out his cup for more wine. He said the words but, in his heart, he knew they weren’t true. Evelina was right in saying he wanted Rose to love him. But the nursemaid confused him. She had him so disturbed that he couldn’t think straight. After looking into her hazel eyes and getting lost in those little green specks, and smelling the damned rosewater on her skin, he almost kissed her. What was wrong with him? Girls like her were not what he wanted. He was a knight of a castle and lands now. What he needed was a noblewoman for a wife. Someone just like Lady Rose. Tomorrow, he would show everyone just how honorable a knight he could be.

  Chapter 5

  “My lady, how much longer will we be in England?” Evelina’s guard, Augustin, asked her in the courtyard the next day, speaking French.

  “Shh,” said Evelina, looking over her shoulder at the crowd of people gathered around the gate. The lord of the castle and Lady Rose’s husband were leaving along with a good amount of men to pay their service to the king today. “Augustin, ne m’adressez pas en tant que dame,” she said, telling him not to call her lady. “Someone might hear you.” She pulled him into the shadows behind the mews to talk to him in private. They continued to speak in French.

  “We’ve been here for a fortnight now,” complained Augustin. “I need more money if you want me to stay here much longer.”

  “I’ve paid you well, and you are also getting paid to work as Lord Conlin’s guard,” she reminded him.

  “I am a mercenary. I could be making twice as much back in France.”

  “We can’t leave yet. I haven’t found the man I want to marry.”

  “If you want me to stay to protect you and also keep your secret, you will have to give me more money.”

  She let out a deep sigh, reaching into her pouch for the few coins she had left in her possession. “D’accord. Je te paierai plus d’argent,” she told him, agreeing to pay him more money. She slipped the coins out of her pouch and dropped them into Augustin’s hand.

  Claude rounded the mews with his squire right behind him. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Evelina half-hidden in the shadows, giving a mercenary money. Felix crashed into the back of him since he stopped so suddenly.

  “My lord. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were stopping,” said Felix.

  “Felix, look! I told you something was deceiving about that woman.” He pulled Felix back out of sight, and they peeked around the side of the mews. “Did you see that?”

  “See what?” asked Felix, stepping out to look, but Claude pulled him back into the shadows again. The mercenary went back up to the battlements while Evelina hurried to Rose’s side at the front gate. “I can’t see a thing,” complained Felix, trying to see over Claude’s shoulder.

  “It was Evelina. I saw her giving that mercenary money.”

  “What mercenary?” asked Felix.

  “Egads, Squire, try to keep up.” Claude pointed at the mercenary climbing the battlements. “That one. She paid him coins.”

  “She did?”

  “I also heard them speaking in French, which tells me they were trying to keep others from hearing their conversation.”

  “What did they say?” Felix stretched his neck, trying to get a look at the mercenary.

  “I heard something about a secret. Then I thought I heard Evelina say she was going to pay him more money.”

  “What does that mean?” asked Felix.
“Is she a whore?”

  “Highly unlikely. If so, the mercenary would be paying her instead. Keep an eye on the mercenary and try to find out all you can. See if he’ll tell you where he came from or why Evelina was giving him coins.”

  “Aye, my lord,” said Felix, taking off at a brisk pace for the battlements.

  Claude turned the corner of the mews and crashed into Evelina. He put out his hands and caught her by the shoulders.

  “Watch where you’re going, my lord,” she said snidely.

  “What were you doing behind the mews?” he asked.

  “I could ask you the same thing.”

  “I was with my squire, coming to see the men off on their trip.”

  “What squire?” She looked around him but, of course, Felix was already gone. He didn’t want to tell her he sent the boy to spy on the mercenary, so he decided to ignore her altogether.

  “Lady Rose,” he called out, leaving Evelina, hurrying to Rose’s side.

  “Sir Claude. There you are,” said Rose, rubbing her belly.

  “We need to leave, Toft,” Lord Conlin called out from atop his horse. The other barons and their families had left earlier that morning.

  “Ye are no’ leavin’ before ye give yer wife one more kiss,” said Isobel, reaching up as Conlin reached down from the horse to kiss his wife. Their three sons gathered around her, bidding their father a safe journey.

  “Goodbye, Father. Goodbye, Toft.” Rose hugged and kissed her husband right in front of Claude. It made him very uncomfortable. He wished it was him she was kissing and hugging instead. He should be married to her right now instead of Toft.

  “Claude,” said Toft, clasping hands with him. “Can I count on you to watch over my wife until my return? Will you treat her as if you were me?”

  “I will,” said Claude.

  He heard Evelina clear her throat, trying to say something without coming out with words. He could only imagine what message she was trying to give him.

  The party left, and Rose wiped a tear from her eye. “Claude, I am so frightened to birth this baby without my husband or father here.” She reached out and hugged Claude. He slowly put his arms around her.

  “It will be all right, my lady. I am here and will serve you however I can. I will nurture you and protect you. There is no need to fear anything as long as I am at your side.”

  It felt damned good to hold Rose in his arms, although it was very awkward with her large stomach in the way. Thoughts flitted through his head of when he’d first met her. They were both so young. He was the one who needed comforting, being in a new land and finding out John was his father. He hadn’t thought his parents were going to end up together. Neither did he think he would ever be the son his father wanted him to be. Rose had been there to support him. She had been the one to comfort him and encourage him, making him feel his life wasn’t as awful as he thought.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Evelina holding Harry’s hand. She had a smirk on her face, making him feel uncomfortable that he held Rose in his embrace. He couldn’t help thinking of all the horrible things she said to him last night. She’d accused him of still being in love with Rose and wanting Rose to be in love with him as well. It wasn’t at all the truth. Or was it? He released Rose and quickly stepped away.

  “Claude Jean,” called his mother. Celestine approached, holding Charlotte’s hand. His father, John, was with them.

  “Mother,” he said, reaching out to hug her, just to keep away from Rose when Evelina was watching.

  “Son, I have to leave for Winchelsea,” said his father. He clasped hands with Claude and slapped him on the back to say goodbye.

  “Safe journeys, Father.”

  “After Rose’s baby is born, I want you to come to Winchelsea for a while,” John told him. “You have yet to see the new castle. It is in the final stages of being built.”

  “I will,” Claude promised. “I’d like to pay a visit to Hastings as well while I’m here.”

  “I’m not sure that is a good idea,” John told him. “The ruins of Hastings Castle are only a reminder of a dreadful day. It upsets me still.”

  “I know it won’t be easy, but that is where my grandfather lost his life. I would like to pay my respects,” Claude told him. “Perhaps seeing it again will help me come to terms with what happened.”

  “You are a fine son, Claude,” said his father with admiration in his eyes. “I am proud of you. However, I don’t like the fact you have inherited your grandfather’s demesne because it only takes you away from me. I feel as if I have already missed out on so much of your life. Will you ever consider making England your home? If so, I have a place for you in Winchelsea.”

  “I don’t think so, Father. France is my home, and it is where I will stay.”

  “I understand.” John’s eyes held sadness as he said his goodbyes to Charlotte and Celestine, and rode out through the gate.

  Leaving his father so soon after first meeting him at the age of five and ten years old was not easy. Claude would have liked to spend more time getting to know the father he lived without for most of his life. John Montague might not have always been honorable, but he changed for the better after getting back together with Celestine. Claude didn’t know how his mother ever worked through the hardships in her life. Being away from her, living in France, is one of the things Claude regretted.

  “Ladies, I invite ye to join me in the solar to do some sewin’,” Isobel told the noblewomen of the castle. “I am stitchin’ a blanket for the new baby.” Rose rubbed her hand over her stomach and smiled, looking downward. Claude had never seen the girl so happy in all her life. Her complexion almost seemed to glow.

  “Claude, please come to the solar with me,” Rose begged him.

  “Me?” He looked around at the ladies of the castle watching him intently. His mother nodded slightly. They all seemed eager to have him there except for the nursemaid who was scowling at him.

  “I have been feeling a few light pains,” said Rose, rubbing her belly. “Oh, I felt the baby kick. Claude, you must feel this. You won’t believe it.” Rose grabbed his hand and laid it on her stomach, covering his hand with hers to hold it in place. Sure enough, Claude felt a kick against his hand and jumped back in surprise.

  “Does the baby always kick that much?” he asked, having never felt anything like it.

  Celestine laughed. “Claude, you kicked like a mule before you were born. Your grandfather used to say that meant you were going to be trouble.”

  “Well, I hope this baby isn’t any trouble,” stated Rose. “Come along, Claude. You promised Toft you would be here for me, and I don’t want you out of my sight until after I give birth.”

  Rose held on to his arm and started for the castle.

  “Evelina, bring Harry to the ladies solar as well,” said Rose. “He likes to play with the thimbles.”

  “Of course, my lady.” Evelina followed at the other side of Claude, holding on to Harry’s hand. Why did this make him feel so uncomfortable? It was bad enough that he had to be in the ladies solar instead of on the practice field with the men. But now, Evelina would be there watching his every move, giving him that all-knowing eye, trying to make him feel guilty that he was watching over Rose. Well, he was just going to have to show her that he was a knight doing his duty, at the service of Lady Rose, the daughter of the lord of the castle. There was naught to feel guilty about since he was only doing as asked by Rose and Toft.

  Evelina couldn’t believe the way Claude doted over Rose, watching her every move. First, he gave her the sewing basket, and then he sat at her feet holding out his hands and letting her use them as spindles when she decided to wind yarn.

  Most of the women were sewing and talking, but since Evelina was posing as a servant, they mainly ignored her. Harry fell asleep on a bag of wool the spinners used to make yarn for the tapestries. Feeling bored, she picked up a piece of stitchery and pushed the needle through the cloth, making small, beautiful sti
tches, following the pattern of flowers trailing across the bottom edge.

  It felt good to be, once again, doing the actions of a lady. Being a servant was humiliating and much more work than she had thought it would be. Lost in her work, she jumped in surprise when Claude appeared from out of nowhere, bending over and whispering in her ear.

  “For a nursemaid, you seem to know a lot about stitching.”

  “Oh, I was just trying it since Harry fell asleep. It looked like fun.” She placed the stitchery down on the bench next to her, glancing up at Claude who towered over her.

  “Really.” He reached down, picking up the stitchery to inspect it. “I have never seen such small, elegant stitches before. Your work is accurate and surpasses the skill of any of the noblewomen. Where did you learn to do this?”

  “I’m a fast learner,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t ask more questions. She had to turn the conversation around quickly. “I noticed you were very skilled in using your hands as spindles for Lady Rose’s yarn.” She stifled her giggle. He had looked so silly. A big, strong knight, playing handmaid to a lady was very funny, indeed.

  “I am at my lady’s service. No matter what she requests of me, I will do it. After all, I am an honorable knight, and it is my sworn duty.”

  “If you say so.” She fussed with the wimple covering her head.

  “Claude,” called out Rose. “I feel like riding. Will you see to our horses anon?”

  “Riding?” Claude stood up with a jolt. “Please beg my pardon, Lady Rose, but I am not sure it is a good idea in your condition.”

  “Aye, Rose,” said Isobel. “Ye should no’ be on a horse when ye are gettin’ so near to givin’ birth. Ye ken yer faither willna allow it.”

  “Isobel, my father isn’t here to stop me, and neither is Toft. They have kept me from riding for months now, and I feel like I am going to go crazy if I don’t get out. Claude will watch over me. There is nothing to worry about.”

  “I agree with Isobel,” said Celestine. “I don’t think you should go either. What if the horse gets spooked and throws you?”