She stared down at the mountain of food, feeling more sick than hungry. Picking up her cutlery, she cut off a small piece of beef, barely tasting it as she chewed.

‘Look at the state of your hands,’ Hodge said. ‘Labourer’s hands.’ He tutted. ‘I cannot tell you how saddened I am by the sight.’

She looked down at them. ‘These hands have been useful for the first time in years.’

‘Doing what, exactly?’

She met his gaze. ‘Rebuilding the house you burned down.’

He swallowed his mouthful before responding to that. ‘I am surprised any building is taking place right now, given all of the men are busy terrorising people who come within a mile of their bogus border.’

Oh, how she hated him. ‘The men are working hard to keep us safe.’

He watched her across the table as he cut into his food. ‘I am curious about something. Does this protection go all the way around Carmarthenshire, or is it only the English who are not welcome?’

She recognised jealousy in his tone. ‘The protection is all the way around, but as you can see by the fact that I am eating dinner with you right now instead of at home with my family, the real threat continues to be in the east.’

He set his cutlery down and leaned back in his chair. ‘I cannot help but wonder if a certain defender has made his way through this… impenetrable ring.’

‘And why would you wonder about such things?’

‘Because I would hate to think that you were taken advantage of by a man.’

She stilled. ‘Really? Because history would suggest otherwise.’

His jaw ticked as he reached for his cup and took a long drink. He sniffed before placing it down again. ‘I know you are missing your family right now, so I will let that slide.’

It was early, but she was already so tired of him. ‘What do you hope to gain from keeping me here? I will never willingly marry you, never love you, never forgive you. And I am not sure how much polite conversation I have left in me.’

He nodded slowly. ‘You know, I have done a lot of reflecting over the past few months. I have been re-evaluating my purpose and what I want my legacy to be. I have accepted my failure to bring Carmarthenshire back under King Edward’s rule, but I refuse to fail in my home life as well.’ He looked deep into her eyes. ‘We are destined to be together. I knew it from the first time we met. However, I am unable to convince you that your future is here with me.’

She pushed her plate away. ‘My lord, if we were truly destined to be together, then I would not need convincing. You can hold me inside these walls for as long as you like, but that will not change the fact that there is no future for us.’