“It would not matter if I could. Hubert has sent for others. Some lords from the north and east will arrive soon. I’m sure that the servants have told you that Carwyn’s numbers have grown. Hubert learned of it and grew worried.”

He almost heard her thoughts as she calculated the implications of what he had said. The body he held trembled slightly, as if the chill she had spoken of claimed her again.

“The manor will get so thick with English that there will be no fresh air to breathe,” she said. “Perhaps I will move my bed to this chapel too, and live here. I have only one sheet of parchment left, however, so I had better devise a very detailed image in order to make it last.”

He kissed her head, and tested her resolve. “Nesta, do you know how many Carwyn has with him? If it is not too many, perhaps I can see that the others do not come.”

She did not respond, not even to shake her head. Her silence revealed the battle her heart raged. She would not give him the numbers, although he suspected she knew them now and could anticipate how they would grow. But neither did she lie and claim the threat was small, so that he might make the moves that would put him at a disadvantage.

He should demand the truth, but he could not. It was his fault that her heart had been split in two like this, and that speaking any words would force one side to betray the other.

She nestled closer. The way she sought comfort touched him, and he caressed her face. His hands touched moisture on her cheek, and he tightened his embrace.

“Mark, with Addis and Arundal here, and with other lords coming … there is no need for you to lead this army. It does not have to be your command that sends them out, nor you riding at their head.”

Her words surprised him. She had just indirectly told him what he needed to know. She expected Carwyn to raise a formidable army, large enough to put him in danger.

“Addis would never take my place, even if I wanted him to. Arundal gladly would, and may even try, and standing against Warwick when he comes will not be easy either. It is my duty, however. Would you really want me to step aside, Nesta? Would you want someone else deciding how this will unfold?”

She rubbed her face against his chest, and he knew it was tears that she wiped away with the gesture. “The weak woman in your arms wants you safe, that is all.”

She gently eased away, and he regretfully let her go. She opened her box, and removed the tiny brushes, one by one.