Marcus knew that. There was only one way to be sure it would not happen. The thought of confining her, of truly treating her as a prisoner, sickened him.

“We will say it is because she is encouraging the servants to leave, and subverting our purpose, the way Hubert accused,” Addis said. “No one else but we three need to know what she has really done, yet.”

Yet. A searing sensation filled Marcus’s chest. He had always thought that he could protect her, but that was because he had never suspected how rash her treason would be.

She had always known the truth, however. Small wonder that she had tried to deny and fight the passion that bound them.

Addis looked at him, with eyes too perceptive and too wise. The man who had once been his warden knew him well, and that knowing passed in the gaze they exchanged.

“I will do it,” Addis said.

Marcus shook his head, much as he would have liked to hand Addis this obligation. The ridge he had been walking was crumbling beneath his feet, and there was only one way not to fall.

“It is my duty. I brought her here, and she is my betrothed. It must be me, and the others must see me do it.”

CHAPTER 22

The sound of boots nearby did not wake Nesta.

She had been up all night, sick in spirit. Her head hurt, her stomach churned, and her chest felt so heavy there was no place for her breath. A silent moan constantly murmured below her fevered thoughts.

The men’s noisy approach caused an uproar of panic among the other women in the chamber. Clutching their blankets to their necks, cowering together, they stared at the door. The acrid smell of fear permeated the tiny space.

Nesta swallowed the bile rising in her. “Be silent,” she ordered the women. “They do not come for you.”

Had the priest betrayed her? Fury that he might have gave her back some spine. Another reaction, however, flowed unbidden under her sudden alertness. A traitorous hope that her last act had indeed been discovered wanted to have its say. Then she would have still done her duty, but be spared the responsibility for its consequences.

It sounded as if an army came for her. She had just grabbed a blanket around her nakedness when the door swung open. It startled her to see only Arundal and Hubert and two knights standing there.

They parted, and a fifth man appeared. Marcus stepped into the chamber. The servant closest to his feet scooted back with a yelp.

Nesta’s heart echoed her cry of alarm. Marcus appeared carved of stone, so hard was his expression. Even his eyes might have been made of dark crystals.

He gestured for her. “Rise and dress yourself. You will come with us now.” His voice sounded cold. One would think they had never met before.