The Conquest Read online

"And who is?" she snapped, recovering herself. "That filthy Peregrine?"

  "A better match for you than anyone else I've seen. Severn wouldn't allow you to control him."

  "I have no desire to control him or even so much as look at him." She put her hand on Tearle's arm. "This Peregrine may be a friend to you, but to me he is rude. He never speaks to me. At dinner he talks to my father, not me."

  "And wisely so—as you have just said, he must court your father and not you."

  She gave Tearle a look of exasperation. Could he understand nothing? "Colbrand spoke to me. He—"

  "Colbrand!" Tearle said through his teeth. "I have heard enough of the man to last all my life. He is too stupid to tell girls from boys. Within a year of marriage you'd hate Colbrand."

  She glared at him. "I do not need a year to hate this Peregrine. If you love them so much, you marry them, but not I. I thank you for helping me rid myself of my father's urging me to marrying one of them, but I do not feel I owe you any reward. You got what you wanted."

  "What I wanted? Pray tell me, what did I want?"

  She looked at him in astonishment. "Why, the same as I wanted: to humiliate the Peregrines. All of England will laugh at them after today, and when it is known that it was a Howard who beat this Severn even the animals in the fields will laugh. You will have no more worries of war with them, for they will be too afraid to stick their noses out their doors." She smiled. "You and I have done a fine job indeed. Your Severn will be hard pressed to find a bride at all, rich or poor."

  She lifted her skirts and left him alone in the garden.

  Tearle was too stunned to move from the dark garden. Every word she'd said rang in his ears. He had meant merely to impress a bit of a girl, but instead he had helped to make the Peregrines a laughingstock.

  He knew that Anne was right; the identity of the Black Knight would eventually be found out. Too many people knew for it to remain a secret forever. Some of his men knew, Anne knew, and Zared knew. Before long word would get out, and as Anne had said, all of England would laugh that a Howard had beaten a Peregrine.

  Tearle thought of his brother Oliver and knew that Oliver would be filled with glee at the knowledge of what Tearle had done. Oliver would see to it that the news of a Howard beating a Peregrine was spread all over the country.

  Tearle sat down heavily on a stone bench. Zared was correct: He had destroyed the Peregrine family. Through good intentions he had accomplished what three generations of his family could not do with their weapons.

  He lay back on the bench and looked up at the stars. Was there any way he could right the wrong he had done?

  Zared didn't sleep much that night. She lay awake trying to figure out a way to keep her promise to Severn and make Lady Anne marry him. She thought of going to Anne but remembered too well the way the woman had reacted when Severn had caught her runaway horse. She thought of going to Hugh Marshall and pleading Severn's case, but as Severn said, it would not look good to plead foul play. She doubted she'd be believed anyway.

  She lay there and listened to Severn thrash about on his cot. No longer did he spend half the night carousing and teasing the women. He remained in the tent, not even spending time with his men—which was good, since the men weren't exactly proud of riding under the Peregrine banner.

  Morning came, and Zared went to get them some food. Severn was not to joust until afternoon, and she did not think either of them would leave the tent until then. At midmorning she went outside to the privy, and as she was leaving a hand was placed over her mouth and nose.

  She kicked and clawed at the arm about her waist but could not escape. When she thought she was going to die from lack of air the hand moved away from her face, and she gasped for air. As she did a cloth was stuffed into her mouth, then a cloak thrown over her body.

  She was picked up, thrown across the saddle of a horse, and taken away. Howard, she thought. Once again she had been captured by a Howard.

  They rode for some while before he stopped the horse and pulled her down, then removed the cloak from over her body. She was not surprised to see him.

  "Do not look at me that way," Tearle said. "I mean you no harm."

  Once the cloak was gone Zared started running, removing the gag as she ran.

  He caught her within a few yards, grabbing her and landing hard on the ground so that she fell on him. He held her against him as she struggled.

  "Do not kick me, I beg of you," he said tiredly. "You have stabbed me, I have been trampled by a horse while protecting you, I have nearly killed myself on the tourney field, you tried to cut my head from my body, you have perhaps removed all hopes of my having children, and last night I slept not at all. Please, I beg you, give me a moment's rest."

  He sounded so genuinely tired that Zared nearly laughed. She didn't laugh, but she lay still on top of him. He was so very warm and comfortable, and she, too, had not slept much for two nights.

  "What is it you want of me now?" she asked.

  He pulled her head down against his chest. "Please do not struggle. I am too weak to protect myself from your knives and your swords… and your feet."

  "Weak!" she snorted. "You downed Colbrand."

  "Easy," he said. "Very, very easy."

  "Release me," she said, pushing against him, but he wouldn't let her go. "I shall scream for help."

  "I shall kiss you then."

  "No!"

  He smiled at the fear in her eyes. "Will you marry me if I get Lady Anne to marry your brother?"

  She lost her lethargy at his words and began to struggle against him in earnest.

  With a sigh he released her, but when she tried to stand he put a big hand on her shoulder and made her sit by him.

  "I would not marry you were you the last man—"

  "Even to bring Anne's riches into your family?"

  "I wouldn't marry you…" She looked at him stretched lazily before her. "Her father will not allow her to marry a Peregrine. You have seen to that. You have made all of England laugh at us."

  "I did not make anyone laugh at your family. I did not put honey on Severn's armor or remake your family's banner. If I want to beat a man, I do so with a sword or lance." He smiled at her. "You have seen that."

  "I know you could not beat my brother, so you loosened his cinch to make it seem that you could beat him."

  "I could beat your brother were I to lose an arm."

  Zared's face turned an unbecoming shade of purple, and she leaped on him, ready to strangle him.

  He chuckled and rolled with her, tossing her back and forth in his arms, moving his head when she tried to claw him.

  After a few moments Zared realized he was playing with her, and her body went rigid. When his hands loosened their grip she moved off of him.

  "I will not marry my enemy." She looked away from him.

  "I thought you cared for your family name," he said, rolling to his feet. "I thought it mattered to you whether the Peregrine name is a great source of humor." He started walking toward his horse, but Zared put herself before him.

  "You know nothing of family pride," she spat at him. "You live on stolen land. Your brother is insane. If you fight, you must do so in disguise."

  "I disguised myself to protect your family name," he said, aghast. "I did not want people to know a Howard beat a Peregrine."

  "You beat my brother?" she yelled. "You had to loosen his cinch to—"

  He bent and kissed her.

  Zared turned her head away, hating the way he made her feel. "It is because I love my family that I would not marry a Howard," she whispered.

  "A marriage alliance would end the feud."

  She looked back at him, recovered again. "Your brother would—"

  "I would live with you," he said. "Wherever you wish. I will go with you to live with your brothers."

  She blinked at him. "Rogan would kill you," she whispered.

  "I doubt he can."

  "You are a fool."

  "Probably,"