Conquests: Hearts Rule Kingdoms Read Free Page B

could have trusted and relied on – as it was, he was a Norman. A man that she could never trust.
    “You ask me to try and make a very sudden decision,” she murmured, unwilling to commit herself to a decision so quickly. Richard nodded.
    “Our King does not wait, he acts. And so must you. Who is your choice?”
    Panic flooded through her veins: but not a cold panic. A hot panic filled her as she considered the curt, sturdy man that had just left the hall. Melville, her husband? She could ignore the fact that she physically warmed to him – wanted to know just how strong he was. He was her natural enemy, but in a country devoid of friends, that was not unusual. Her isolation forced her to make the only choice that she could.
    Avis looked up at Richard boldly, determined to meet her fate in the decisive style of her heritage, afraid of nothing and no man.
    “I shall marry my lord Melville when it suits the King.”
    Richard looked disappointed, but not surprised.
    “And so be it. I shall send word to Melville and the King, and you shall be wedded.”
    He made a movement away from the table, suggesting that he was leaving, but Avis swiftly put a hand on his arm.
    “My lord?”
    Richard lowered himself back down, startled at the fear and discomposure in her voice. He had never seen her so unsure of herself, not since he had first ridden towards the gates of this place to take residence after the invasion.
    “My lord, I wondered…I wondered if we may have a betrothal, in the style…in the style of my people.”
    Avis’ eyes looked up at his, clear and stunning but full of tears. He remembered that for the people who had once lived in this land, it was not merely the wedding but the betrothal that held great power and hope over people’s lives. It was a time when the families of each of the couple came to celebrate their joining together, with much feasting and joy. The Normans had spoken about it with both awe and derision. Richard was curious, and he knew that this would be the last step in Avis’ Anglo-Saxon path. When she married, she would be leaving that behind and become Norman.
    He smiled. “Make your arrangements.”
    Avis nodded. She was so grateful to Richard for allowing her this last rite of passage that she almost regretted not choosing him to be her husband. But she recalled the constant groping, the sweat that poured off his nose on a summer day, and shuddered. She would never have been able to keep her marriage vows to Richard, and for her a failed marriage was worse than death – even a marriage without love was kept. Melville looked a man that understood the power of an oath. He would be a more apt partner for her.
    Richard continued speaking.
    “Let this mark your entry into our society. Let no expense be spared, and arrange it for three nights hence. A week today you shall be married.”
     

 
     
    Chapter Four
     
    A flurry of busyness and organisation overtook the manor house as preparations were made for the wedding between Melville and Avis. Avis managed to avoid seeing her future husband by spending the majority of her time in the kitchen, supposedly watching others prepare food but also helping by baking and roasting along with the other servants. She threw herself into the work, hoping to forget that it was all for her wedding. Robes were ordered, candles delivered, foods that Avis had never seen brought from far and wide. As she decorated the Great Hall, she remembered the betrothal of her friends and family, back before the Normans had conquered in 1066. They had been such glorious affairs, full of laughing and merriment. The old days, those days that Avis ached and longed for every waking moment. The characters that filled these happy thoughts were no longer around her, and she ached for them. These recollections of her old Anglo-Saxon life made her all the more determined to avoid Melville. The only time that the two had to face each other was at meal times, but Richard carefully