The Taming Read Free

no woman had any power unless it was granted to her by a man. Men had been asking for her hand in marriage since she was four years old. She had been betrothed once, when she was eight, but the young man had died before she was ten. Her father had never bothered to accept any offers after that and so Liana had quietly been able to escape marriage. When some suitor had pressed his petition, all Liana had had to do was remind Gilbert of what chaos her marriage would cause and Gilbert refused the offer.
    But now this greedy Helen was interfering. Liana considered turning all power of running the estates over to her stepmother and retiring to their estate in Wales. Yes, that would be remote enough. She could live there in privacy, and soon both Helen and her father would forget about her.
    Liana stood up, her fists clenched at her side, her simple, unornamented velvet gown sweeping the tile floor. Helen would never allow her to live in peace. Helen would pursue her to the ends of the earth to make sure her stepdaughter was as miserable as all women seemed to be in marriage.
    Liana picked up her hand mirror from a little table by the window and stared at her reflection. In spite of all the love poems eager young men who wanted to marry her had written, in spite of the songs the traveling singers who were paid by her had sung, she could not see that she was a beauty. She was too pale, too blonde, too…too innocent-looking to be a beauty. Helen was beautiful, with her snapping dark eyes that let everyone know she had secrets, with her sultry way of looking at men. Liana sometimes thought the reason she could control the servants so well was because she was sexless. When Helen walked across the courtyard, men stopped what they were doing and looked at her. Men tugged their forelocks in respect to Liana, but they didn’t stand gaping or guffaw and punch each other when she passed.
    She moved to the window and looked down into the courtyard. A pretty milkmaid was being teased by an assistant farrier, the boy’s hands reaching for the girl’s round, shapely body.
    Liana turned away, for the sight was too painful for her to bear. Never could she hope for some young man to chase her around a well. She could never find out if some young man wanted to chase her. Her father’s people would always treat her with the respect of her station and address her as “my lady.” Her suitors would do anything to win her hand because they wanted her dowry. It wouldn’t matter if she were a hunchback with three eyes; she would still receive flowery compliments and glowing praise of her beauty. Once, a man had sent her a poem about the beauty of her feet. As if he’d ever seen them!
    â€œMy lady.”
    Liana looked up to see her maid, Joice, standing in the doorway. Joice was the closest thing to a friend that Liana had. Being only ten years older than Liana, Joice was almost like a sister. Liana’s mother had hired Joice to care for Liana when Liana was just a baby and Joice had been little more than a child herself. Liana’s mother had taught her daughter to run estates, but when Liana had had a bad dream, it was Joice who’d comforted her. It was Joice who’d stayed up with her through childhood illnesses and Joice who’d taught her about things other than estate management. Joice had explained how babies were made and what the man who’d tried to rape her had wanted.
    â€œMy lady,” Joice said, always careful to show respect to her young charge. Liana could afford to be friendly, but Joice was always aware of her place, always aware that tomorrow she could be without a roof over her head or food on the table. She did not volunteer advice that might not be wanted. “There is a dispute in the kitchen and—”
    â€œYou are fond of your husband, Joice?”
    The maid hesitated before answering. The entire castle knew what Lady Helen was demanding, and the people were of the