The Taming Read Free Page A

belief that if Liana left, the Neville estates would be dust in six years. “Aye, my lady, I am.”
    â€œDid you choose him or was he chosen for you?”
    â€œYour mother chose him, but I believe she wanted to please me, so I was married to a young and healthy man and I have come to love him.”
    Liana’s head came up. “Have you?”
    â€œOh yes, my lady, that often happens.” Joice felt she was on safe ground here. All women were afraid before their marriage. “When one spends long winter nights together, love often follows.”
    Liana turned away. If one could spend time together, she thought. If your greedy husband didn’t send you away. She looked back at her maid. “Am I pretty, Joice? I mean actually pretty enough so that a man might be interested in me and not in all this?” She moved her arm to indicate the silk-hung bed, the tapestry on the north wall, the silver-gilt ewer, the carved oak furniture.
    â€œOh yes, my lady,” Joice answered glibly. “You are very pretty, beautiful actually. There is no man high or low who could resist you. Your hair—”
    Liana put up her hand for the woman to stop. “Let’s see to the kitchen dispute.” She could not keep the heaviness out of her voice.

Chapter
Two
    S ix months!” Helen screamed at her husband. “For six months that daughter of yours has been finding fault with men! Not one of them is ‘suitable.’ I tell you, if she is not out of here in another month, I shall take this child of yours that I carry and never return.”
    Gilbert looked out the window at the rain and cursed God for sending two weeks of foul weather and for creating women. He watched Helen ease herself into a chair with the help of two maids. From the way she complained, it would seem that no woman had ever carried a child before, but what amazed him was how pleased he was at the prospect of another child and a chance to have a son at last. Helen’s words and tone grated on him, but he was inclined to do anything she wanted—at least until his son was safely delivered.
    â€œI shall speak to her,” Gilbert said heavily, dreading another scene with his daughter. But now he realized that one of the women had to go, and since Helen was able to produce sons, it had to be Liana who left.
    A servant found Liana, and Gilbert met her in one of the guest rooms off the solar. He hoped the rain would clear soon and he could go hawking again and not have to deal with this unpleasant business further.
    â€œYes, Father?” Liana asked from the doorway.
    Gilbert looked at her and hesitated for a moment. She was so like her mother, and at all costs he didn’t want to offend her. “Many men have come to visit us since your mother—”
    â€œStepmother,” Liana corrected. “Since my stepmother announced to the world that I was ready to be sold, that I was a bitch in heat and needed stud service. Yes, many men have come here to look at our horses, our gold, our land and also, as an afterthought, at the plain-faced Neville daughter.”
    Gilbert sat down. He prayed that in heaven there would be no women. The only female allowed would be the kestrel hawk. He wouldn’t even allow mares or female dogs. “Liana,” he said tiredly, “you’re as pretty as your mother, and if I have to sit through one more dinner with men telling you, at length, of your beauty, I shall go off food forever. Tomorrow I may have my table set up in the stables. At least the horses will not regale me with how white my daughter’s skin is, how radiant her eyes, how golden her hair, how rose-red her lips.”
    There was no answering smile from Liana. “So I am to choose one of these liars? I am to live like Cousin Margaret while my husband spends my dowry?”
    â€œThe man Margaret married was a fool. I could have told her that. He canceled a day’s hawking to diddle with some