The High Sheriff of Huntingdon (6 page)

Elspeth stepped
out
of the
narrow coach,
disdaining her
father’
s supporting h
a
n
d
as her
sandaled feet touched
the ground. It
was
early evening,
and
the
courtyard
was
filled
with people. Most of them
were men; all of them were evil-looking.
Elspeth let
her
gaze drift coolly
around
her. The
place seemed
prosperous enough,
but
uncon
scionably filthy. The disarray seemed more
from a lack of
organization
than
money
.
Elspeth considered herself very
good
at
organization.

It took
only
a moment to realize she was drawing cl
ose
to
accepting her
fate. She glanced
back
at her father, but in t
he
gathering gloom
she could
see only the anxiety on his
bluff, hearty face.

She
wasn’t certain what
was
behind that anxiety.
Fear that
his oldest
daughter
would somehow shame him
?
Or fear that some harm
might come to
her
?
She suspected
it
was
the
former—she
n
ever
had any
illusions about
her
father’s
addiction
to his
own
comfort.

“Lady Elspeth!” The voice
was
soft, masculine,
pulling
her attention from the
filth
of the offal
heap behind
what must
be
t
h
e
kitchens.
She
t
urn
ed
,
and
wondered
for
a brief
moment whether this marriage
would
be quite
so bad after
all.

The
man
hurrying
toward
her
with
an
affable smile
on
his
handsome
face was quite
the
most beautiful man
she’d ever
s
e
e
n
in
her
life. His
g
o
l
d
e
n
blond
l
ocks
hung
to
his broad shoulders,
his
eyes were
a li
mpid
blue,
his
jaw firm and manly, his
gaze steady. As far as
husbands
went,
her new groom
was a great
deal
more
appealing
than she’d anticipated.

He
took her hand in
his own
surprisingly
small o
n
e
,
and brought it
to his
lips. Soft
lips, faintly
wet.
A
chill ran through
Elspeth, and she
told
h
er
s
elf
she was
being an
utter fool. She
wondered
whether
she’d be expected
to kiss
her husband.
Doubtless
she’d
be
expected to do
a great
deal
m
o
r
e
before
t
he
night was
out. At
least
she’d
be
doing it
with a
comely
man.

“Welcome
to
Huntingdon Keep, my lady,” the
man
she assumed
was her
husband said. “We’ve been most
impatient
for
your
arrival.”

Elspeth
controlled her instinctive
snarl.
“My marriage
has been
most
sudden,
sire,”
she said in
a low
voice
not devoid
of
reproach.

“But
not
unwelcome,
I
trust.”
The golden beauty turned to
her
father,
and
there was no
lessening of
the
amity on
his
handsome
face.
“You might
wish to
break
your
fast before you continue
on
your way
,
Sir Hugh.
The
sheriff h
a
s laid on a
meal
for
you,
so your
d
e
lay
will
be
brief.”

Sir
Hugh’s
ruddy face
darkened
for
a
moment.
“I’d
planned
to stay a few
days. Make
sure my daughter’s
well
settled…”

“There’s
no
n
e
e
d
,”
the man
said
smoothly. “My mas
ter
will
make her welcome.”

“Your
master?”
Elspeth
said in a startled
voice.

If
the
m
a
n
knew
what she’d
been
thinking,
h
e
didn’t
betray it. “The sheriff
of
Huntingdon.
Your husband, Lady Elspeth.”

She
was
good at h
i
d
i
n
g
her feelings. She simply
nodde
d her
head. “And
w
h
e
r
e
i
s
my
husband?” she asked in a cool, controlled voice
.

No
answer
was
forthcoming,
but
she
hadn’t really expected one. “He’s charged
me
with seeing you safely settled in your new quarters.
I’m his second in command,
Gilles De Lancey,
and your comfort is my most important task. You’ll enjoy the rooms your
husband
chose for
you. They
have
an
excellent
view of the countryside.”

She heard
a
snic
ker
from somewhere behind her,
but
ignored it. At
least
they
wouldn’t be putting her in
a
dungeon. “I’m
sure
I’ll find them most
ch
armin
g,”
she said. She turned to her
father,
who was surveying their
host with
doubtful
eyes.
“You
needn’t
worry about me,
Father. Since
you saw fit to marry
me
to
the sheriff I’
m
sure I’ll be well provided for. Don’t delay
your
trip
on
my
account. My sisters
await
you,
and Rowena will want
her
dress
back.”
Destroying
the
dress had been
her
one
victory,
and
she took
pleasure
i
n
it. Her siste
r
’s
vanity
had
been in full flower
when
Elspeth
had
left for the convent eight years before.
It
had probably
reached
un
manageable proportions by now.