Vengeance 03 - Believe In Me (25 page)

“I
’m sorry for everything you’ve had to go through of late,” William said. “The terrible loss of your mother, the bishop using you for his own purposes, the discovery that he is your father.”

Cristiana looked closely into William’s face.
Worry filled her until she had to give voice to it. “I must ask—have you changed your mind about me now that you know the truth? I am the illegitimate daughter of a bishop and a lady.”

William drew her
tight against him. “Never. You won’t be rid of me so easily. My promise to you stands. I love you, now and always. I ask you again, will you be my wife?”

Love bloomed inside Cristiana, filling every corner of her being with joy.
“Aye. Now and always. I love you so very much.”

He bent his head to place a tender kiss on her lips. His tenderness fueled her passion and she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer
, kissing him with all she held in her heart. Then she drew back, laying her hand along his cheek. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked, clearly puzzled by her words.

“For believing in me.”

“Always.”
He kissed her again. “You are going to love my mother and father.”

Her heart warmed at his words. She hadn’t truly thought about his family. “Now I
’ll have the big family I always longed for. I didn’t think I ever would. Not with my odd...gift.” She smiled as she repeated Nicholas’s word choice. “I didn’t think anyone would understand.”

“Our family embraces those who are different. You’ll fit right in.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I am so very lucky.”

“
I am the lucky one and grateful to have found you.” His smile helped to ease the events of the past few days.

“We
will spend the rest of our lives together, growing our own family.”

“Now I understand why I was given a second chance at life: so that I could find you.
” He kissed her briefly. “I intend to make the most of it.”

“With me?”
Cristiana could hardly believe how wonderful her future seemed. She had to hear William say it again.

“With you.”
Then she kissed him again for good measure, her love making her whole.

Three
Months Later

William surveyed the crowded hall with pride, still unable to believe the turn his life had taken. To think that this holding was his, that he now held the title of lord, that he’d just married the woman at his side and all of his family had gathered to celebrate.

“How are you, husband?” Cristiana
asked, her smile bright enough to light the hall as she sat beside him at the high table.

He took her hand, linking his fingers with hers to pull her closer.
“Splendid, wife. Have I told you today how much I love you?”

Her gown of deep emerald flattered her
golden brown eyes and her elaborately braided hair. The dropped waist clung to her curves and gold trim embellished the long sleeves and hem. The rounded neckline hinted at the swell of her breasts, making him wish their wedding feast was over so he could have her to himself.

“
You tell me every day,” she answered. “I am so very happy.” Her face glowed with joy. “I’m the luckiest person in the whole of England.”

“Not true.” He did his best to keep his expression somber
for a brief moment but found it impossible. “That would be me.”

“The archbishop was quite generous in his reward to you.”

“To us,” William corrected. “He rewarded
us
for unveiling Bishop Duval and bringing him to justice. Now we have everything we need to begin our new life: a holding, a wedding, and most importantly, love.”

Tears filled Cristiana’s eyes, but as she started to respond, a deep voice filled the air.

“Lord William!” Henry rose from a nearby table, his cup held high. “We must witness a kiss from you and your bride.”

Cheers arose from the many occupants of the hall. “Kiss! Kiss!”

“What say you, Lord William?” Cristiana asked, her eyes still glittering with moisture. “Shall we comply with their demands?”

“I fear we have little choice
, my lady. They’re an unruly bunch. Heaven knows what they might do if we don’t fulfill their wish.”

His bride chuckled. “’Tis our wedding feast, after all.
I believe kissing is a tradition.”

“
Then we’d best make it a good one so our guests behave themselves.” He stood and assisted her to her feet as the chants rose. Then he wrapped his arms around her and gazed into her eyes. The chaos of the hall fell away as his heartbeat quickened. He took her lips with his, desire rising swiftly. Her tongue danced with his and his blood heated. Her body fit his perfectly, her soft curves tempting him, drawing his hand down her body.

A slap on his
back brought him to his senses.

“Son, they asked for a simple kiss. No need to give them more.”

William reluctantly released Cristiana whose cheeks had turned a delightful pink. He turned to smile at his father, Royce. “I have a beautiful bride. Can you blame me?”

Alyna, h
is mother, stepped forward as well. “Aye. We can.” She gave him a stern look. “Behave yourself for awhile longer. Your time together will come soon enough. Besides, I would speak with my new daughter.”

With a look of delight, Cristiana replied, “That would be my pleasure.
I look forward to many conversations with you.”

“You’re running low on both wine and ale,” Nicholas said as he joined them.

William looked around the hall in disbelief. “We had enough to serve the king’s army.”

“Apparently your guests drink like them,” Nicholas replied.
“Especially Henry.”

“Ignore him,” Elizabeth advised as she took her husband’s arm with one hand while her other rested on her growing
stomach.

William eyed her midsection warily, wondering if they’d be delivering a bab
e at their wedding feast.

“
He only wants something to complain about,” Elizabeth continued.

“I’m merely trying to get my brother’s mind back on his guests,” Nicholas said.

“We never had a wedding feast, remember?” Elizabeth stared at her husband with one brow raised.

“Why not?”
Cristiana asked.

“I was in a hurry to get my bride home,” Nicholas said.

William snorted. He knew better, but in truth, he preferred not to remember those dark days.

“You weren’t either,” Elizabeth scolded him before turning to Cristiana. “Ours was a rather...unusual marriage.”

“That’s an understatement,” Royce added.

“You are welcome to share our wedding feast,” Cristiana offered
to Elizabeth and Nicholas before looking up at William with a smile.

“Indeed you are.” William would agree with
whatever she asked when she smiled at him like that.

“
How very kind of you,” Elizabeth said. “Isn’t that kind of them?” She nudged Nicholas when he failed to respond.

“Aye,” he agreed, tucking Elizabeth’s hand tight against his side. “Anything you say, darling.”

Alyna cleared her throat. “Cristiana, I understand your father recently died. I hope that doesn’t trouble you overmuch.”

“Thank you, but he was never a father to me.”

“Despite the archbishop choosing to make an example of him, holding a public trial so that all could hear his confession of his foul deeds, and imprisoning him, I think he escaped far too easily by dying from his illness,” William said, his anger at the man still fresh.

“
Death is the final punishment,” Royce said. “What happens after that is up to God.”

Nicholas scoffed. “Cristiana was robbed of her chance for vengeance.”

Alyna frowned as she turned to her oldest son. “And what did your quest for vengeance gain you?”

“A wife!”
Nicholas said with a laugh. At their mother’s look, Nicholas sobered. “You are right, Mother. My desire for revenge clouded my thinking and made me blind to what was truly important.” He leaned forward to kiss his wife. “And for that I am sorry.”

“You made it right in the end,” Elizabeth said
as she returned his kiss.

“And you, Royce?” Alyna asked. “What did vengeance give you?”

“A wife as well,” Royce said, a teasing light in his eyes.

Alyna
pushed his arm but he wrapped her in his embrace before she could do anything worse.

“While I
will always believe in justice, vengeance would not have given me what I longed for,” Royce added, still holding tight to Alyna, his gaze on hers. “Only you could provide me with that.”

Cristiana looked up
at William. “I believe your father has the right of it. My father’s death is its own kind of justice. But no punishment given to him would bring my mother back, nor would it right the many wrongs he committed. I’m pleased we prevented him from hurting anyone else.”

William laid his hand along her cheek, his heart squeezing at all she’d been through. “Your wisdom and grace amaze me.”

Moisture filled her eyes yet again. “My quest for vengeance brought me to you, and for that I will be forever grateful.”

“That is something we can all agree on,” Royce said as he lifted Alyna’s hand to kiss her fingers.

“I couldn’t have said it better,” Nicholas added with a smile at Elizabeth.

William didn’t bother answering. He was too busy kissing his wife.

THE END

A Vow To Keep

Book I of
The Vengeance Trilogy
Revenge was all he lived for...until he met her.

On Amazon:
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On Amazon UK:
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Trust In Me

Book II of The Vengeance Trilogy
He took her for revenge...but she captured his heart.

On Amazon:
http://amzn.to/197Mphs

On Amazon UK:
http://amzn.to/1886ZK5

The Secret Trilogy - Set in Victorian London
Unraveling Secrets

Book I of
The Secret Trilogy
When the past returns to haunt her...only one man can save her.

On Amazon:
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On Amazon UK:
http://amzn.to/JDwZqr

Turn the page for an excerpt of her latest release, Unraveling Secrets

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To my readers: thank you so much for all the emails, FB messages, and tweets! They inspire me in so many ways. Writing stories wouldn’t be near as much fun without you to read them.

Thank you to my guys, now and always. Brad, Brandon and Jordan, you are the best!

Thank you to my awesome critique partners: Michelle Major, Anne Eliot, and Robin Nolet
, and to my beta readers, Linda Benning and Lauren Billing. Couldn’t do this without you!

Lana Williams writes historical romance filled with mystery, adventure, and a pinch of paranormal to stir things up. Her medieval romances include A VOW TO KEEP, the first in The Vengeance Trilogy, followed by TRUST IN ME and BELIEVE IN ME.

Her latest trilogy, The Secret Trilogy, is set in Victorian London and begins with UNRAVELING SECRETS. The second book in this series, PASSIONATE SECRETS, will be available in 2014.

Filled with a love of books from an early age, Lana put pen to paper and decided happy endings were a must in any story she created. She writes in the Rocky Mountains with her husband, two growing sons, and two dogs.

She loves hearing from readers! Stop by her website at
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If you liked this book, sign up to find out when the next one is available:
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If you enjoyed any of her books, please consider writing a review!