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"Not of my own will," Je
"I know that," Friar Gregory soothed gently. "But before I refuse to perform the ceremony, I must ask you if you are certain you did not conceive as a result of that er… time you spent as his hostage? If you are not certain, then you must permit me to perform this marriage for the sake of any possible child. It is a necessity."
Je
"No," she said hoarsely, "there is no chance."
"In that event," Friar Gregory said, courageously addressing the duke, "you must understand that I ca
"I understand perfectly," Royce said in a silky, courteous voice, his grasp on Je
Panic exploded in Je
"To the hut I saw right behind this place," he replied with implacable calm.
"Why?" she cried, her voice rising with fear, trying again to free her arm from his grasp.
"In order to make wedding us a necessity."
Je
"A perfect basis for the perfect marriage," Royce replied sarcastically. Turning to face the friar he ordered curtly, "Do it. We've lost too much time here already."
A few minutes later, bound by unholy matrimony for all eternity, with hatred instead of love or affection as the basis for it, Je
"Why is he going in there?" Je
"Shut up," he snapped, and climbed up behind her.
The next hour was a blur, punctuated only by the pounding of the horse against Je
Je
Transferring his gaze from the riders to her, Royce regarded her in bland silence, his utter lack of concern only adding to her outrage. "They'll hang you for this!" Je
"Please," Royce drawled in exaggerated horror, "you will give me nightmares."
His ability to mock his fate and ignore his crime was more than Je
"No," he said. "No limit whatsoever." Jerking on the reins he turned Zeus into the road and spurred him forward just as Arik and Friar Gregory galloped abreast. Tearing her eyes from Royce's granite features, Je
They kept up the breakneck pace until nightfall, stopping only long enough to rest the horses periodically and give them water. By the time Royce finally signaled Arik to stop, and a suitable camp had been found in a small glade deep within the protection of the forest, Je
With a tired grimace, she tramped out of the thicket she'd used to shield herself from the men so that she could attend to her personal needs. Raking her fingers through her hopelessly tangled hair, she trudged over to the fire and sent a murderous glance at Royce, who still looked rested and alert as he knelt on one knee, tossing logs onto the fire he'd built. "I must say," she told his broad back, "if this is the life you've led all these years past, it leaves much to be desired." Je
Too exhausted to stand, Je
Over his shoulder, Royce glanced at her and saw her sitting with her chin perched upon her knees, her delicate brows raised in challenge, and could not believe her daring. After everything he'd put her through in the past twenty-four hours, Je
Je
It dawned on Je