Page 32 of To Desire

Chapter 16

As expected, by the time Darien and Liana were seated in the hall for a meal as resplendent as any, typical of the showmanship Lord Devereux liked to display, they were deep into their roles.

As the evening shadows lengthened on the stone walls of the great hall, Darien and Liana found themselves seated across from each other at a long, polished oak table filled with platters of steaming food. The table was positioned near the hearth, its glow casting a soft light on the intricate carvings that lined the wooden beams above. Guests filled the seats to either side, but the two of them spoke only to each other amid the lively chatter.

“Are you looking forward to a bed this eve?” he asked with enough suggestiveness for the words to be overheard and reported to the lord of the manor, who continued to watch them from his perch on the raised dais. Although Darien had been welcomed to sit beside Devereux, Liana was not, so he had declined the offer. That might have displeased the baron, but at least he did not seem to suspect their ruse.

“Very much so,” she flirted back, amazing him at every turn.

When Liana had quickly chosen his second option, not wishing to reveal her true identity—something he’d been half teasing about but also thoughtful of since he said the words—she’d not looked back. At their first meeting with Devereux, and every moment since, she had become a different woman entirely.

It both amused and confused him. Where had she learned to transform so completely? Though they’d been given a shared bedchamber to prepare for the meal, the baron had asked Darien for a private meeting, giving him little time to speak to Liana privately once they’d entered the gates. As expected, Devereux asked more questions than provided answers about the current conflict. Aside from a bawdy remark or two, which Darien ignored, he said little about Liana, which served Darien’s purposes well.

“And your meal?”

The aroma of roasted meats and spiced wines enveloped them, though Liana seemed to be finished eating.

“Delicious. ’Twas a treat to be served such a fine meal. Lord Devereux is most kind to have welcomed us into his hall.”

Darien was certain he smiled like a fool. Her easy smile. Liana’s charm. He suddenly wished the woman who sat across from him was his in truth. Instead, they were burdened with a shared goal so weighty the future of England pressed upon it. And for themselves, a shared past and expectations for the future that intertwined in a way very different from the facade they presented this eve.

“Most kind, indeed,” he agreed, the host in question raising a hand to Darien at that moment. “Pardon me,” he said to Liana as the others at their table looked on. Though his rank was higher than their host’s, Darien bowed his head slightly in reverence anyway as he approached. As his father had told him, when in another’s hall, you could never offer the host too much courtesy, only the opposite.

“I trust your meal satisfies?”

“Very much, my lord.” Another lesson Darien had learned from his father? Not all of those who made good allies were also good men. Or women.

The smirk on Lord Devereux’s face put him firmly in that category. Three times widowed, the currently unmarried baron looked beyond him to a pretty servant who seemed not to notice her lord’s intentions. “You are dismissed from the hall,” he said with a wink. “I will remain for some time.” Devereux lifted his mug of ale.

Grateful for it, since custom demanded no guests leave the hall before their host, and Darien was most ready to do just that, he bid his host a good eve and nodded Liana toward the entrance of the hall. They were met with a servant who asked if they needed escort to their chamber.

“We do not,” Darien assured her, retracing his steps to the room they’d been given. He and Liana said nothing until they were safely ensconced in the generously appointed room. Her laughter, as soon as he closed and locked the heavily wooded door, was a sound Darien would remember for a lifetime.

“He is quite insufferable,” Darien said, sitting on the edge of a cushioned chair by the hearth.

“And yet has given you, by all accounts, his finest bedchamber. Is it not exquisite?”

Not as exquisite as she, but aye, Darien agreed. “’Tis finely wrought,” he admitted, taking in the plush rugs and canopied bed. An antechamber would be complete, as it had been before dinner, with a water basin and rags to wash with and prepare for bed. “I am sorry we could not secure you your own chamber.”

“I understand,” she said, warming her hands by the fire. “Having met him, I do believe you were right. He is the kind of man who would have asked many questions.”

“Too many.”

Darien indicated the door on the opposite side of the chamber from where Liana stood. “I did decline a serving maid for you, but there will be fresh bedclothes as well as a water basin in there. I know your gowns have been tied on the sides and thought ’twas wise.” He indicated the door to the antechamber.

“I am able to remove my gown myself,” she said, confirming what he already knew. “And was escorted here earlier and made use of it but will do so again. If you will pardon me?”

“Of course,” he said as Liana disappeared. Darien tried not to imagine her on the other side of that door. He failed, of course. By the time she emerged wearing a bed gown, he slunk into the antechamber himself like a coward.

After nearly kissing her, he vowed not to let that happen again. Since then, he’d told her she was beautiful and spent an evening flirting with her. Though self-control was never something Darien had struggled with, he had finally met the person who pushed those limits.

Delaying in his own duties, he was surprised to find her standing in front of the hearth when he emerged.

“I thought you would be abed already? It was a long day of riding.”

“Days,” she clarified.

Liana wore a soft woolen robe, belted loosely at the waist, the fabric brushing the floor as she shifted. The robe’s deep, earthy tones were simple yet elegant. Beneath it, he caught a glimpse of her linen chemise. Liana’s hair fell freely past her shoulders, her gaze steady as she turned fully toward him, the warmth of the hearth casting a soft light on her face.