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PROLOGUE

England, 1126

"I cannot wed hirasped at her lover’s hands, clutching theers "’Tis you I love! Only you!"

He smoothed a hand down the side of her face even as pain thru wills And you know that I cannot ith you, for I alistened in her eyes and he thumbed one away, then reached to hold her hands with both of his own He blinked furiously, squeezing his eyes closed, trying to force the pain away from his head, but it would not abate

He e that ca, broken, on the ground beneath the tower It had happened long ago, and there was naught he could do to save them--then or now

"What shall happen when I couple with him? There will be no maidenhead to breach, and Lord Merle is like to kill ra’s tears fell freely now, and her voice held a clear strain of panic

He strove to clear hisFor if he did not have relief, he would go mad Mayhap he already was

"I shall send to your ’s bladder filled with blood You will hide it under your pillow, and when you couple with your new husband, you htened his fingers around her wrists, ignoring her gasp of pain "And when he sleeps anon, you will break that bladder of blood and shs, and on the bed sheets And Lord Merle will be none the wiser"

Allegra’s blue eyes pooled with tears and grief "Aye And then I shall be ith a man I do not love, whilst I carry the babe of the man I do"

~ Part I ~

CHAPTER ONE

Eighteen Years Later

Langura, a man has arrived below-stairs and wishes to speak with you"

Maris looked up fro to concentrate and eagerly dropped it to the table in front of her "I’ll attend to the visitor, Mah of needles and thread for the day"

She rose, glancing auto riders There was naught on the horizon but snow-covered hills and sparse trees

Her ue smile and made no move to stir "And if you continue to seize every opportunity to put your sewing aside, hoill you finish your father’s surcoat by Christ’s Mass?"

"I’ll finish it in time, Mama," Maris told her And she would, too, for it was almost as if her father couldn’t return holanced at the half-finished surcoat and wished she hadn’t chosen to embark on such a cora told her "Greet our visitor in my stead and do what you can for him"

It was the difference between she and herstone staircase She ainst the walls and wisps of her hair fluttered against her cheeks Her mother had always preferred to wait for ould co else of interest

In the absence of Lord Merle, her father, Maris ra was content to stitch on the e the sewing ladies Mayhap, if roused, she wouldthe estate

Such was gladly left to her enthusiastic daughter, the only child of Allegra and Merle, and the sole heiress to Languht that a wos ement of them--from every hoed to the overlord, and which were left to the villagers She knew every inch of every acre of forest as well, and rode out with her father as often as he allowed

When she was near the bottom of the stairs, Maris took a uht be busy, but she never appeared rushed

At this time of the day, mid-afternoon, when the winter sun sunk low to the trees, the hall was e for the eveningstood near the stone fireplace that stretched nearly the length of one wall He appeared to be surveying the room, and when Maris came into his view, he turned to look at her

She approached hi "I aumont Keep"