“Do you really love her, Rhys? Or is she just an infatuation? I refuse to believe you’re simply making sport of her.”
“I love her with all my heart, my lord.”
De Lohr grunted, wriggling his eyebrows at his brother as he did so. His movements seemed more apologetic now that things were clear. “She is due at Ogmore in a few days,” he said. “Perhaps you should go and talk to her. If you can still complete this mission, then you deserve all of my faith and support. It is a terrible thing to say all things considered, but it all rests on you.”
Rhys didn’t say another word. He left Christopher, David and Lawrence in the great hall and mounted the stairs to the second floor. Elizabeau’s chamber was at the end of the hall and he knocked softly. He had to do it twice more before the door finally creaked open.
Elizabeau peered up at him with red-rimmed eyes. She had a guarded expression and seemed to be disinterested in his presence, but after several long seconds of remaining firm, she dissolved into tears. Rhys entered the room and quietly shut the door behind him.
“Calm yourself,” he said softly, taking her by the shoulders and leading her over to the bed. “Sit down. We have much to speak of.”
She sobbed into her hand as he gently pushed her to sit. He went looking for a chair but she stopped him.
“S-sit with me,” she sobbed softly. “Put your arms around me and tell me that everything will be all right.”
He stared at her, his heart breaking, before forcing himself to go in search of a chair. It was the most difficult thing he’d ever had to do. He planted the chair in front of the bed and sat stiffly. When she saw that he had no intention of holding her, her sobs grew deeper.
“My lady,” he tried to sound firm. “You must stop weeping. We have very serious matters to discuss.”
“I will not marry the prince,” she wept. “I will not go to Ogmore. You and I are going to be married and raise a dozen children and live our lives together.”
He took a long, deep breath, praying for courage. “Nay, we are not,” he said. “Because I am not going to marry you. I am leaving as soon as my brother arrives and you will continue on to Ogmore, marry your prince, and fulfill your destiny.”
Her head came up, her expression laced with shock. “You… you will not marry me? What nonsense is this?”
It was a lie, such a bold-faced lie. It took all of his strength not to break down as he spoke it. “No nonsense, I assure you,” he replied, hoping his voice didn’t sound as strained as he felt. “You have a destiny that I am not a part of. What we feel now, at this moment, will be a memory soon enough. We will recover from this momentary madness. But England will not recover if you do not fulfill your duty. There is no negotiation on this, Elizabeau. You will do what you are told and so will I.”
Her tears had stopped and she just stared at him. “Does your sense of duty mean more than I do?”
He almost choked on his words, but it was necessary. “Aye.”
“Swear this to me, Rhys. Swear to me that your sense of duty means more than being with the woman you love.”
“I swear it.”
“I do not believe you.”
“It is the truth.”
Every word was like a dagger into her heart, pounding deeper and deeper. The pain was greater than tears. The deep green eyes fixed on him, the light in them dulling as his words sank in.
“De Lohr,” she finally hissed. “He’s threatened you somehow. He has forced you to say such things.”
Rhys shook his head. “There is no man alive that can force me to do something I do not want to do. You must understand that what we feel for each other was never meant to be. It should not be. It cannot be. You must marry your prince and I must go on with my life.”
“But I do not want to marry the prince. I want to marry you!”
“If you do not marry the prince, then you will be alone. I will not marry you.”
“Are you saying you do not love me? That it was just a frivolous thing to be carelessly treated, carelessly discarded?”
“I will not waste my time on something that can never be.”
All of her tears were gone, replaced by shock and devastation. He sounded so cold, so hard, and she was coming to feel like the biggest fool in the world. She simply couldn’t believe it, not after the words they had shared that afternoon. Had it all been a joke to him? Unable to think of anything more to say, shattered to the bone by his words, she simply turned away.
Rhys sat there, gazing at the back of her reddish-gold hair, thinking that never in his life had he ever said anything that hurt him so badly. He loved her more with every breath he took. But she had to understand what her duty was and he could think of no other way to convince her. Being soft with her hadn’t worked; maybe if he could convince her to hate him, she would do as she must. He could see no other way.