Unbroken (Unarmed Trilogy #2) (24 page)

"The Johanssons have been disturbing our trade routes for some time. We ask that, as you stay here, you teach my men how to fight against them," Aidan said as he dug his fork into the piece of meat.

"A town not far from here was massacred," Tamzin said absentmindedly as she was reminded of the young boy she couldn't save.

"They used spears, which is a weapon I am sure you still use. How do I know that you didn't order that town to be burned to the ground?" Will asked before he looked back to Willem. "Maybe it was you? Did you hope to lure me into a trap to murder myself and my wife?" Will took the knife in between his fingers and looked around the room.

"Why would I want to harm you?" Willem asked.

"Because my arrival would ruin your perfect life here. It's easy to ignore the fact that your wife gave birth to a child that wasn't yours if the child isn't here to remind you of it," Will answered before he stabbed the knife into the table. Hanna and Katya both jumped in their seats.

"I don't hate you and I don't wish you or your wife ill will. We didn't know you were coming and even though you are hostile, this family welcomes you, as you are our family," Willem said as his eyes flickered to Tamzin. "As for that town, we know nothing about it and we haven't used spears in years for battle. They are only used for patrols."

Will said nothing as he removed the knife from the table and began to cut into his meat. The remainder of dinner was silent as everyone eyed one another suspiciously and everyone chewed their food carefully. Tamzin noted that Paul had not joined them, which made her suspicious, but she didn't speak on the matter in front of the Bradfords. As they finished dinner, Tamzin looked up to see Nicola watching her with interest.

Will waited patiently for Tamzin to finish her meal and when she finished, he took her hand in his and stood. He didn't bow and Tamzin didn't curtsy as they left the room abruptly. When they were out of the dining room, Will let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Together and silently, they walked back to their chambers and when the door was closed, Will felt the tight bindings of his emotions loosen before they snapped open. He sat on the bed as he felt the sadness inside of him crawl up his throat and made him feel nauseous.

"I am ruined," he admitted as he felt the bed sink in next to him.

"You're not ruined. You aren't even close to the word," Tamzin said as she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "You are brave and kind and smart. But I think you are doing nothing for yourself by continuing to be angry."

"She left me..."

"She did and it was wrong. It was so wrong, but you're getting a chance I will never have. I have a mother, but I know she loves my brother more, even if it's only a little bit. We may not be here long and if you never see her again, I know you will regret not taking this chance," Tamzin said as she placed his hand on her belly. "This is happening for a reason. We are here for a reason. To become the King you're destined to be, you need to get to know your mother."

"I have experienced enough of life to know that not everything needs some cosmic reason to happen," Will frowned as he felt his child move beneath his hand. "I was immature back there."

"They shouldn't have called you ruined," Tamzin defended as she reached out and untied his tunic. "Tomorrow is a new day and with every new day is the time to start over."

"I have made my first impression. I can never fix that," Will replied grimly.

"If they can't understand why you're upset, then there isn't a good reason to get to know them," Tamzin comforted before she felt Will shift and leaned in to press his lips against hers. It was a gentle kiss, so full of love and passion as Tamzin felt him press his fingers along her spine. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder as he gently pressed her down into the bed. On her side, Tamzin curled against Will as she broke their kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Will whispered as he gently pulled the pins from her hair and watched her hair slowly fall against the pillows. "Do you think he was telling the truth? Willem, about the town?"

"I don't know," Tamzin frowned as Will pulled lightly on the sleeves of her dress. "Until we know otherwise, it would be wise to believe that these people could harm us."

"If I can't trust my father, then I can't trust them," Will agreed as he looked over her shoulder at the closed doorway. "Do you remember when we talked about running away and living somewhere far away? I still want that."

"You have no desire to be a King?" Tamzin asked as she pressed a kiss to a scar on his chest.

"No one wants to be King when they learn what it entails. I want peace. I want to be left alone, to be forgotten. I could become the greatest King and no one would forget that I left you in Thurston with no soldiers. They say I am such a great commander but that I let something so stupid happen. No one knows what really happened," Will said as he gently ran his fingers over her shoulders. "They don't know I planned to leave two hundred able-bodied men behind but that my father derailed that plan and told me I was a coward to do so. I should have known then."

"It's not your fault. You know now, and now you know what you must do." Tamzin pressed another kiss, this time to his neck.

"My father is enemy number one," Will said as he stared up at the ceiling. "He's in the South. He murdered the people of that town. He probably killed my aunt as well. What do I do?"

"We live now. You train the Bradford men, and you get to know your family. I deliver our son and when I am healed enough, we return to Roth. Today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow, so all we have is now. And right now, you are going to forget about everything and make love to me like a husband should," Tamzin said as she ran her fingers through his curls. "Soon, all of this will be over."

Will laid back against the pillows, his pale skin covered by a thin sheen of sweat. His hair clung to his scalp as he felt Tamzin shift off his lap and lie down next to him. Both were naked, and like Will, Tamzin was covered in sweat, but had a bright smile plastered on her face.

"How did you go from weak and sickly to a vixen in bed so quickly?" Will asked as he wiped his forehead clean. "Where did you learn those moves?"

"My family has a very extensive library and some of the books have pictures," Tamzin teased as she curled against him. "I may have gotten bored from time to time."

"I am happy to reap the benefits of your boredom," Will smiled, though he felt her shift uncomfortably in their bed. "What's wrong?"

"I may be hungry," Tamzin said bashfully as she hid her face in his chest. "A girl becomes hungry after activities like that!"

"And what exactly do you want?" Will asked as he gently removed her from his chest and sat up. He breathed heavily and felt Tamzin's hand slide up his back. Slowly, Will stood up and reached down for his discarded breeches. As he slid them over his legs and hips, Will turned to see Tamzin on the bed. He felt his jaw go slack as he observed her naked body.

Her skin glowed and her cheeks were flushed a bright pink. Will knew she felt embarrassed about the marks on her stomach from her skin stretching, but they weren't as bad as she thought. Her mother had given her an oil to rub on her belly, which had lessened them somewhat. She did look like she was ready to give birth at any moment, but Will was quite certain she only grew more beautiful to him.

"I want something good," Tamzin smiled as she sat up and pulled the sheet over her nakedness. "Please go get me something from the kitchens!"

"I will accompany you to the kitchens, but that's all," Will said as he sat back down. "I don't know how I feel about leaving you alone here."

"Nothing bad has happened since we have come here. Well, nothing terribly bad," Tamzin frowned as she rolled out of bed and walked towards the water basin. She dropped the sheet and took the wet cloth out of the basin and gently washed her skin clean of sweat. It wasn't the bath she wanted, but she could wait until the morning if she could at least do this. In her trunk, Tamzin grabbed the silk nightgown she hadn't worn in months, as it was too cold for the North and she hadn't needed a nightgown in front of Will. The silk felt like cool air on her hot skin and it fit her perfectly, framing her stomach like nothing else.

"I disagree. It is rather ironic that the discovery of my mother was the worst thing I have experienced," Will said as he slipped on his sandals and extended his hand to Tamzin. Her sandals were also slip on, a gift from her mother, which made getting ready that much easier for her. "Come on. The kitchens can't be too far."

Will opened the door and looked out into the hallway. It was empty, even free of guards as they came out into the hallway. He remained shirtless; the heat was too stifling to wear any more clothes than necessary and Will wasn't expecting to come across anyone at this time of night. At the end of the hallway, Will found he could continue to go straight or take a right. He knew the door on the left was someone's chambers.

"Aren't the kitchens usually on the bottom level?" Tamzin asked as they came to another hallway. This hallway was much more lit and seemed to have more activity. Will turned around to face her and put his index finger to his lips. Tamzin nodded and squeezed his hand. Will slowed his movements to make sure his sandals didn't make any noise on the floor. They slowly approached the open door, which was well lit. As they advanced, Will could hear various voices. It was Ethan, Katya, and Hanna.

"He's awful," Ethan said as Will watched him take a swig from his goblet. He was nearly drunk, as was Hanna, as Katya watched from an armchair. "He's so honorable, that Will Thurston. He's a pain in my arse."

"He's very handsome," Hanna slurred as she poured more wine into her goblet. "His wife is so big! She's like a whale!"

"She's due to give birth soon, and she's a Princess. You should show some respect," Katya scolded as she looked down at the book in her lap. "She is as beautiful as they say. She's very kind, too."

"Her husband is still a pretentious imbecile," Ethan said as he leaned back in his seat. "He's only nineteen?"

"Didn't you hear him? He commands the finest army in the North or South! That is so impressive," Hanna giggled. "He could command me to do anything."

"You're disgusting. He's your brother-in-law," Katya said with an eye roll.

"And my wife," Ethan said with an upturned nose. "And he's going to be King."

"Did you hear them? Katya and I were supposed to bring the Princess a new set of sheets and she was moaning so wantonly. Will Thurston may be boring and self righteous, but she certainly sounds like she enjoyed herself. And you know what they say about Tamzin Roth," Hanna said as she curled her finger in her hair. "How many Southerners questioned her maidenhood before she was shipped off to the Thurstons? They were the only ones who actually believed she was still a virgin."

Will felt his jaw tighten as he looked to Tamzin. She had a look of anger and shame on her face, but Will knew the truth. He felt her maidenhead when he first entered her, heard her slight gasp of pain, and the blood afterwards. This lowly girl had no right to question his wife's chastity before they were wed. Before Will could enter the room, Hanna continued.

"Do you think she is actually carrying the heir to the Thurston Territory? What if she..."

"What if she what?" Will interrupted as he and Tamzin sauntered into the room. Will was not arrogant enough to show off his physique, but he wanted these Southerners to know who they were dealing with. Katya sprung to her feet and Ethan and Hanna stared at him like they were unsure if he were real or not. Tamzin stood behind him, her hand curled around his bicep. "There seem to be quite a lot of rumors here, about myself or about my wife. Did the rumor of what happened to my uncle reach your ears?"

"No, Your Grace," Ethan's voice quivered lightly as he focused his eyes on Tamzin.

"My uncle, whom I had never met, invaded and tried to kill Tamzin after he discovered she was swelling with my child. He was going to die when I got my hands on him, but he insulted her in front of me. I cut out his tongue for speaking his words, then I cut off his hands, which were used to harm her before I let him burn to death. I don't take kindly to people who speak of lies, especially about the most important person in my life," Will said as he gritted his teeth as he approached Ethan. "My father is a terrible man, but I, at least, was taught to never speak ill of another man's wife."

"We are sorry, Your Grace," Katya said as her eyes shifted from Tamzin then to the ground.

"I heard enough to know that you didn't say anything," Will said as his eyes traced Katya's face. "As for you two, you will apologize to Tamzin, not me." It was then that Tamzin took a step around Will and stood in front of him. She was not afraid of them; she never was, but what Hanna said was humiliating. She was a virgin in her marital bed, the child she carried did belong to her husband, and since their marriage, no other man had touched her with her consent.

"Tell me, Hanna, what have I done to deserve such mistrust and gossip when we have only just met?" Tamzin asked, her voice strong and queenly as she allowed her hand to rest over her belly. "Is that all it is? Just vicious gossip?"

"Yes, Your Grace. Nothing more than just gossip," Hanna said, though she could not meet Tamzin's eyes. "I apologize for my comments. They were not meant for you to hear."

"But I did hear them. You know, I never had a sister before and now I have two. I was very much looking forward to Will having siblings, despite how terribly you all were discovered. But perhaps my husband is right to want to keep an arm's length distance? I will keep you as my handmaidens, for the simple fact that I need them, but I am not your sister. I trust no one who carelessly insults myself, my child, and my husband in one sentence," Tamzin said as she raised her eyebrow at Hanna. "You two will bring breakfast for myself and my husband every morning at the ninth hour. You will bring my bath water promptly afterwards. You will comb out my hair and tend to my dresses..."