considered it further. âNay, you are right. âTis a foolish idea. I shall spend a year with a madman, then return here to finish out my life in solitary company.â
A single tear fled down her cheek.
Joanne reached out and brushed the tear away. âDonât cry, Em. Someday your rose will come for you on the back of his white charger. Heâll face Fatherâs wrath and triumph, then take you away from here just as Niles is doing with me.â
âBut I want children,â she whispered. âIf he waits much longer, I shall be too old to enjoy them, or else see them grown. Itâs so unfair!â
Joanne pulled her into a tight hug. âI know, little sister. I wish I could spend the year in your place. But the time will pass, and I promise when it does I shall beg Father to let you come stay with me for a time. We will find you a husband then. I promise you.â
Emily hugged her sister tightly. âJust promise me it wonât be Theodore.â
Joanne laughed softly.
They sat in silence for several minutes, until Emily heard footsteps shuffling outside. âI will kill him, if it is the last thing I do! I shall gouge out his eyes and grind them to dust. No man shall have my Em!
âBy Godâs right arm, she is all I have left and I will not see her gone. Do you hear me?â he shouted angrily. âNo one will take my youngest babe from me! Never!â
Emilyâs throat grew tight as her father made his way to the garderobe.
Closing her eyes, Emily realized how futile it would be to hope her father would wait out the year. There was no way under heaven he would ever leave her in the clutches of his enemy with nothing more than that manâs oath to secure her welfare. He loved her too much and trusted Draven too little.
They locked concerned gazes.
âWhat are we to do?â Joanne asked fearfully.
Emily bit her lip as she tried to think of something. âI will have to find some way to get Lord Draven to marry me before Father attacks him,â she said slowly.
âYou canât do that!â
âI have to.â
âBut Emilyââ
âBut nothing, Joanne. If Father attacks, heâll lose everything. Including your dowry.â
Joanne covered her mouth with her hand as the full horror dawned on her. âWeâll be outcasts,â she whispered. âNiles will cast me aside without my dower lands.â
âAye, and weâll have no one to shelter us. Already the king hates Father for what he did under King Stephenâs reign. I should think heâd like nothing better than to see us all out on our ears.â
âOh, Lord, Emily. This is too frightening to contemplate. You canât marry a madman.â
âWhat choice have I?â
Joanne shook her head. âThere must be another way. Besides, why would Lord Draven want you?â
Emily dropped her jaw, offended to her very core at her sisterâs words.
âI didnât mean it that way,â Joanne said quickly as she folded Emilyâs underkirtle. âBut you know what father says of him. The man has never married, and to my knowledge no woman has ever caught his eye. It does bear mentioning that he may not be bent to feminine company, that he prefers other men. Indeed it could be that very reason that King Henry didnât order him to marry you as opposed to just being his ward.â
Emily shook her head. âNay, I donât think so. Not from the look he gave me this afternoon. Besides, Father said the king refused the marriage solution lest it cause more war between them. Henry tried that settlement last year between two other nobles and it was disastrous.â
âWhich brings up my next point; you are the daughter of his enemy,â Joanne continued. âNot to mention that if Lord Draven touches you the king will have his head for it.â
Emily considered it for a moment. âDo you believe the king would kill