The Silver Rose Read Online Free PDF Page B

she thought now, as she reentered the castle. If Ranulf could use his sister as bait for vengeance, he could certainly use her as a gift for his friend.
    She felt despoiled for the first time in her relationship with Oliver. What had been fun, exciting, and wonderfully sensual now became tawdry and sordid. She had known Oliver did not really care for her, and she had never let on that sometimes she thought she loved him. Such an admission could only hurt her. Women who loved rakes were destined for heartbreak. But her warm feelings for him had provided a luster, a purity almost, to their joyous nights. Now she could see only a squalid manipulation.
    “Ariel, a word with you.” Ranulf was coming down the great stone staircase as she closed the front door behind her, shutting out the night. He had several packages in his arms.
    “I’ve been in the stables; I’d like to wash before supper,” she demurred.
    “You can do that later. I need to talk to you.”
    She shrugged and followed him back into the small paneled parlor where Ralph, Roland, and Oliver were still comfortably drinking before the fire.
    “The queen, my dear, has honored you with a wedding gift.” Ranulf set the parcels down on the table. “You must be sure to write and thank her.” Sarcasm laced his words as he untied the string of the largest package and lifted out a mass of rippling silver cloth. “A wedding gown, I believe.” He shook it out, holding it up against himself with a comical grin. “Impeccable taste, Her Majesty has.”
    The gown was certainly rich, but as Ariel looked closelyshe saw a stain on the sleeve ruffles as if they had been dragged through a plate of gravy. “I wonder who was married in it first,” she observed, pointing out the stain. “I trust you will furnish me with bride clothes that haven’t come out of someone else’s wardrobe, brother.” She turned in disgust from the stained gown.
    Ranulf tossed it onto a chair, remarking carelessly, “Her Majesty is renowned for her frugality, but your maid may be able to do something with it.”
    “I’ll not stand at the altar in someone else’s castoffs,” Ariel declared, unconsciously squaring her shoulders. “I may have to go through with this travesty, but I’ll not be insulted further.”
    To her annoyance, her voice shook, but Ranulf was in great good humor and merely laughed, saying, “No . . . no, of course you shan’t. No Ravenspeare ever went to the altar in borrowed plumage.” He drew a leather purse from his pocket and tossed it onto the table, where it fell with a heavy chink. “There’s gold, little sister. You may trick yourself out as you please.” He picked up a second package. “This, too, is Her Majesty’s gift. Is it worth opening, d’you think?”
    “I doubt it,” Roland said, holding out his hand. “But let’s see anyway.” Ranulf tossed the flat parcel to him.
    Ariel wondered if she would ever be permitted to open her own gifts. Not that it mattered particularly. She looked at the string of topaz that her brother now held up. “Pretty enough bauble.”
    “Aye, but they’re not the best stones,” Oliver said, taking the necklace and examining it in the candlelight. “Badly flawed, some of ’em.”
    “I trust not an omen for your marriage, my dear.” Ranulf laughed at his own sally. He took up the third, much smaller package. “But you’ll find no fault with this. A gift from me because you’re such a good and obedient sister.” He pinched her cheek carelessly and dropped the package into her upturned hand.
    Ariel unwrapped the tissue. Her eyes widened. She liftedout a gold, pearl-encrusted charm bracelet shaped like a serpent, with a pearl apple in its mouth. The gold was most intricately worked, the design unlike anything she had seen before. She fingered the only charm it carried, a perfectly carved emerald swan. She opened her mouth to exclaim at its loveliness, but the words remained unspoken. Because it wasn’t