Claire Delacroix (29 page)

One part of her hoped that Burke had truly brought something amusing.

Another part only wanted the moment behind her, the issue resolved.

But Luc was relying upon her to use the wits God had granted her. And Brianna did not want to disappoint him.

Uther cleared his throat and the chattering in the hall ceased expectantly. Every face turned toward the dais, every visage was bright with curiosity. Brianna gripped her own fingers tightly.

“Lords and ladies, people of Tullymullagh.” The steward spoke in his most authoritative tone and the last of the murmuring fell silent. “Not even a week has passed since we assembled within this very hall to hear the challenge of the princess Brianna for Gavin Fitzgerald’s three sons. As well you may recall, the lady requested each son to bring her a gift, a gift intended to make her laugh, and pledged she would wed the man who made her laugh loudest and longest.”

The crowd nodded approvingly and nudged each other as they looked at Burke. He stood patiently to one side, a massive saddlebag at his feet. Brianna thought it moved of its own accord, but when she looked again, ’twas still.

She swallowed and gripped her fingers more tightly. Luc’s determination seemed to bear down upon Brianna but her heart pounded with trepidation.

What if she could not love Burke? What if she never felt
more for him than she did at this moment? He was a complete stranger to her, despite Luc’s endorsement.

“And now,” Uther continued, “the first of those sons is returned. Chevalier Burke de Montvieux comes with a gift for our princess fair. Let us see how well he succeeds at coaxing the lady’s laughter.”

Burke bowed slightly at this introduction, acknowledging the applause that swept through the hall. “I thank you for such a welcome,” he said smoothly, though his deep tones prompted no response from Brianna.

She bit her lip, knowing full well that if it had been Luc before her, but one glance from him would have sent a quiver dancing through her.

Brianna glanced to that man, still at the back of the hall, and felt that very quiver.

Meanwhile, Gavin’s favored son crossed the room with easy grace, his saddlebag perched on his hip. The troubadours poked their noses out of the assembly and avidly whispered details to each other. Brianna forced herself to look at the man before her instead of watching Luc.

This Burke was a handsome man, she supposed. His nose was too small to have much character, to her mind. And the silver hair threaded through the ebony at his temples was rather too predictable for her taste.

She found it hard to believe that he truly could surprise her.

As Luc did.

Would Burke challenge her, question her, compel her to use her wits? Would Burke agree to all Brianna asked, or would he insist she have good reason for asking it of him? Would his kisses make her tingle, his touch make her shiver?

Brianna could hardly believe as much.

She wondered anew what Luc would have brought her, if indeed he had deigned to depart on her quest. There, she
was certain, would have been something of considerable interest.

“I am certain Burke has found the perfect gift,” Gavin growled on Brianna’s one side.

Brianna was not nearly so convinced.

Burke’s saddlebag wriggled quite definitely as he set it upon the floor with care. Fenella, near beside him, peeked under the flap and giggled.

Brianna bit her lip and tried to convince herself to do as Luc had bidden her. The assembly leaned closer in anticipation.

“My lady Brianna,” Burke said solemnly and bowed impeccably low. “This gift is for you and I hope that it will bring delight.”

Brianna could not help but notice that Burke looked as though he hoped precisely the opposite. His very manner was indifferent beyond all and she sat back with a slight frown.

’Twas one thing to wed a stranger upon the advice of one she trusted. ’Twas quite another to wed a stranger
indifferent
to the prospect of those nuptials. Aye, if Burke wanted to win her hand, he ought to show some enthusiasm!

If the man was not enamored of the thought of wedding Brianna, she could not imagine she would win his attention in the wake of the deed.

’Twas clear enough that Luc did not know his brother’s heart.

But, mercifully, Brianna had discerned the truth in time. In the blink of an eye, she resolved
not
to laugh.

Regardless of what this man had brought to her. Brianna took a deep breath, entangled her fingers, and sat ramrod straight.

Burke bent and, with nary a glance Brianna’s way, opened the flap with a flourish.

For a moment naught happened.

Then, the overly large noses of three young wolfhound puppies appeared in unison, the dogs blinking at the sudden light. The women in the assembly cooed, the men snorted, and Brianna sat back with a barely restrained sigh of relief.

Dogs might be amusing, but they were not that funny. This she could manage.

As though it had heard her thoughts, one dog erupted from the bag and attacked Fenella’s hem. The maid squealed and danced back, the pup stumbled over its own ungainly paws. The second pup leapt after the first and tackled it. They rolled into a tangle of soft fur, wet noses, and massive feet, coming to an abrupt halt against Dermot’s foot.

That man smiled coolly, then obviously aware of the crowd’s eyes upon him, bent and tentatively scratched one puppy’s ear. Brianna could tell that ’twas not a comfortable gesture for him and wondered whether Dermot disliked small creatures.

The dog, however, was oblivious to any reservation on Dermot’s part. It leaned back and promptly lost its balance, rolling bonelessly to its back. The assembly chuckled. The second pup climbed shamelessly over the first to be scratched in turn.

Dermot’s touch behind this puppy’s ear sent the small creature into throes of pleasure. Its back leg working vigorously, its large paw thumping its fallen brethren in the nose. The first dog yelped, then clambered to its feet, and gave that offending foot a vigorous chomp.

Chuckles echoed around the hall. The second pup yowled, the two began a merry chase. They dodged knees and tables, ducked beneath skirts, scattered the rushes, and generally set everything to chaos. Brianna sat stone-faced while the assembly laughed lightly at the puppy’s antics.

Brianna was not even tempted to smile.

The third pup, no longer the center of attention, pushed a cautious nose out of the saddlebag. It had evidently been watching from within the security of the bag, for when it trotted out, it headed straight for Dermot.

But it wanted Dermot’s leg, not his finger.

And ’twas a male.

Dermot inhaled sharply when the pup latched onto his shin with vigor and began to hump. The assembly howled while Dermot tried to shake the amorous pup loose without success.

Fenella fought against her own laughter even as she bent to aid the beleaguered Dermot, but to no avail. Denis laughed so hard that he had to wipe away tears from his eyes. Burke strode across the floor and lent his assistance, but the pup was naught if not determined.

’Twas Dermot’s horrified expression that was nearly Brianna’s undoing. She bit her lip painfully against her own laughter and clutched her fingers more tightly together.

She would not laugh.

Connor finally let out a hoot of laughter when the pup finished his deed. For when Burke scooped up the dog, the pup’s souvenir upon Dermot’s chausses was clear to view. Dermot’s eyes looked as though they would drop from his head, he was so appalled.

The assembly nigh rolled upon the floor. Ruarke slapped his thigh, Gavin chortled, even Father Padraig made some sound that might have passed for laughter. Brianna bit her lip to keep back her own.

But she managed the deed.

Within moments, the din had settled, the pups were back in the saddlebag and Burke was bowing low. He did not look the least bit disappointed by his failure and Brianna knew she was not the only one to note that fact.

She had made the right choice.

Burke had barely straightened before Gavin erupted from his seat, his pointed finger shaking with fury as he shouted at his favored son. “
You!
I would talk with you!
Now
!”

Burke’s eyes flashed, then he inclined his head to his sire, the very image of elegance and deference. Any hint of his anger was gone as the knight pivoted smoothly to follow his sire’s bidding.

Gavin’s departure was in marked contrast to his son’s grace, both from his distinctive hobble and his obviously poor temper. The hall fell into awkward silence as they left, then conversation and speculation swelled to a roar.

Brianna smiled with satisfaction. She sought Luc’s gaze once more, only to find that he had slipped from the hall.

Aye, he could not have discerned Burke’s indifference from the back of the hall. And he might well be displeased by her decision to ignore his advice. Brianna had to talk to Luc, she had to explain her choice.

Brianna was certain Luc would understand once she voiced her doubts.

He was a man of good sense, after all.

“Well done!” Ruarke declared as he came to lean against the dais. He winked as he grinned up at her and Brianna wondered why her sire’s champion would be so concerned for her nuptials.

Then her sire’s words stole away her thoughts. “You were not amused by the pups?” Connor laid his bent hand over Brianna’s own and gave her fingers a squeeze. “This Burke
is
Gavin’s heir, child.”

Brianna patted her sire’s arm with confidence. “He seemed little enough interested in me, Father. Indeed, I know naught of the manner of man Burke is, much less whether he is my own true love.”

Connor sobered and his voice dropped low. “Child, you must not put too much stock in such whimsy. A man and a woman can find love between them, even if their match is arranged.”

“Perhaps they do, Father,” Brianna conceded with a smile. “But I will not take that risk.”

Connor’s glance was compelling. “Have you found this one true love whom you seek so diligently? Is there a man who stands beside you with honor, ready to defend what you hold dear? A man you trust beyond all others and upon whose word you can rely?”

Brianna stared into her father’s concerned eyes and her mouth went dry. There
was
such a man, a man whose company she sought, a man whose word of honor she could trust, a man who treated her with respect.

A man whose kisses enflamed her.

“Have you, Brianna?” Ruarke demanded silkily when she said naught.

Brianna blinked, certain only that she had to talk to Luc.

Immediately.

“I—I do not know,” she managed to say, hoping her tone was light. Brianna smiled pertly, squeezed her sire’s fingers, then slipped from her chair, and quickly crossed the hall.

Luc would be in the orchard, she guessed, and turned her steps in that direction. Aye, Luc would be irked with her, there was little doubt of that, but Brianna knew she could make him understand.

And she owed him no less than four kisses, after all.

Her heart skipped a beat, her feet flew in anticipation. So occupied was she with her thoughts that Brianna did not see Ruarke scowl far behind her.

Nor did she see her sire frown, then gather his robes to lend chase.

The wave of relief that swept over Luc when Brianna did not laugh had been dizzying. Indeed, he had left the hall for a breath of fresh air in an attempt to clear his head.

The lady had spurned Burke, and now Luc had need of a plan.

He headed for the orchard, struggling to think of some way to make Brianna laugh. The pups had been amusing, he knew, though ’twas Dermot’s predicament that tempted Luc’s own chuckle.

Brianna had sat impassive, though, throughout. It seemed the lady clung to her conviction to wed only for love.

And Luc knew well enough how stubborn she could be. He frowned at the apple trees, uncertain how he might circumvent that obstacle. Aye, he could well imagine that Brianna would ensure she did not laugh at any jest he made.

If Brianna guessed Luc’s intent—and the lady was not weak of intellect—she might even avoid him.

And that would serve naught.

But
how
to make Brianna laugh? Luc paced and puzzled. Unlike Rowan, he did not have a store of humorous tales, nor an arsenal of amusing tricks he could perform. He had been spared his brother’s upbringing among troubadours and entertainers and only now felt the lack.

Luc froze as he realized his own folly.

For if Brianna desired a man to keep her amused, then Burke was not the brother whose gift she awaited. ’Twas
Rowan
who could coax a smile from a stone; ’twas Rowan who could keep Brianna laughing for the rest of her days. And the very nature of Brianna’s quest hinted at the import of merriment in her life.

Rowan might return at any moment.

Luc’s heart clenched at the possibility, even as he spun to eye the vacant gates. Nay! He had to win Brianna! He had to
surprise her, conjure her laugh, then make her his bride, even if he knew not how to begin.

Then, once all was resolved, Luc could set to the task of winning Brianna’s heart.