The High Sheriff of Huntingdon (18 page)

“There’s no need
for you
to provide an
h
ei
r
,”
Gilles
was
continuing in
his
persuasive voice.
“You’re barely thirty,
and it’s
my
responsibility
to
keep you
s
afe.
”

“Do
you
really
think,”
Alistair
said in
a
meditative voice,
“
t
h
a
t
I
need you safeguarding me?”

As
always,
it
was
his
most
gentle
t
o
n
e
that had
the strongest effect.
He
didn’t
need
to
glance
at
Gilles to
know
his
ruddy
color had
paled
considerably.
“Of
course
not,
cousin.
I
would
hope my efforts
on
your
behalf
w
o
u
l
d
not
go
unappreciated.
I
enable you to
concentrate
on
other
things
w
h
i
l
e
I—”

“I’m
quite able to
concentrate
on a great many
things
at
o
n
e
time, “ Alistair
said
softly. “It’s one of my
gifts.”

Gilles
was
never
a
coward.
“It
has
always
been
the case,” he agreed. “But I
wonder about
recently.
This
woman has unsettled you
. I think you
should get rid of her before
she
weakens you completely…” The
words
were
strangled
in
his
throat
as Alistair
hauled him up by
his pale blue tunic and slammed
him against
the
parapet.

“Your worry
is misplaced, Gilles,” he said in
a
silken voice. “
And
I have
no
intention of disposing
of my
lady
wife,
at
least
not yet.
She amuses me.”

“Alistair…” Gilles
prote
sted in
a
choked
voice, and
belatedly
Alistair
realized he
was
strangling
him.

He
re
l
e
a
se
d
him
abruptly,
and
Gilles
put his
small,
strong hands to
his throat,
g
a
s
p
i
n
g
for
a
moment.

“And
if
you
think I
might
be
likely to
share her,”
the sheriff continued,
“
t
h
en
you fail to appreciate
my deep
respect
for the
sacrament
of marriage.”

“You
h
a
v
e
no
r
e
s
pe
c
t
for
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
,
sacrament
or
not,”
Gilles
said
in
a
raspy, sulky voice.

“True enough.
But what’s mine,
I
keep.
Until I’m r
e
a
dy to dispose of
i
t
.
The girl belongs
to
me.
Me alone. If
you
put
your
hands
on
her I
will
cut them
off.
Along
wi
t
h
other
parts
of your
anatomy
if you
feel like
tres
passing.”

Gilles flushed,
but he
managed
a shaky grin. “I wish
you
a
long
and
h
a
p
p
y
marriage,
cousin,” he
said.

“Better to
wish me
a
short
and
fertile
one.”
His
rage
had subsided
to
a
m
o
r
e
manageable l
e
v
el
.
“Which
re
mi
n
d
s
me,
Gilles.
Have you
come
any closer to finding out
what happened
to
the
g
i
r
l
?
Jenna,
I think
her
name was.”

Gilles’s
handsome face
s
e
t
tl
ed
into lines of sorrow
. “I
haven’t
been
able to
discover
a
thing.”

“They
assume
I
killed her,” Alistair
thoughtfully.

Gilles
didn’t
bother
to
deny
it.
“Does
that trouble
you?”

“Not
particularly.
Having
people afraid of
me has
its
o
w
n special
merit.
Has
my
bride heard
the rumors?”

“
I
imagine
she
has.”

“So
presumably she
b
el
i
e
v
e
s
me
c
a
p
a
b
l
e
of
cold-blooded
murder if a female
fails
to please
me.
All the
better.
Mayhap she
’
ll lie
there docilely
enough
when
I
take
her
virginity. I’m
not
in
the
mood
for
a
b
a
tt
l
e,
”
he
added, summoning forth
a
convincing yawn.