He swallowed hard. “I sensed Roland’s romantic feelings for you even before we set out on our rescue mission. I doubted him. How could a man love a woman he’d never met? I feared for him and for you.”
“For me?”
“That you might feel beholden to him, or that you would truly come to love him but he’d realize he didn’t love you after all once he met you.”
“You have tied yourself in knots,” she replied with a smile.
“I’m an idiot.”
“No, just a brother worried for his little sister. But you can rest assured I do love Roland, and he loves me. I knew it as soon as I set eyes on him. Perhaps some things are written in the stars.”
“I admit I recognized it when I saw you together for the first time. It’s just hard to let go.”
“I don’t want you to let go,” she retorted. “You and I are heading for exile in a foreign land. I won’t let you face that alone. We’ll need each other more than ever. Roland will understand that.”
He kissed her forehead. “You’ll be happy at Montbryce.”
“So will you.”
“I’ll try,” he conceded.
* * *
Terric hated himself for lying to his sister. Montbryce Castle was opulent and comfortable, but it wasn’t his home. Melton Manor had belonged to his family for generations and the thirst to regain it ate at his soul.
Adelina had Roland to help her adapt to a new life. His sister would never stop caring about her brother; she’d make sure he remained an important part of her life. But he’d still be the outsider.
It was pathetic. Gritting his teeth as they resumed their trek, he resolved to be a better man. It occurred to him that if he wanted to regain possession of Melton Manor, he had to at least try to do something about it. Otherwise, the tyrant had won.
When they arrived at Ellesmere, he’d learn all he could from Earl William de Montbryce about the growing opposition to the king.