He had blundered badly. That much was clear. On the other hand, he thought, mayhap it was time for plain speaking.
"I demand an oath of fealty from the men who serve me and I will ask no less from my wife. I mean to have such matters understood between us."
"I am not one of your liege men, sir. I consider that I have been gravely insulted."
"Insulted? Because I seek to ensure that my wife will be loyal?"
"Aye. You have no right to question my honor. I demand an apology."
"An apology?" Gareth eyed her thoughtfully. "Pray, which of your devoted admirers will you ask to avenge this grave insult if I do not apologize?
Young William? Your new minstrel? Or mayhap your marshal, who looks as though he would have trouble lifting a tankard of ale, let alone a sword."
"I do not appreciate your poor jest, sir."
"I never speak in jest."
"I beg leave to doubt that. I think you enjoy a very dangerous notion of amusement. I do not care for it."
Gareth grew bored with the silly game. He had made his point. Clare had been warned. He made it a practice to give only one warning. "Enough of this nonsense. We have other matters to discuss."
"You are correct in that, sir. I shall not forget your insult, but we most certainly do have other matters to discuss." A speculative gleam appeared in Clare's gaze. "I have been considering this situation and have come to some conclusions."
"Have you?"
"Aye. I believe Thurston of Landry is a kind, compassionate lord."
"What in the name of the devil gave you that impression?"
Clare ignored the interruption. "I cannot imagine that he would insist that I marry a knight who is so unchivalrous as to actually question my honor before the wedding."
"Lady Clare?"
"Obviously Lord Thurston did not fully comprehend your true nature before he selected you as one of my suitors. He will be shocked, shocked, to learn that he made a grave mistake."
Gareth knew by the expression in her eyes that she was seriously contemplating the possibility of sidestepping the marriage on such flimsy grounds. The lady would have made an excellent lawyer. He felt an odd tugging sensation around the edge of his mouth. One corner even started to curve upward into what might very well prove to be a smile. He restrained himself with an effort.
"If you think to delay this enterprise by writing to Thurston to complain of my unchivalrous behavior, I'd advise you not to waste your time. Or Thurston's. He will not thank you for it." Gareth paused to add weight to his next words. "Nor will I."
"So." Clare nodded once, very briskly, as if some inner suspicion had just been confirmed. "Now we have threats from our unchivalrous knight. This business grows darker by the moment." She swung about and began to tread deliberately along the garden path. "The better acquainted you and I become, sir, the more I fear that you simply will not do as a husband."
"How strange." Gareth clasped his hands behind his back and fell into step beside her. He was beginning to enjoy himself. "I have had just the opposite experience. The deeper our acquaintanceship grows, the more certain I am that you will make me a most satisfactory wife."
"Highly doubtful, sir." Clare pursed her lips with an air of regret.
"Highly doubtful. In any case, I must write to Lord Thurston to clarify some aspects of this situation before we proceed further."
"Which aspects do you refer to, lady?"
"To began with, I am concerned that thus far you are the only suitor to arrive on Desire."
"I told you, your choice is limited to Nicholas of Seabern or myself.
There are no other suitors."
She scowled. "There must have been other suitable candidates for the position. Likely you are merely the first to arrive on the isle. The others might be journeying here even as we speak."
"Mayhap I overtook the other candidates en route and persuaded them that their cause was hopeless."
"Aye." Her brows snapped together. "There is that possibility."
"Or, having failed to persuade them to abandon their quest, mayhap I simply dispatched them," Gareth added helpfully.
"That is not at all amusing, sir."
"This has gone far enough." Gareth reached inside his outer tunic and withdrew a folded parchment leaf. "You had best read this letter from Thurston of Landry before you proceed with your schemes, my lady."
Clare regarded the letter warily before she took it from his hand. She studied the seal intently and then slowly broke it. Her mouth tightened as she read.
Gareth examined the neatly framed flower beds and the carefully trimmed borders of the garden as he waited for Clare to read through the letter.
He was familiar with the contents of Thurston's missive. His father had dictated the letter in Gareth's presence. It would be interesting to see how Clare reacted when she had finished reading.
He did not have long to wait. Clare was obviously very skilled at reading. Just as he was.
"I find this very difficult to believe," Clare muttered as she hurriedly perused the first paragraph. "Lord Thurston claims that you are the best candidate he could find. He says that you are the only one who was even remotely comparable to Lord Nicholas."
"I told you as much."
"I would not boast of it, if I were you. Nicholas is hardly a model of gracious chivalry."
"I have heard that he is skilled with a sword and that he is loyal to his liege lord," Gareth said softly. "Those are Thurston's primary concerns."
"It is easy for Lord Thurston to be satisfied with such simple qualifications. He is not obliged to marry the future lord of Desire."
"I'll concede that much."
Clare frowned as she returned her attention to the letter. "Surely there must have been others who…
By Hermione's elbow, sir, this is impossible." Clare looked up, clearly dumbfounded. "Lord Thurston claims that you are his eldest son."
"Aye."
"That cannot be true. Never expect me to believe that Thurston of Landry would want his heir to wed someone like me."
Gareth slanted her a sidelong glance. "What is wrong with you?"
"Nothing, of course. But Thurston's heir will be expected to make a fine match with a truly great heiress, the daughter of a family which enjoys influence with King Henry. A grand lady whose dowry will include much wealth and vast estates. I have only one small manor and it is already bound to Lord Thurston."
"You do not understand."
"I most certainly do understand." Clare's voice rang with fresh outrage.
"You, sir, are attempting to deceive me."
The accusation annoyed him. "No, madam, I am not trying to cheat you."
"Do not think you can trick me so easily. If you were truly the baron's heir, he would not settle this tiny little manor on you."
"Madam?"
"And why would you wish to live here in this remote place when, as Thurston's son and heir, you could have your choice of many fine holdings and great castles?"
" 'Tis true that I am Thurston of Landry's eldest son," Gareth said through set teeth. "But I am not his heir."
"How can that be?"
"I'm his natural son, not his legitimate heir." Gareth looked at her, curious to see how she would react when she learned the full truth. "To be blunt, madam, I am Thurston's bastard."
Clare was speechless for a moment. "Oh."
He saw that she was surprised, but he could not tell if she was shocked or angered or horrified to discover that she would soon be wed to a bastard. "Now mayhap you understand."
"Aye, sir, I do. Under the circumstances, Desire is no doubt as much as you can expect to receive by way of an inheritance, is it not?"