Page 71 of Katherine the Vixen

“But… How are you going to free yourself of her?” she asked, slightly breathless at the thought that before long they would be free to be together. It seemed too good to be true.

Siaspar’s perfect mouth stretched into a smile.

“Why, by telling the bishop that the marriage was never consummated of course.”

16

“So, is it done?”

Siaspar smiled when Katherine ran to him as soon as he appeared at the door, hope dancing in her eyes. Following his declaration that she was not to work for Lady Malpas or for him ever again, he had found her an empty cottage in her parents’ village. She could live there while he went back to Allerby Castle and put his plans to execution. There, he would be able to visit her in private while he waited for the bishop to make a decision on the state of his union. Not that he had expected any difficulty.

And fortunately, he had been right.

With all parties involved agreeing and the lady’s brother himself testifying that his sister had not been bedded in four months and would never bear a child from this union, the man had had little choice but to declare the marriage ratum sed non consummatum, valid but non consummated.

In a few days, the clerk would hand him a paper making the decision official.

“Yes, my love,” he told her, lifting Katherine into his arms. “It is done. Finally.”

He was a free man. Free to be with the woman he loved.

With a cry, she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a long, loving kiss.

“How did it go? Was it very awkward? How did Lady Malpas behave? What did she say? How do you feel?”

The questions came tumbling out of her mouth. Siaspar did not comment but his smile widened. He loved it when she was impatient. Or rather, he loved it when she was herself. They had spent too long pretending they did not feel anything for one another and keeping a distance between them.

“It was exactly as I suspected,” he said, depositing Katherine on the table so that their faces were level. “Lady Malpas was so delighted to be rid of her Welsh husband that she did not deny the non-consummation. You, of all people, should know what her feelings toward me are and what lengths she went to to avoid being bedded by me. So when I suggested we annul this marriage, she was more than amenable. Especially when I agreed that she could claim impotence if she wanted. She loved the idea, as you can imagine.”

The woman had relished the idea of this last humiliation, but he cared not what she or her brother thought. He knew the truth; it was all that mattered.

With the right bride in his bed, he would have no problem doing his duty. Quite the opposite.

“I offered to help find her a husband,” he added, smiling to himself.

“You never⁠—”

“I did, as I wanted to ensure that there were no unexpected difficulties.” This graciousness had cost him little. He would have done much more to gain his freedom. “I’m sure I can prevail on Lord Sheridan, my English neighbor at Castell Esgyrn, to suggest a suitable candidate for her. Someone he hates, of course, not a friend. I would never wish that woman on anyone worthy. So it all ends well. I am free of a wife who made my life miserable and the lady will soon be wed to someone she will have no scruples bedding.”

“As to that…” Katherine hesitated. He nodded encouragingly, hoping she would never think she could not speak her mind. “I think that Lady Malpas might have had another reason for not wanting to be bedded on her wedding night.”

“Oh?” Siaspar arched an eyebrow. This was intriguing. “You mean a reason besides her loathing for me? I am all ears.”

“I might be wrong, but I got the impression… Well, she said something that night that led me to believe she might already have had a lover and did not want you to realize that she was not a virgin.”

“Is that so?” Siaspar was positively tingling with mirth. “You mean that she actually managed to ensnare a man? It seems incredible but, after all, why not? Some men will not see past a pretty face and if he was English, I suppose she did not spend her time scowling at the unfortunate man, which would have helped. But based on this information, I might start to question your countrymen’s sanity. They take us for savages, but if they are seduced by women like Lady Malpas, it’s hard not to conclude they might not be in possession of all their faculties.”

Katherine gave a mock sigh. “I guess now I know what you really think of me.”

He tightened his hold around her waist. “I never said a word against English women. I believe they have a lot more sense, which is good, as I need an English mother for my children. Remember that this was the only reason I agreed to this accursed union with Lady Malpas in the first place.”

“So, I am only here to ensure that your children are not seen as uneducated brutes?” she challenged with an exaggeratedly arched brow. “I’m flattered.”

“You should be,” he answered, mimicking her. “Thanks to you, they will not be considered second-class citizens, savages like their father. I⁠—”

“You are nothing of the sort!” she said hotly.

“No. But I am grateful to you for offering my children an easier life than I can ever have. And I cannot wait to meet them.”