Page 46 of One Knight in the Forest

He glanced across the garden, as though uneasy.

“How was London?”

“All right.”

“What happened? Did you meet with the King?”

“I met first with several of his ministers, and then with the sovereign. William attended my audience with King John and gave his account of what happened. Then I told the sovereign all…” He drew a ragged breath. “He decreed that…what happened that day on Crusade was an unfortunate accident.”

Joy welled within her. “’Tis wondrous news!”

Cyn smiled. “At last, I feel I can put the past behind me.” Reaching out, he pulled a petal from her hair. “Now, I must do what is right by you. If you will let me.”

She quivered inside. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from his. “Cyn—?”

“The days without you have been hell,” he said, shaking his head. “I cannot live without you, Magdalen. I do not want to.”

Tears blurred her vision, and she flung herself into his arms, sobbing as he held her in his strong embrace.

He kissed her brow. “I am sorry for hurting you. I…had to set things right.”

“I know,” she whispered against his neck.

Slowly, he eased her to arm’s length. “Please. I want to do this like the knights in the old tales. I want to do this right.”

“This?” she asked, frowning.

He reached into the leather bag at his waist and then dropped down on one knee on the blanket. Sunlight glinted off the ring in his fingers: a gold band set with a round, polished ruby.

“Oh, mercy—”

“Will you marry me, Magdalen? Will you be my wife? I know I am far from perfect—”

“You are perfect to me,” she said, sniffling.

“Does that mean—?”

“Aye, I will marry you.”

His eyes lit with pleasure, and then he stood, sliding the ring onto her finger. “I visited quite a few jewelers in London before I found the right ring. I wanted a ruby, since your ruby helped to bring us together. I hope you like it.”

“I love it,” she whispered, then leaned into him for another kiss. He pulled her into his arms, kissed her, thoroughly, passionately.

Long moments later, Cyn murmured against her ear, “Edwina and William are waiting for us in the great hall.”

Magdalen giggled. “We do have good news to share with them.”

Cyn grinned. “Indeed, we do.”

She picked up the blanket, tucked it under her arm, and slid her hand into his.