Lady Thief by Rizzo Rosko Page B

burst with rage, and he waited eagerly to see if
such a thing were possible. To his surprise, she laughed.
    He stood as rigid as a tree, unsure of how to
react until she turned her back and walked to the stables.
    He followed, irritated that she could turn
her back on him and curious all the same. He caught up to her and
turned so that he was at a backwards trot ahead of her. “What do
you find so amusing?”
    Her bright smile nearly turned his foul mood
around. Nearly. How had she managed to twist things about like
this?
    “Do you really think me such a fool that I
cannot see when you enjoy my torment?”
    He stopped abruptly, then caught up to her
again. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I enjoy no one’s
torment.”
    She nodded in agreement. “Nay, only mine. I
have seen through you now and know that the only way to deny you
your pleasure is to pretend your taunts do not exist.”
    His blood ran still before burning hot. “I
refuse to allow you to ignore me!”
    If his strange backwards movements had not
caught the attention of the working servants then his outburst had.
So he did the only thing a lord in his position could do to prevent
further humiliation: pretended they were not there and continued as
he was.
    Then she put an end to his embarrassment,
stopped and smiled her sweetest smile. William stopped and was
alert to her strange behavior. Her lips made that same shape the
night of their marriage celebration, and he had not been sure of
what to make of it then either.
    She came forth and touched his cheek with her
finger, just carefully sliding her nail across his flesh.
    “Do not fear, dear husband of mine, I shan’t
deny you the pleasure of my company or conversation, but you must
know that from now on your words will have no affect on me.”
    William’s face went cold. He would have no
affect on her? He would see about that, and tonight she would know
the foolishness of her words.
    He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm
before she could move away, his gaze meeting hers and pleased with
the shock he found there. “I must warn you that I adore
challenges.”
    The heat in her cheeks was well worth the
effort, but she snatched her hand back and walked away.
    They moved towards the stables, and Marianne
pointed to the servants who scurried to do their chores when she
came near. “I’ll wager you saw no behavior like this in them
before.”
    He shook his head, watching them with apt
fascination as women rounded corners with their laundry, the men
and boys cleaned and repaired blades, and herded chickens with a
dedication that bordered on fear. Having had plenty of
opportunities to listen to his wife screeching at the lazier of the
servants, William knew what it was that they haunted them.
    He had to admit that he did like the
improvement.
    Marianne spoke before they entered the
stable. “When was the last time you were here?”
    His eyebrow raised at her.
    She corrected herself with a flush on her
cheeks. “I meant, before Blaise and I…before you and he…”
    He couldn’t help the smirk tugging at his
lips. “Perhaps you are correct when you say that my words will not
affect you. It seems I do not have to say anything at all for you
to be at a loss for words of your own.”
    ***
    Marianne envisioned throwing him into a large
pile of horse manure, but due to Archer’s hard work, none could be
found.
    Her foot itched to stamp the ground, but she
held it in check. “Forget about that! Tell me of the last time you
were here!”
    William shrugged. “Sometime before you
arrived, I would say. I still ride Benedict and check to ensure
that he is not sleeping in filth.”
    She smiled. Perfect, ‘twas perfect.
“Wonderful, because when Blaise was here you had no chance to
appreciate how clean the stalls have become.”
    “And you knew of its condition before
hand?”
    “Adam told me, now come see.” She grabbed his
arm and pulled him in. He would see Archer’s hard work and praise
the poor man if it