Chapter 2
Hidden thoughts
3 months earlier
Tristan de Martel kept his face callous when his pale blue eyes observed Lady Ginna de Quise across the hall. She was wearing a light purple silk gown and her sandy blonde hair was up in a plait coiffure. The hall was full of people, Count de Martel was having a feast, but all Tristan saw was this woman. She was with her sister, the Lady Rebekah, they were talking. The two ladies and their four brothers had arrived two weeks ago; Tristan had met the Lady Ginna the same night at his father's celebration. There had been something about her that had most definitely caught his attention, but as always, he had controlled himself perfectly.
Most people saw him as nothing but cold and heartless man, but he had no problem with that. He liked to keep his thoughts to himself and at the moment he was particularly grateful that no one could tell what he was thinking. What he had seen earlier today had filled his head with some very improper thoughts. He had been riding in the woods in order to train his new horse for the hunt and he had felt like cooling off in the pond. Of course he has had two guards with him, but he had told them to wait for him on the path with his horse.
When he had approached the pond, he had noticed someone diving in the water. He hadn't moved and the woman in the water hadn't seen him. He hadn't been able to tell who she was and he had wondered what kind of a woman would be foolish enough to be in the woods all by herself. But for some reason he hadn't looked away. That still didn't make sense to him; he had never before peeked at a woman. Yet he couldn't bring himself to regret what he had seen, how could he?
When the woman had finally emerged, her wet blonde hair falling around her shoulders, he had recognized her as the Lady Ginna. She had been naked, dripping wet and absolutely gorgeous. Like some kind of nymph rising from the water. Beautiful body with soft curves, firm bosom and soft looking skin. He couldn't deny that he had openly stared at her, studying every little detail of her body. Of course he had seen naked women before, but her… She was no doubt the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
How was it possible that she had actually been there all alone? Unescorted. Unprotected. How had her brothers allowed that to happen? She had sat on the bank naked for a while, sunbathing and dipping her toes into the water. Tristan had never seen anything like it; all the noblewomen usually avoided the sun. He hadn't moved until she had finally gotten dressed. After that he had let her notice him and pretended that he had just arrived. Obviously he had needed to escort her back to the castle. She had clearly been more than surprised to see him and if he hadn't been mistaken, she had seemed a little shy.
To his surprise, she hadn't had a horse with her; she had said that she had felt like taking a walk. A walk in the woods all by herself? That had sounded very strange to him and he had pointed out that she should pay more attention to her safety, who knew what kind of beasts she would run into. She had smiled and thanked him for his concern. They hadn't really spoken much on their way back to the castle and Tristan had needed to struggle to keep his thoughts hidden. A part of him had wanted to berate her brothers for neglecting their responsibility to protect her, but that would have been quite hypocrite. Still, what if someone else would have seen her… Maybe some savage who would have attacked her. The thought made him to clench his fists. Before he truly realized what he was doing, he approached her and her sister.
"Good evening, ladies," he greeted them.
"My lord," they replied in unison and curtsied briefly.
It wasn't difficult to see that his presence made Lady Rebekah uncomfortable, she seemed tense and cautious. He had gotten used to that, his reputation made many women nervous around him. Lady Ginna on the other hand didn't seem nervous; she had a polite smile on her face.
"Are you enjoying the feast, my lord?" she asked.
"Yes, I am and I was wondering would one of you ladies do me the honor of accompanying me to the dance?"
Lady Rebekah's expression revealed how she felt about that and she gave her sister a grateful look when she assured that she would be delighted to dance. The musicians were just starting to play; Tristan offered his hand to Lady Ginna and led her to the middle of the hall.
"I must warn you, my lord, I am afraid I am not much of a dancer," she said.
"I see. You prefer wandering in the woods?"
She smiled.
"I do actually."
His eyebrows furrowed.
"My lady, I must again point out your safety. Surely you understand that someone like you cannot simply walk around by herself."
"Someone like me?"
"A defenseless woman."
The corners of her mouth were twitching.
"Forgive me, my lord, but what makes you think I would be defenseless?"
"You are a woman," he replied simply. "A lady. It is the responsibility of men to keep you safe."
She raised her eyebrows.
"You really believe that, my lord?"
"Of course, it is the natural order of things."
"I am afraid I must disagree, my lord."
"Really? Why is that?"
She smiled.
"I have four brothers and I can assure you that they have taught me how to defend myself. I know how to use a sword."
"You know how to use a sword?" he repeated. "Your father allowed that?"
"Yes, he did, he often taught me himself when I was a child. He was a very skilled swordsman." She paused and smiled, the memory seemed to be dear to her.
Tristan couldn't imagine that his father would have ever allowed Aurora to even touch a sword, she could have hurt herself.
"I have heard that you are also quite a swordsman, my lord," Lady Ginna continued.
"So I have been told," Tristan replied.
"Well, perhaps you could teach me then? I would love to see what you can do."
It seemed that she actually was serious. He wasn't completely sure what to think of that, she wasn't like any noblewoman he had met.
"That would not be appropriate, my lady. And I certainly do not wish to hurt you."
"How kind of you," she replied. "But perhaps I would be the one who would hurt you."
He couldn't help but smile at that.
"Perhaps. You seem quite fierce, my lady."
"I'm not. I am actually very boring."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Somehow I doubt that, my lady."
She smiled at him and curtsied when the dance was over. He would have wanted to continue, but her brother, the Lord Kol, cut in.
"You are welcome, sister," Tristan heard Kol whispering in Ginna's ear. Apparently he was under the impression that he had just saved her from an unwanted company. The thought didn't sit well with Tristan, but as usual, nothing revealed what he was thinking. Right now he was most definitely grateful for that.
