Midnight Eyes by Brophy, Sarah (well read books .TXT) 📕

laughed and teased, kissed and made love. In the warm glow of their togetherness, Robert felt some of his fears dissipating and he threw everything he had into the project. He longed desperately for Imogen to conquer all of her demons, no matter how small.

Only after much food had fallen, and the odd piece of cutlery thrown by both parties, did a solution come to Robert. A doubtful look filtered over Imogen’s face as he explained to her what he had superiorly called his stroke of genius.

“Just put the food on the plate in a certain order?”

“Yes.” He started heaping things in neat little piles on the plate. “Like the furniture in this room. If you know where the meat is, where the bread is and so forth, and it’s the same every time, then as long as you can locate the plate, you should be able to eat neatly enough.”

“But I won’t be able to set up my plate like that.”

He placed the plate precisely in front of her and then sat down in the chair next to hers. “Don’t be slow-witted! I’ll fill it for you. Now, the order could be like this.” He carefully explained how the food was arranged. Giving her the spoon, he sat back and watched.

She scowled as she began to carefully navigate her way around the plate. He watched with growing pride as a confidence began to appear in her movements. And he had helped give that to her. He could feel that hard, dark place in his soul start to melt a little more.

When the last morsel of food made it cleanly to her mouth, she put down her spoon carefully beside the plate and sat there primly for a second, then let out a whoop of pure joy. She was laughing and crying at once as she threw herself into Robert’s arms. He was unable to resist kissing her, tasting the sweet laughter on her lips.

But that elation swiftly changed to anxiety when she had to dress for her first meal in the main hall.

She fidgeted and fussed over her gown and, no matter how often Robert tried to reassure her that she looked stunning, nerves ate away her confidence. After the third change of clothes he began to seriously doubt whether his sanity would survive this excursion.

“We don’t have to go down if you don’t want to,” he said in desperation. “I’m more than happy to eat up here with you.”

“No. I won’t hide, even if you’re willing to hide with me.” She took a large, shuddering breath. “Now, are you sure I look all right?”

“Imogen you are wonderful and look wonderful.” He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and looped her arm through his. “Now, let’s go and stun my poor, unsuspecting garrison.”

As they walked into the main hall he found himself running a finger around the suddenly too-tight neck of his tunic, starting to feel almost as nervous as Imogen, but for vastly different reasons. He hadn’t enjoyed his first brush with jealousy and wasn’t looking forward to it rearing its ugly head again.

A hush fell over the hall as all eyes turned to them.

Instead of the drowning blackness of earlier however, Robert felt himself standing taller as a glowing pride grew inside him at the open admiration in all the men’s eyes. He felt only pride that this woman, with all the apparent serenity and dignity of a queen, was his. There was no room for jealousy when pride and love filled every available space inside him.

Every man in the hall was captivated.

Rumors had, of course, been flying around the Keep about Imogen since her appearance several days earlier, and Gareth had been busy dispelling the myths about Lady Deformed with a vengeance.

And now finally she stood there, allowing them to satisfy all of their burning curiosity.

Robert heard the unanimous sigh of satisfaction and could only smile silently in agreement. Imogen always had that effect, whether she knew it or not. They slowly walked up to the main dais and, once seated, the kitchen doors opened and the food and drink flooded in. Soon the silence was filled with the sounds of the knights eating.

Robert frowned with concentration as he filled Imogen’s dish and carefully placed it in front of her. He started to move away but was stopped by her grabbing hold of his hand with an unerring accuracy.

She hesitated for a second, then leaned over to him and whispered an earnest “Thank you” before placing a small kiss on his cheek.

He held her hand and lifted it to his lips. “Imogen, you have nothing to thank me for. I only helped you work things out that you would eventually have worked out for yourself. It’s your own bravery that has got you thus far, nothing more.”

She blushed and looked about to say something else when another hush fell over the hall. Robert dragged his eyes away from Imogen’s face and a scowl appeared on his face as he caught sight of Gareth standing near the dais, his face split with a satisfied grin.

Damn the man! When Robert got him alone he’d…Robert mentally pulled his thoughts to an abrupt halt, and then sighed. It would appear that he hadn’t been as miraculously cured of jealousy as he thought.

“Sir Gareth,” Robert said formally, not willing to give the other man any encouragement. Not that Imogen shared his reserve. Far from it. At the sound of Gareth’s name a look of pure delight filtered over her face.

“Gareth, are you there?”

Her evident pleasure at the prospect grated along Robert’s nerves.

“My lady, wherever you are, I will always be, needing only a glimmer of your smile to sustain me.”

It was such extravagant flattery that even Robert smiled. A little. And not so that Gareth could see and construe it as approval for his outrageous behavior.

Imogen arched her eyebrow. “Flirting still, Sir Knight?”

“Still!” Robert growled darkly, but no one heard it over Gareth’s: “Only with you, my lady.”

Imogen’s laughter rang