“Why?” She looked panicked. “What does he want with me?”

He wishes for you to marry again.

The answer sprang to his lips, but the obvious fear in her voice made him hesitate. With his hand gripping her arm, he felt suddenly, irrationally, protective. It wasn’t his place to tell her the earl’s plans, but she was watching him, no longer defiant but frightened, asking him a question. He felt a stirring in his chest—something he hadn’t felt in a long time—as if something were shifting inside of him. Damn it all, how could such a small woman have such a powerful effect on his senses?

“He intends for you to marry again,” he said softly, surprising himself.

“Marry a Norman?”